Google Wins Delay in Epic Games Legal Battle Over Play Store Changes
Google has secured a temporary delay in its legal battle with Epic Games over changes to its Play Store rules.
Judge James Donato granted Google a stay on most of his ruling, allowing the company more time to appeal the decision that deemed its app store an illegal monopoly.
Google just got a small win in its legal battle with Epic Games.
Last week, Google asked Judge James Donato to delay a deadline that required changes to its Android app store by November 1st.
Today, the judge agreed to give Google a temporary break on most parts of his ruling.
This means Google might not have to change its Play Store rules for a long time while it appeals the decision.
In December, a jury said Google’s Play Store is an illegal monopoly, but Google is appealing that decision.
The temporary delay gives Google more time while the appeals court decides if it should have a longer break.
Judge Donato thinks the appeals court will likely agree, which could let Google avoid changes until after the appeal.
However, one rule will still take effect: starting November 1st, 2024, Google can’t make deals that block other app stores from being installed if they get paid for it.
If the original deadline had stayed, developers could have stopped using Google’s payment system soon.
Google also wouldn’t be able to give money or perks to keep developers using its store. Plus, it would have had to allow other app stores within its Play Store.
Originally, the judge gave Google less than a month to start making changes, but now they have extra time.
If they hadn’t gotten the delay, some changes could have started right away.
For example, Microsoft planned to let people buy and play games in the Xbox Android App, and Epic wanted to bring its store to Google Play next year. But unless the appeals court says no, these changes might take years to happen.
