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After six long years, the legal battle between Google and Epic Games has finally come to an end. The result? Third-party app stores are officially coming to Android starting July 22.
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The end of Google vs. Epic
What a ride
Google and Epic have been at it for years, going all the way back to when Epic attempted to bypass Google's app store fees by selling Fortnite currency directly. Fortnite was pulled from the Play Store, and the two companies have been battling ever since. The fight has evolved over the years — the most recent standoff centered on Google and Epic jointly fighting a judge's plan for Google to carry third-party app stores inside the Play Store itself, rather than requiring users to sideload them.
On July 14, Google and Epic jointly withdrew their proposal. The result is that starting on July 22, Google will be required to host third-party app stores directly within the Google Play Store. Additionally, those third-party stores will be populated with Google Play's own app listings, meaning they'll come pre-stocked.
How third-party app stores will work in the US Seamless installsStarting July 22, Google will allow third-party app stores inside the Google Play Store. Yes, you're reading that right — instead of sideloading the third-party storefronts, you'll download them directly, just like any other app. Once installed, you can launch those stores on your device and browse their catalogs.
Here's where it gets interesting: those stores will be populated by Google Play's own app listings. In fact, Google has published a support page stating that, unless developers opt out, their app listings will automatically be provided to third-party stores on July 22. Before this change, when you used a sideloaded app store, it would only have access to its own catalog (which can still be packed with excellent open-source apps).
The Play Catalog Access ProgramThe catch is that the third-party app stores need to enroll in what Google is calling the Play Catalog Access Program — and there are strict rules and guidelines for eligibility. First, these app stores must target US users and can only distribute apps to users in the US. Third-party stores must pay Google a $5,000 upfront fee, as well as a $5,000 annual fee. They also need to be registered as an organization, operate as a "Legitimate Marketplace," and provide a "Transparent User Experience," meaning their primary purpose needs to be app discovery and installation.
The full list of eligibility requirements can be found on Google's Play Catalog Access Program support page — it's pretty extensive, presumably to ensure a safe experience for users. The support page also includes instructions for developers to enroll their app stores.
Google still gets a cutApps downloaded through these third-party stores are still processed through Google Play, and Google still charges a 10% service fee on both paid apps and in-app purchases. Presumably, the third-party store owners would also get a cut. It's unclear how this will all trickle down to the end user, but I can't imagine anyone would use the third-party stores if prices were higher.
This also raises the question of just how third-party these stores are. The storefront will be different, but it's still Google behind the scenes.
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Third-party app store availability
Play Store hosting is US-only
You'll only find third-party app stores inside the Play Store if you're in the US. Outside the US, third-party stores will still be available, but users will need to sideload them. These app stores will be enrolled through the Registered App Stores program, and since they aren't hosted inside Google Play, the rules are a lot less strict. It's convenience versus openness, and much of the difference seems to come down to US antitrust laws.
In any case, keep an eye out for new app store options in the US starting July 22.