Proposal to Settle Epic and Google Antitrust Case
Sean Hollister (PDF, Hacker News, Slashdot):
Just when we thought Epic v. Google might be over, just one Supreme Court rejection away from a complete victory for Epic, both sides have agreed to settle Tuesday evening.
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Now, instead, Google is agreeing to reduce its standard fee to 20 percent or 9 percent, depending on the kind of transaction and when an app was first installed. It’s agreeing to create a new program in the very next version of Android where alternative app stores can register with Google and (theoretically) become first-class citizens that users can easily install. And it appears to be agreeing to offer “Registered App Stores” and lower fees around the world, not just in the US, lasting through June 2032 — six and a half years instead of just three.
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The details also seem to be somewhat tailored to the needs of a game developer like Epic Games. Google can charge 20 percent for an in-app purchase that provides “more than a de minimis gameplay advantage,” for example, or 9 percent if the purchase does not.
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If Judge Donato approves the settlement and these revisions, it sounds like it could also resolve one of Epic’s biggest arguments against the big app stores since day one: the friction and “scare screens” that Epic alleged keep users from sideloading alternative app stores.
Google agreed not to enter into agreements that would see apps launch "first or exclusively" on Google Play, and it will not require an app to provide the same features on Google Play that it does on another app store. Developers are also free to communicate with customers about cheaper prices available outside of the Google Play Store.
Google has made an awesome proposal, subject to court approval, to open up Android in the US Epic v Google case and settle our disputes. It genuinely doubles down on Android’s original vision as an open platform to streamline competing store installs globally, reduce service fees for developers on Google Play, and enable third-party in-app and web payments.
In a post on X, Sameer Samat, president of the Android Ecosystem at Google, wrote that the company’s proposed changes “focus on expanding developer choice and flexibility, lowering fees, and encouraging more competition all while keeping users safe.”
Epic’s lawsuits were derided by many, years ago, but there’s no question now on how consequential their approach has been.
What does this mean for Apple and its App Store skirmishes with regulators around the world? Nothing technically; however, contextually, if the settlement is implemented, it should add to the pressure on Apple to open the App Store more widely in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Previously:
- Apple Files Another Anti-Steering Appeal
- Epic Games Sees Benefits From Streamlined Install Flow
- Google Loses Appeal Against Epic
- Google App Store Monopoly Remedy
- Epic Wins Antitrust Case With Google
