Android is on the brink of changing forever – and you'll stand to benefit the most

Google is on the verge of changing its Play Store policies, opening up access to Android for verified third-party app stores and adjusting its payment conditions. The proposed changes come as a solution to the rolling Epic vs Google battle that's been running through courts since 2020.

This started as a lawsuit after Google removed Fortnite from the Google Play Store, and has covered a lot of ground since, with Epic claiming that Google had a monopoly limiting in-app purchases to its own payment platform and charging high fees.

That had wider consequences – for example, the Kindle app can no longer be used to buy books, with Amazon deciding not to pay Google's fees.

For the past five years, Epic and Google have been slogging it out through the courts and, according to The Verge, just as it looked like Epic might win, the pair have reached a settlement.

Previously, Google was forced to allow third-party app stores, but only in the US and only for three years. Now, Google's proposal is much wider ranging, where it will create a verified app store programme, allowing one click access to install other app stores.

The verification part of this is presumably to ensure that Android users aren't just hijacked by malicious stores, loaded with spammy apps, but instead offering things like Epic Games Store, without all the terrifying messages about compromising your device's security.

On the payment side of things, Google is going to reduce its standard fee to 20% or 9% depending on what you're paying for, break the link between service fee and fees for using Google Play Billing, while also opening the door to other payment methods.

In theory, this should allow other app stores to be installed on your device – while keeping Google protections in place – and let you make purchases via other routes.

Importantly, this appears to be a global proposal, running through until 2032, so it has much wider scope than other steps taken so far as a result of the legal rulings.

The image this will have on Android devices could be manyfold: with cheaper fees, some developers may allow access to services previously withdrawn (like Kindle), while other elements may get cheaper as the costs go down.

The open nature of Android will be restored and it looks like Google is making a serious move to avoid the monopoly position that it's been charged with. This is said to be starting with the next versions of Android, ie. Android 17.

Exactly how many third-party app stores will emerge and will be popular remains to be seen, and the abuse of that (or rather the protection that registering those stores with Google brings) is also something we'll have to look forward to.

Whether this change in stance will convince other platforms to follow suit also remains to be seen. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney still has a parting shot for Apple in this regard, saying of Google: "This is a comprehensive solution, which stands in contrast to Apple’s model of blocking all competing stores and leaving payments as the only vector for competition."