Epic judge lets Google keep its Android app store closed to competitors — for now

Google conscionable netted a tiny but cardinal triumph successful its Epic ineligible battle. Last week, the institution asked Judge James Donato to property intermission connected his November 1st deadline to drastically change its Android app store rules. Today helium did conscionable that, Epic and Google corroborate to The Verge, granting Google a impermanent administrative stay. That means Google whitethorn not person to alteration its Play Store practices for years, if astatine all, portion it appeals the verdict.

In December, a assemblage unanimously decided that Google’s Android app store, the Play Store, had go an amerciable monopoly, though Google is present appealing that assemblage verdict arsenic good arsenic the court’s order.

Technically, today’s impermanent administrative enactment lone pushes backmost the timepiece a bit, agelong capable for the appeals tribunal to measurement successful connected a longer stay, but Judge Donato reportedly told the courtroom helium suspects the Ninth Circuit volition assistance that longer stay, excessively — which could genuinely fto Google disconnected the hook till it gets done appeal. The justice declined to springiness Google a longer enactment himself.

Had Judge Donato near the archetypal deadline successful place, his bid would person perchance fto developers halt utilizing Google’s Play Billing arsenic soon arsenic November 1st. Google besides would’ve been barred from utilizing definite fiscal incentives to support developers loyal to the store. Plus, it would person kicked disconnected an eight-month countdown to Google carrying third-party app marketplaces wrong its ain Play Store. You tin work astir the afloat database of changes that Judge Donato ordered in his imperishable injunction embedded here, and here’s Epic’s opposition.

Originally, Judge Donato gave Google little than a period to statesman cracking unfastened its app store, and Google argued it should get the aforesaid 90 days that Apple got to marque app store changes. (Google besides argued that Epic, which filed some the Apple and Google lawsuits, didn’t entity to a 90-day timeline.) With Donato’s archetypal deadline lifted, Google is astatine slightest concisely disconnected the hook — and has perchance started down the aforesaid way Apple took that fto it delay removing its anti-steering App Store rules for implicit 2 years.

If not for the stay, Judge Donato’s ruling could person had astir contiguous effects for consumers, not conscionable developers. Microsoft said it would commencement letting radical bargain and play games in the Xbox Android App, for instance, and Epic said it’s bringing the Epic Games Store to Google Play adjacent year. Unless the Ninth Circuit denies a stay, it could beryllium years earlier those things happen.

Google tells The Verge it’s pleased with today’s decision:

Epic declined to comment.