Google Pays Price for App Store 'Monopoly'

Google has suffered a major court defeat over its Play store. It will mean much greater access for third party app stores and apps, though could prompt a continuing argument about security.

The ruling came in a case brought by Epic Games, makers of the popular game Fortnite. It's had similar battles with Apple and its possible this case will have an effect there too.

Epic had argued that Google unfairly exploited a monopoly over access of app developers to the Android system by the way it controlled the official Play store. It said that monopoly existed despite the fact that Android users can install apps from other sources.

According to Epic, Google imposed unfair restrictions on the way app developers can access the Play store. A jury agreed in a verdict last December and the judge in the case has now decided how Google must put things right. (Source: bbc.co.uk)

Three Years Of Restrictions

His decision is surprisingly stringent and will change how Google operates for the next three years.

The two biggest changes involve third-party app stores. The first is that app stores themselves can now be distributed through Google Play itself. In other words, a user could download one app from Google Play and then use that app to download other apps without having to go through Google Play.

The second change is that third-party app stores will, by default, have access to carry any app that is in Google Play.

Other big changes include an end to Google rules that apps distributed in Google Play can only use Google's payment system for in-app purchases (complete with a royalty cut for Google). It will also no longer be able to set maximum or minimum limits on pricing.

Security Checks Still OK

There will also be a ban on Google offering financial or other incentives for app developers to use Google Play (or avoid using rival services) and for device manufacturers to preinstall Google Play (or not preinstall other app stores).

The only real power Google will have is to take "strictly necessary and narrowly tailored" steps to maintain the security of apps in Google Play and to charge a fee for this vetting.

As things stand, Google has eight months to figure out how it will comply with the rules before the three-year compliance period begins. However, given the changes could make a major dent in its revenues, it's already planning an appeal. (Source: theverge.com)

What's Your Opinion?

Are the changes reasonable? Does Google hold too much power over apps on Android devices? Should Apple fear similar restrictions?