Google Play opens to third-party app stores

Google has begun allowing rival third-party app stores to be distributed through the Google Play Store, the result of a court order following Epic Games' antitrust victory.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF, a digital rights group long involved in advocacy on this case) on October 1, third-party stores can now access the Play catalog and be distributed through it, and developers have greater freedom to direct users to alternative payment and distribution options.

EFF argues this will spur competition over apps, fees, and even privacy and security, while conceding it does not solve every problem in the Android ecosystem. The material gives no details on enforcement mechanics or whether the order is under appeal.