Judge approves Google’s appeal to pause Play Store changes
A small but important win for Google and a temporary setback for Epic.

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Google has secured a small but important win in its battle against Epic Games’ lawsuit. The judge overseeing the case approved Google’s appeal to pause opening the Play Store to its competitors.
While it’s not the permanent solution the company aimed for, it gives Google some breathing room to fight another day. However, if Google wishes to withstand these changes permanently, it will have to sustain the pause and eventually succeed in its appeal.
Google Play Store overhaul gets a pause (for now)
Google recently appealed to the court to pause the anti-trust ruling-mandated changes to the Play Store, raising concerns about security of citizens. Now, the judge has approved Google’s request, temporarily pausing the changes.
Both Epic and Google confirmed the pause to The Verge with a statement. However, according to court records, the judge did not delay one particular aspect of the decision that would provide a loophole for competing app stores.
Google is prohibited from entering into agreements with carriers or device manufacturers that prevent the preinstallation of competing app stores in exchange for funds, a cut of the profits, or other benefits beginning November 1, 2024, and ending November 1, 2027.
It’s the same treatment that Apple received in its lawsuit with Epic.
Epic Games has been trying to open up app stores for Android and iOS for a while now, so the delay is a temporary setback for the company. However, the appeals court’s decision in this case is still pending.
If the court upholds the jury’s decision, Google may have to make significant adjustments to its app store.
This pause will affect not just Epic but all the other companies that had high hopes for the new, open environment that the court’s injunction appeared to imply. It will be interesting to see how this lawsuit plays out for both parties.
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