Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Google is opening up the Play Store in the US, allowing users to download apps and make payments outside it starting October 29, 2025.
- Developers can now link to external app stores or payment options and offer cheaper deals directly to users.
- The change follows a court order in Google’s legal battle with Epic Games and currently applies only in the United States.
Google is making major changes to how Android apps work in the US. Following a court order in its long-running legal battle with Epic Games, Android users in the US will now see a more open Play Store, where developers can freely tell users about the availability or pricing of an app outside the Google Play Store, and even link to and process payments outside Google’s ecosystem.