Google is bringing third-party app stores to Android through the Play Store

Google is opening up Android's Play Store to include third-party app stores, in the U.S. at least. The company will allow third party App stores to be downloadable from the Google Play Store, as well as open up any app or game listing in the Play Store to third-app stores. The change, which takes effect on July 26, is one of the biggest shake-ups to Android's app ecosystem since the platform launched.

"Starting on July 22, 2026, subject to the terms set forth herein and at this page, third-party US Android app stores can access the Google Play Store’s catalog of apps. Third-party US Android app stores will be able to offer these apps to users, and the download of these apps will be completed through Google Play on the same terms as any other download that is made directly through the Google Play Store. Google Play’s service fee will continue to apply to apps downloaded in this manner," Google explained to developers in the Google Play help center.

The change comes as a result of the Epic Games and Google legal battle. Epic has long maintained for the duration of the battle that Google's Play Store for Android was essentially a monopoly, and US. courts have agreed, ordering Google to make changes to how the Play Store works to fix this. 

The company had already made a slew of changes including reducing fees for payments made through the Play Store billing system as well as allowing developers to use other billing systems than the Play Store's. 

A more open Android, but an America first change

Android has always marketed itself as the more open alternative to iOS, but Google's Play Store has remained the primary gateway for apps on most devices. This latest change loosens that grip, at least in the United States, by making it easier for rival app stores to compete without requiring users to sideload software. Though these changes do open up the Play Store and keep Android open, they are limited to the U.S. market. 

The European Union, the UK's CMA, and India have both scrutinized Google's control over Android in recent years, and the U.S. rollout provides a real-world example of what a more open Play Store could look like.

Whether Google expands the same model globally remains to be seen, but the company is now operating under a precedent that could influence regulators far beyond the United States. It's not an outcome Google would have wanted, but it seems inevitable that we'll see more changes like this worldwide in the coming years.