Play Store Changes Coming This Month as SCOTUS Declines To Freeze Antitrust Remedies

An anonymous reader shares a report: Changes are coming to the Play Store in spite of a concerted effort from Google to maintain the status quo. The company asked the US Supreme Court to freeze parts of the Play Store antitrust ruling while it pursued an appeal, but the high court has rejected that petition. That means the first elements of the antitrust remedies won by Epic Games will have to be implemented in mere weeks.

The app store case is one of three ongoing antitrust actions against Google, but it's the furthest along of them. Google lost the case in 2023, and in 2024, US District Judge James Donato ordered a raft of sweeping changes aimed at breaking Google's illegal monopoly on Android app distribution. In July, Google lost its initial appeal, leaving it with little time before the mandated changes must begin.

[...] The more dramatic changes are not due until July 2026, but this month will still bring major changes to Android apps. Google will have to allow developers to link to alternative methods of payment and download outside the Play Store, and it cannot force developers to use Google Play Billing within the Play Store. Google is also prohibited from setting prices for developers.

Xtuple Negative

[Pseudonymous Powers]

It's hard to read stories about Supreme Court cases because everything is an appeal of stay of a freeze on an injunction on a ban.

Re:

[ndsurvivor]

It seems to me that the MAGAs on the Supreme Court simply base their decisions on what a Billionaire tells them, or what is in one of Trumps tweets. They are completely un-tethered to the Constitution of the United States or they would have already spanked trump for thinking that he controls the money allocated by Congress, or that trump as the power to set arbitrary tariffs.

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[kqs]

It seems to me that the MAGAs on the Supreme Court simply base their decisions on what a Billionaire has "kindly donated to" them,

Fixed that for you.

Re:

[ndsurvivor]

With respect, thank you for fixing that for me.

Why not Apple too?

[Valgrus Thunderaxe]

Why just Google?

Re:

[ndsurvivor]

I am a bit more cynical, it is probably because Apple gave better bribes to Trump, and bent the knee.

Re: Why not Apple too?

[drinkypoo]

Apple sells the devices to humans who then own them.

Google is going to require digital signatures

[rsilvergun]

For all applications now. You won't be able to sideload without Google's blessing anymore.

They say this is because of security but I think it's painfully obvious that it's a response to the antitrust law enforcement.

Google is one way or another going to lock down their platform and I don't think our government is in a position to keep the pressure up to stop that.

And since they are a duopoly it's not like you can just go somewhere else. There are a handful of weird little alternatives that have lots of issues working with phone hardware.

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[luther349]

wasent that there entire defense you can side load anything and now there trying to undo that.

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[tlhIngan]

Only for applications you didn't install via adb. Apparently "adb install" sideloading is perfectly fine.

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[rsilvergun]

I've heard that but I'm expecting them to close that loophole before long just like Microsoft is currently closing all the loopholes that let you install Windows 11 without a online account.

And even before they do that it basically stops 95% of users. I know everyone here is laughing at that but that's just a reality of it. ADB install is beyond most users.

Oh Yeah...

[DewDude]

I forgot about this. They're losing a lot of revenue now.

And they hope to make up for it by blocking sideloading so they can get developer fees.

So...thanks but no thanks Epic. No matter how you claimed you won "for us"; you won for you. We're gonna get fucked with the enshittification of a formally open platform.

Fuck you.

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[Hadlock]

Google play store has always been horrific, app search is so intentionally broken as to be useless. I might have bought a couple apps in the first opening years but it's not worth it anymore I don't have any "paid" apps beyond uber and spotify, and I'm working real hard to get rid of spotify.

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[DewDude]

Your comment added absolutely nothing of related value to mine other than generic bitching you could do anywhere.

I for one never had a huge problem using Play Store; and good stretch trying to drag Spotify in to it. That's not a fucking app you pay for, it's a subscription you pay for. It works on more than your phone.

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[Hadlock]

Have you tried finding a specific app you've used before, perhaps 2 years prior, the good one that's freeware and not ad supported? The play store is atrocious and pushes inferior apps every time over other, better apps. There's 1001 free timer apps but the store pushes garbage on you if you try and search for this. I only use Spotify on my phone, specifically in the car.

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[DewDude]

Clearly you don't know what the fuck you're doing if you have that many problems.

Plus...the new policies will only make this worse? You think it's bad now, wait untill it costs a minimum of $99 to get an app on the phone. Free alternatives. NOPE!

Why don't you go to Apple. That sounds about your level of intelligence.