We’re due for some big changes coming to the Play Store after the results of the Google-Epic lawsuit, but an additional extension could give the company the final change to overturn the case it’s been looking for.
As reported by The Verge, Google and Epic have agreed to a one-week extension to the initial October 22nd deadline. US District Court Judge James Donato signed the brief legal order late on October 20th following a joint request from the two companies. There’s no apparent reason for the extension, though considering the lengthy list of action items Google needed to take prior to the deadline — including working with Epic to build a rival app store system without disputes — it appears likely the transition to this new era of Play Store control just isn’t read quite yet.
It’s been a rough few months for Google’s legal team. Earlier this summer, the company lost its appeal to overturn the 2023 decision in its lawsuit against Epic, leaving the Play Store open to some pretty massive changes. After a final appeal to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in September left Google without much hope, October 22nd seemed like the final deadline to broaden the playing field on Android. This extension grants an extra week of normalcy, but doesn’t appear to offer much solace for Google’s app marketplace control.
That said, at The Verge points out, this week’s worth of time could help the company find the Supreme Court-backed stay it’s spent the last couple of months searching for. The company planned to file its appeal no later than October 27th. Either way, buckle up — it’s bound to be an interesting couple of weeks for the Play Store, and for apps on Android as a whole.
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