Epic Games finds another success in its quest to bring down the monopoly of Google and Apple on the market for mobile devices. Back on Monday, October 7, a US court judges Google to open the competition through alternative download and payment options. The changes will be taking place starting November 1 allowing developers to bypass the 30% tax.
As per the verdict, Google will not be able to force app developers to use their billing system and will allow other app stores inside the Google Play Store starting November 1 to the next three years. Do note that the verdict only applies to the US market, but remains a huge win nevertheless.
Furthermore, Google will also not be allowed to offer money to the manufacturers to pre-install Play Store on their devices. This verdict comes as a second big win for Epic Games following the EU’s hammer on Apple to open up their services to allow rival app stores in the European region.
This is the first time any company has made this much progress against Google and Apple’s monopoly in the market, rewards for which, will be enjoyed by developers across the country. Founder of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, calls it a huge victory.
What was the reason behind the lawsuit?
This decision comes after a long-running lawsuit that started back in 2020 by Epic Games claiming that Google monopolized the Android market through its Play Store. Back when Epic released Fortnite Mobile on Android and iOS devices, players had the option to play through external sources which gave players a discount.
At the time, the game was promptly removed from both stores which started the legal battle against Google and Apple over 30% transaction tax and forced apps to use their own billing system. The lawsuit also claimed that Google paid manufacturers to exclude other app stores and exclusively install their store on devices.
/sportsinfo/media/member_avatars/image 59.png)
Follow Us/sportsinfo/media/media_files/cZjDXmiq29YUqznjOdzy.jpg)