From US-Only Injunction to a Global Pact
Google’s Android President, Sameer Samat, stated simply, “If approved, this would resolve our litigations.”
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney was more effusive, calling it an “awesome proposal” in a post on X, “Google has made an awesome proposal, subject to court approval, to open up Android in the US Epic v Google case and settle our disputes.”
Epic’s new settlement marks a significant expansion in scope and duration compared to the court’s previous remedy. That original order came after a years-long fight, culminating in a unanimous jury finding in December 2023 that Google’s Play Store operated as an illegal monopoly.
It was a resounding win for Epic, later upheld by an appeals court in July 2025, which prompted a triumphant Sweeney to declare, “Total victory in the Epic v Google appeal!,” as Winbuzzer reported at the time.
Following that legal victory, Judge Donato issued a permanent injunction in October 2024 with remedies designed to pry open the Android market, as the injunction detailed.
It forced Google to carry rival app stores within its own Google Play Store, give them access to the full catalog of Google Play apps, and stop requiring its own billing system. However, those powerful changes were confined to the United States and set to last for only three years.
Google only recently began implementing them after its requests for a delay were denied, prompting Google to begin opening up the Play Store in the US.
Under the terms of the new proposed deal, the changes would apply worldwide and extend through June 30, 2032, creating a far more stable and predictable environment.
A New Fee Structure and Open App Store Installs
For developers and users around the world, the most tangible changes involve fees and app store access.
Central to the settlement is a new, lower fee structure, a significant departure from Google’s long-standing 15-30% commission.
Google will now charge 20% for in-app purchases that provide a “gameplay advantage” and a lower 9% for other apps and subscriptions, as detailed in the proposal. This represents a substantial potential saving for developers.
Furthermore, while developers can still use Google Play Billing, which will carry an additional 5% fee, they are free to use alternative payment systems.
A Google spokesperson confirmed to The Verge that “If the user chooses to pay through an alternative billing system, the developer pays no billing fee to Google.”
Unbundling the service fee from the billing fee was a central demand in Epic’s lawsuit and a key finding in the jury’s verdict.
Perhaps most critically, the settlement tackles the friction involved in installing alternative app stores. A new “Registered App Store” program, set to debut in a future Android version, will allow users to install a competing store from a website with a single click on a neutrally-worded screen, the settlement outlines.
Its design aims to eliminate the intimidating “scare screens” and multi-step processes that Epic successfully argued unfairly discouraged users from sideloading apps and services outside of Google’s walled garden.
CEOs Hail ‘Comprehensive Solution’ to End Legal Battle
Both parties framed the settlement as a win for the original vision of Android as an open platform.
Sweeney, a vocal critic of app store monopolies, praised the deal’s breadth and contrasted it with the approach taken by its biggest rival.
His statement highlights the different outcomes of Epic’s parallel lawsuits; the company largely lost its case against Apple, securing only a minor concession on anti-steering rules.
Many of Epic’s other legal wins remain intact under the proposed agreement. It maintains prohibitions on Google making exclusive deals with phonemakers and developers to prioritize the Play Store or discourage the use of rival stores, tactics that were central to the jury’s monopoly finding.
With these changes potentially becoming global and long-term, it remains to be seen if the lower fees ripple across other platforms, potentially influencing the policies of Apple, Microsoft, Sony, and Valve.
By resolving the dispute now, both companies avoid a protracted appeals process that could have delayed any meaningful changes for years. Focus now shifts to Judge Donato, who holds the final say on whether this settlement will indeed change Android’s fate globally.
