Google has been ordered to overhaul the way it presents and installs rival app marketplaces after a US federal judge concluded the company was making the process unnecessarily difficult. The directive follows Google’s March 2026 announcement that it would support third-party app stores, a commitment that formed part of the settlement reached with Epic late last year.
US District Court judge James Donato, who presided over the earlier Epic case, has given the company one week to change the way alternative marketplaces are surfaced in search and installed on devices.
Why the judge intervened
The concern centres on how Google displays rival app stores when users search for them, as well as the steps required to install one. During proceedings, Epic’s lawyers searched the term “store for apps”, which returned results only for physical retailers such as Walmart rather than digital marketplaces.
The lawyers also demonstrated that when an alternative app store could be found, it did not appear within the standard list of search results. Instead, it was placed beneath a separate banner reserved for third-party stores, adding further friction for anyone attempting to locate it.
Judge Donato said the situation was unacceptable and had to be fixed, requesting every possible variation of a properly phrased search be addressed.
The “View” button and buried listings
Another tactic identified during the hearing involved the install button. Google had reportedly replaced the usual “Install” option with one reading “View”, a change the judge viewed as part of a broader pattern of placing rival marketplaces behind multiple layers of menus and actions that discourage users from proceeding.
The example presented to the court concerned Aptoide, currently the only third-party app store available through the Play Store and a notable competitor for user attention and app searches.
Google agrees to make changes
In response, Google has agreed to implement the required changes within one week. The exact nature of those adjustments has not been detailed, though a standard “Install” button for alternative app stores and improved visibility within search results are anticipated.
The developments arrive against a wider legal backdrop for the company. Google owes Android users 135 million dollars, with affected users now able to submit a claim for their share.
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Image: phonearena.com
