The United States Supreme Court has refused to block a sweeping lower court order that compels Google to overhaul its Android app store operations — a key win for Fortnite creator Epic Games in its long-running antitrust battle with the tech giant.
The decision means parts of a federal injunction requiring Google to open its Play Store ecosystem to competition will soon take effect, even as the company presses on with its appeal.
The injunction, issued by U.S. District Judge James Donato, forces Google to allow users to access rival app stores within its Play Store and make the Play catalog available to competitors. Those provisions will kick in by July 2026. However, a more immediate change — letting developers add external links for payments that bypass Google’s billing system — is slated to begin later this month.
Google expressed disappointment over the ruling but vowed to continue fighting it, calling the order “unprecedented” and warning it could harm user safety, damage its reputation, and disadvantage it against competitors. The company argued before the court that the injunction could affect over 100 million U.S. Android users and half a million developers.
Epic Games’ CEO Tim Sweeney celebrated the Supreme Court’s decision, declaring that developers will soon be “legally entitled” to direct users toward outside payment options — without Google’s fees or restrictions.
The battle stems from Epic’s 2020 lawsuit accusing Google of using monopolistic tactics to control app distribution and in-app payments on Android devices. Epic won at trial in 2023, with a jury finding Google’s app store practices unlawfully anticompetitive.
While Google prepares a full Supreme Court appeal due later this month, Epic insists that the company’s arguments about security risks are merely a smokescreen to preserve its dominance.
A federal appeals court had already upheld the injunction in July, finding that the evidence showed Google’s conduct had entrenched its control over the Android ecosystem.
The decision adds to the growing legal pressure on Google, which is already defending multiple lawsuits targeting its search and advertising operations — signaling that the company’s monopoly-era business model faces an escalating wave of judicial scrutiny.
