For developers and users outside the United States, the practical change is straightforward: Android will be required to accommodate certified third-party app stores globally, not just in one market. A settlement between Epic Games and Google, approved by Judge James Donato on 4 March 2026, extends and deepens a set of antitrust remedies that had previously applied only in the US, running them through 30 June 2032.
The case has a long runway behind it. Epic filed its antitrust lawsuit against Google around 2020, targeting the 15 to 30 percent commissions Google imposed on in-app transactions through the Play Store. After a jury trial lasting roughly two months, a December 2023 verdict found Google had violated antitrust law. Judge Donato issued a permanent injunction on 7 October 2024, covering eight prohibited behaviours and taking effect on 1 November 2024 — but only within the US. Epic and Google filed a proposed settlement on 5 November 2025; Donato's March 2026 approval converted that US-only order into a worldwide commitment.
The settlement's centrepiece is a 'Registered App Store' programme, targeted to arrive alongside Android 17. Under it, certified third-party stores can be installed from websites through a single screen that must use neutral language — no friction designed to discourage the choice. Google must also allow those stores to access its Play Store catalogue and distribute rival stores through Google Play itself, unless developers opt out. Fortnite, Epic's game and the original flashpoint of the dispute, returned to the Google Play Store following the settlement approval.
Commission fees are capped under the agreement. Google's standard rate falls to 20 percent or below depending on which billing path is used; a 5 percent option exists for payment processing only; subscriptions and e-commerce transactions drop to between 10 and 20 percent. Developers have been able to show alternative payment methods since 3 December 2025. The broader fee framework takes effect in the US, UK, and European Economic Area by 30 June 2026, with other regions following on a staggered timetable into 2027. The precise schedule for those other markets has not been made public.
Google retains the right to collect commissions even when transactions are processed through third-party billing systems. It also retains the ability to set certification and safety requirements for any store seeking registered status — meaning it still controls who qualifies, though the settlement constrains how that power can be used. Google is prohibited from paying device manufacturers or carriers for Play exclusivity or preinstallation, and from sharing Play revenue in exchange for exclusivity arrangements.
Several questions remain open. It is not clear how many third-party stores have applied for or received registered certification. Whether regulators in specific non-US jurisdictions will accept or move to modify the global rollout is also unknown. And while some fee figures in the settlement documentation appear straightforward, the exact tiers across all transaction categories have not been fully set out in public reporting.
The settlement brings Android's formal rules closer to what the platform's architecture has always permitted in principle — sideloading and competing stores were never technically blocked — but chose not to encourage in practice. Whether that formal opening translates into meaningful competition for the Play Store remains to be seen.
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