The U.S. Supreme Court has declined Google’s request to pause key elements of a lower court’s injunction stemming from Epic Games’ antitrust victory, meaning that Google must begin complying with mandates to open Android’s Play Store to alternative app stores, allow external payment links, and loosen its control over how developers distribute and monetize within the ecosystem. The injunction forces Google to permit app catalog sharing and permit rival stores to be downloadable through Play, with certain reforms due later this month and others by July 2026. The court’s move upholds a ruling that Google’s Play Store functioned as an illegal monopoly and orders sweeping changes to how Android handles app distribution and payment processing. Google sought to pause the reforms, arguing that the injunction would upend its existing app ecosystem, but that its petition was rejected and the Ninth Circuit’s decision stands.
Sources: Courthouse News, AP News
Key Takeaways
– Google must begin implementing changes this month, including letting apps include external payment links and loosening restrictions on app distribution, under threat of legal noncompliance.
– The injunction’s broader structural changes—like sharing app catalogs and allowing rival stores via Play—are phased in, with some major shifts required by July 2026.
– Google argues these reforms risk user security and ecosystem stability, while Epic and supporters contend they promote consumer choice, competition, and lower costs for developers.
In-Depth
This moment marks a turning point in how Android’s ecosystem will operate in the U.S. After years of litigation, the Supreme Court’s refusal to block portions of the injunction against Google means the company no longer has legal cover to delay or sidestep these rulings. The injunction, originally crafted by U.S. District Judge James Donato, sees the Play Store’s closed architecture unraveling: developers must now be allowed to embed links to external payment systems, app stores must be open to distribution beyond Google’s own storefront, and the practice of rewarding exclusivity or deep integration with carriers and OEMs is curtailed.
The underlying antitrust case began when Epic Games sued Google in 2020, challenging the Play Store’s monopoly on app discovery and in-app payments. A jury in 2023 found for Epic, ruling that Google’s bundling and exclusionary practices violated competition law. The injunction that followed required Google to “crack open” Android enough to permit third-party app stores, loosen constraints on developer choice, and restrict its ability to lock in distribution channels. In mid-2025, the Ninth Circuit upheld much of that injunction and lifted a stay — and now the Supreme Court has declined to intervene further, triggering the countdown for compliance.
Not all elements take effect at once. Google must start compliance with the external-link and payment option changes imminently, while deeper structural changes like app catalog sharing and allowing rival stores through Play will phase in through July 2026. Google has said it will still appeal to the Supreme Court (with a certiorari petition due by October 27, 2025), but that does not postpone its obligation under the injunction.
Google contends that opening up the Play environment could expose users to security risks or piracy, and that the company’s control was always in service of protecting users and maintaining ecosystem integrity. Epic and other critics see those arguments as overstated, suggesting they amount to gatekeeping disguised as safety. For consumers and developers, the shift could reduce costs and friction, unleashing more competition in a sphere long dominated by Google’s terms. For Google, the move threatens revenue models tied to commissions and exclusivity deals. But for the legal landscape, this episode reinforces a more aggressive posture toward regulating Big Tech’s platform control.