one in which the Play Store will lose its exclusivity

Big changes are coming to Android. At least that’s what Judge James Donato, who just handed down his final ruling in Epic vs. Google. An American judge ordered an unprecedented opening of a criminal case. Play Store nearly a year after a jury found that the app store is a monopoly and that part of its operation is supported by anti-competitive behavior.

We have a number of adjustments that the company must implement within three years in the United States. Although this is a limited time period, we can expect a long-term impact on the Android ecosystem. Not only will Google have to allow third-party stores to operate on the Play Store, but those competing stores will be able to have access to the entire Play Store catalog while respecting those developers who choose not to participate.

Epic’s victory over Google leads to historic changes in Android

Judge Donato’s opinion includes many other significant changes in response to anticompetitive practices the one led by Sundar Pichai. Let’s see.

• You can’t force developers to use their own billing system for apps distributed through the Play Store.
• You will not be able to prevent the use of alternative payment methods in the Play Store.
• This should allow developers to offer alternative payment methods to users.
• You will need to allow developers to set their own prices.
• You must allow developers to include links that allow their apps to be downloaded outside of the Play Store.
• You will not be allowed to share any revenue generated from the Play Store with any individual or entity that distributes Android applications.
• You will not be allowed to offer benefits to developers that allow them to launch their apps on the Play Store first or that are exclusive to the Play Store.
• It will not be allowed to offer benefits to prevent developers from launching their apps on competing stores or to prevent them from having limited features.
• You will not be permitted to offer Play Store pre-installation benefits to device manufacturers or carriers.
• It will not be allowed to offer incentives to manufacturers or operators to prevent them from opening competing stores.

Unless Google finds a way to buy more time or reverse this decision, he is eight months old implement the above changes. Of course, to maintain fairness, the company will have to make many changes at the technical and legal level. In this sense, the process should be developed with the assistance of a three-person committee jointly elected by Epic and Google to resolve any disputes.

Google protests and says it will appeal the judge’s decision

The Mountain View giant was quick to speak out against Judge Donato’s decision. The company has made it clear that it will begin an appeal process to block the implementation of the aforementioned measures because “they would compromise consumer privacy and security, make it more difficult for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition on devices.”

Images | Micah Baumeister | Google | Bermix Studio

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