Ninth Circuit Forces Google to Open Play Store Within 30 Days

Ninth Circuit restarts injunction, pushing Google to change Play Store rules

The Ninth Circuit has denied Google’s request for an en banc rehearing in Epic v. Google and restarted a judge’s permanent injunction. That puts Google on a 30‑day clock to stop forcing Google Play Billing, allow external payment methods and links to outside downloads, and — unless the Supreme Court intervenes — to let rival app stores operate within Play by mid‑2026.

• Stop requiring Google Play Billing and allow competing payments in apps
• Permit developers to link to downloads and communicate pricing or payment methods outside Play
• Ban revenue sharing and exclusivity deals tied to Play for three years (through Nov 1, 2027)
• Require Google to share its app catalog with rival app stores by summer 2026 unless stayed

Beyond the short list above, the court also ordered a three‑person Technical Committee to resolve technical disputes and oversee implementation. If the committee can’t settle an issue, parties can ask the court to step in — but the committee cannot extend the injunction deadlines.

Epic’s victory at the Ninth Circuit follows a 2023 jury verdict that found Google’s Play Store and billing rules unlawful monopolies. Epic’s CEO celebrated the ruling as freeing developers to offer competing payments and outside downloads, while Google hasn’t yet confirmed whether it will appeal to the Supreme Court. If Google does appeal, it has indicated it would file within 45 days.

What changes for developers, OEMs, carriers, and consumers? Expect a short, messy transition. Developers will gain options to route payments off Play and to offer alternate download channels, but they’ll also face new verification, security, and UX decisions. OEMs and carriers lose the ability to demand Play exclusivity; consumers may see more app stores and more varied pricing.

• Audit product and pricing logic to support non‑Play billing and avoid per‑platform price mismatches
• Design secure flows for external payments and links, including user verification and fraud controls
• Test side‑loading and multi‑store distribution paths to ensure smooth installs and updates
• Review OEM, carrier, and preinstallation contracts for new negotiation opportunities

Regulatory wins like this change market incentives quickly. Think of Play today as a shopping mall that must now host competing storefronts and stop charging mandatory checkout fees. That creates competitive opportunities but also operational complexity — privacy, fraud protection, billing reconciliation, and cross‑store updates all become business problems, not just legal ones.

QuarkyByte would approach this by marrying legal interpretation with technical design: translate injunction text into implementation milestones, model revenue scenarios under different distribution strategies, and prioritize engineering work to minimize disruption. Teams that plan now can turn regulatory uncertainty into a competitive edge.

What to watch next: whether Google asks the Supreme Court for a stay, how the Technical Committee is formed and rules on disputes, and how fast Google builds the plumbing to admit rival stores and non‑Play payments. The clock that just restarted gives the market little time to adapt — and plenty of incentive to move quickly.