Court Orders Google to Open Play Store Access

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a major antitrust ruling against Google, affirming that its Play Store and payment systems constitute illegal monopolies. Google must now allow rival app stores to operate within the Play Store, grant competitors access to its full app catalog, and permit developers to use alternative billing systems, ending exclusive payment and revenue-sharing deals. Epic Games, which brought the suit, called the decision a total victory and plans to launch its app store directly within Google Play. Google argues the changes could endanger user safety and innovation but must begin compliance while appealing to the Supreme Court. The decision represents a major setback for Google amid ongoing antitrust scrutiny and may reshape U.S. app marketplace practices. Unlike with Apple, Epic was able to expose Google's anticompetitive behavior through internal documents and a jury verdict.