US Supreme Court orders Google to open up Play Store in the US later this month

Google must open its Play Store to alternative payment methods in the United States, even though the appeal is still pending.

Google had asked the US Supreme Court to temporarily suspend parts of the injunction won by Fortnite maker Epic Games, which accused the tech company of maintaining an illegal monopoly on how consumers can access apps on Android devices and pay for in-game purchases.

Google announced that it would appeal the Supreme Court’s decision and is currently in the process of doing so. The Supreme Court’s judges, however, don’t agree with Google’s request.

This means that Google must amend its Play Store policy within the US, allowing developers to include external links in apps, and introducing alternative payment methods that bypass Google’s billing system.

In a statement to The Verge, Google spokesperson Dan Jackson said the company was disappointed by the Supreme Court’s order and that it would continue its appeal against the court’s previous ruling.

According to Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, app developers will be “legally entitled to steer US Google Play users to out-of-app payments without fees, scare screens, and friction – same as Apple App Store users in the US.”

The case between Epic Games and Google has been going on for almost two years.

Epic Games was convinced that Google maintained a monopoly with its app store on Android and its mandatory payment systems. The Fortnite creator demanded that Google open up its platform to alternative app stores and payment methods.

Google’s lawyers said the company couldn’t comply because, if allowed to take effect, it would cause reputational harm, safety and security risks, and a competitive disadvantage. This would have enormous consequences for more than 100 million US Android users and 500,000 developers.

A jury unanimously decided that Google willfully maintained a monopoly by engaging in anticompetitive behavior. Google was then ruled to stop forcing app developers to use Google Play Billing and to allow Android developers to inform users about other ways to pay from within the Play Store, including adding URLs to link to ways to download apps outside the Play Store.

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