U.S. Supreme Court allows order forcing Google to make app store reforms

As Google prepares to appeal a decision in a lawsuit brought by "Fortnite" maker Epic Games, the U.S. Supreme Court has declined to pause key parts of a judge's order requiring the tech giant to make major changes to its app store Play. The justices turned down Google's request to temporarily freeze parts of the injunction won by Epic in its lawsuit accusing the tech giant of monopolizing how consumers access apps on Android devices and pay for transactions within apps.

The injunction which was issued last year by U.S. District Judge James Donato requires Google to allow users to download rival app stores within its Play store and make Play's app catalog available to competitors. Those provisions do not take effect until July 2026.

The judge also said Google must allow developers to include external links in apps, enabling users to bypass Google's billing system. That part of the injunction is due to take effect later this month.

Google said in a statement that while it was disappointed by the Supreme Court's order, the company will continue its appeal.

Epic Games chief executive Tim Sweeney said in a post on social media platform X that starting later this month, app developers will be "legally entitled" to steer Google Play users to out-of-app payment options without fees and other "friction."

Donato issued his order in a lawsuit that Epic filed in 2020 against Google, alleging its restrictive app store rules violated antitrust law. Epic won a jury trial in San Francisco in 2023.

Google on its part has denied any wrongdoing.