Third-party app stores coming to Google Play next week as Epic settlement withdrawn
Third-party app stores coming to Google Play next week as Epic settlement withdrawn
第三方应用商店将于下周登陆 Google Play，Epic 和解协议宣告撤回
Big changes are coming to Android apps, but they’re not the changes Google wanted. The settlement between Google and Epic that aimed to put to rest the companies’ long-running antitrust battle is being withdrawn, and that means third-party app stores are coming to the Play Store. Google has confirmed that it will begin distributing rival app stores next week, setting the stage for competing platforms to take a bite out of Google’s Android revenue stream.
Android 应用生态即将迎来重大变革，但这并非 Google 所愿。旨在平息双方长期反垄断纠纷的 Google 与 Epic 和解协议已被撤回，这意味着第三方应用商店即将入驻 Google Play 商店。Google 已确认将于下周开始分发竞争对手的应用商店，这为竞争平台从 Google 的 Android 收入流中分一杯羹铺平了道路。
This case has the potential to upend software distribution on Android, and it’s all because of V-Bucks. In 2020, Epic Games was frustrated that it had to pay a 30 percent cut to Apple and Google every time someone bought a bundle of V-Bucks in a mobile version of Fortnite. The publisher added a direct purchase option to the game in violation of both Apple’s and Google’s rules. Naturally, Fortnite was pulled from the App Store and Google Play, kicking off the antitrust lawsuit that is only now reaching its conclusion.
此案有可能彻底颠覆 Android 软件的分发模式，而这一切的起因竟是“V-Bucks”（《堡垒之夜》游戏货币）。2020 年，Epic Games 对每次用户在移动版《堡垒之夜》中购买 V-Bucks 时都要向苹果和 Google 支付 30% 的抽成感到不满。该发行商在游戏中添加了直接购买选项，违反了苹果和 Google 的规定。不出所料，《堡垒之夜》被从 App Store 和 Google Play 下架，从而引发了这场直到现在才迎来终局的反垄断诉讼。
While Apple suffered little penalty in its Epic case, Google was tripped up by its anti-competitive management of the supposedly open Android ecosystem. Google used its market position to discourage device makers from promoting or pre-loading non-Google app stores and attempted to hide that conduct. The remedies set by Judge James Donato included lower fees, mirroring Google Play apps in other stores, and most vitally, placement of alternative app stores in Google Play.
虽然苹果在与 Epic 的诉讼中几乎未受惩罚，但 Google 却因其对本应开放的 Android 生态系统进行反竞争管理而栽了跟头。Google 利用其市场地位阻碍设备制造商推广或预装非 Google 应用商店，并试图掩盖这一行为。James Donato 法官设定的补救措施包括降低费用、在其他商店镜像 Google Play 应用，以及最关键的一点——在 Google Play 中放置第三方应用商店。
The court felt adding third-party app stores to Google Play was the best way to ensure fair access. After all, Google was found guilty of anticompetitive conduct, which entrenched the Play Store and made it the only source of software for most Android users. The network effects of Google’s dominant position would therefore make it difficult for a competitor to attract significant market share with sideloading.
法院认为，将第三方应用商店引入 Google Play 是确保公平准入的最佳途径。毕竟，Google 已被裁定存在反竞争行为，这种行为巩固了 Play 商店的地位，使其成为大多数 Android 用户获取软件的唯一来源。因此，Google 市场主导地位带来的网络效应，使得竞争对手很难仅靠侧载（sideloading）获得可观的市场份额。
When Google and Epic announced their settlement in late 2025, the Google Play distribution provisions were gone. Instead, Google promised to launch a Registered App Store program globally, allowing stores to access streamlined installation and other system features, making them first-class citizens on Android. They would have to get users to sideload the app store clients, though.
当 Google 和 Epic 在 2025 年底宣布和解时，关于 Google Play 分发的条款已被移除。取而代之的是，Google 承诺在全球范围内推出“注册应用商店”（Registered App Store）计划，允许这些商店获得简化的安装流程及其他系统功能，使其成为 Android 上的“一等公民”。不过，这些商店仍需引导用户侧载其客户端。
From the start, this modification of the remedies was on shaky ground. Donato expressed skepticism about the proposal in early 2026, noting that it may not serve the market’s interests. Still, Google forged ahead with Registered App Stores, planning an international rollout before expanding to the US with court approval.
从一开始，这种对补救措施的修改就基础不稳。Donato 法官在 2026 年初对该提议表示怀疑，指出它可能并不符合市场利益。尽管如此，Google 仍推进了“注册应用商店”计划，并计划在获得法院批准后，先进行国际推广，再扩展至美国。
A brave new app store: Google and Epic were set to return to court on July 16 to argue in favor of the settlement. However, the writing may have been on the wall. In a recent expert analysis provided to the court, MIT economics professor Nancy Rose noted that the settlement was “unlikely to enable Google Play’s potential competitors to overcome their long-standing network-effect disadvantage in a timely manner.”
全新的应用商店：Google 和 Epic 原定于 7 月 16 日重返法庭，为和解协议进行辩护。然而，大势已去。在最近提交给法院的一份专家分析中，麻省理工学院经济学教授 Nancy Rose 指出，该和解协议“不太可能使 Google Play 的潜在竞争对手及时克服其长期存在的网络效应劣势”。
With settlement approval looking increasingly unlikely, Epic and Google agreed this week to call the whole thing off. Google clarifies that the settlement is still in place for Google and Epic, and the policy changes it prompted will move ahead, but the companies are no longer seeking to modify the court’s remedies.
由于和解协议获批的可能性日益渺茫，Epic 和 Google 本周同意取消整个和解方案。Google 澄清说，双方之间的和解协议依然有效，由此引发的政策变更也将继续推进，但双方不再寻求修改法院最初设定的补救措施。
Here’s how Google Trust and Reputation Communications Lead Dan Jackson explains the company’s decision: “We’ve agreed with Epic to withdraw our motion to modify the US Court’s injunction rather than prolonging this process which creates uncertainty for the ecosystem. This allows us to focus on executing our recently announced global business model evolution to deliver greater app store choice, lower prices, and more opportunities for developers and users. We remain committed to maintaining Android’s industry-leading security and fostering a competitive ecosystem where every app store and developer has the freedom to compete. In parallel, we continue to comply with the US Court’s injunction.”
Google 信任与声誉传播主管 Dan Jackson 这样解释公司的决定：“我们已与 Epic 达成一致，撤回修改美国法院禁令的动议，而不是延长这一给生态系统带来不确定性的过程。这使我们能够专注于执行最近宣布的全球商业模式演进，为开发者和用户提供更多的应用商店选择、更低的价格和更多的机会。我们始终致力于维护 Android 行业领先的安全性，并培育一个让每个应用商店和开发者都能自由竞争的生态系统。同时，我们将继续遵守美国法院的禁令。”
In a brief filing, Google’s legal team informs the court that Google is prepared to begin distributing third-party app stores in Google Play on July 22. Under the terms of Judge Donato’s original injunction, these stores will have access to the full catalog of Google Play apps by default. Developers will have the option to opt out of distribution in these stores, and Google has a support page explaining how to do so.
在一份简短的文件中，Google 法律团队告知法院，Google 准备于 7 月 22 日开始在 Google Play 中分发第三方应用商店。根据 Donato 法官最初禁令的条款，这些商店默认将有权访问 Google Play 的全部应用目录。开发者可以选择退出在这些商店的分发，Google 已提供支持页面说明如何操作。
Google also has documentation on how app stores can get access to the Google Play catalog. It won’t be mirroring those apps in any shady storefront that asks. The court has allowed Google to charge reasonable fees to cover its security and compliance review of third-party stores, which will be $5,000 per year. Google will also require approved stores to block malware, respect intellectual property, and include mechanisms to update and uninstall apps.
Google 还提供了关于应用商店如何获取 Google Play 目录访问权限的文档。它不会允许任何随意的“阴暗”店面镜像这些应用。法院已允许 Google 收取合理的费用，以覆盖其对第三方商店的安全和合规审查成本，费用为每年 5,000 美元。Google 还将要求获批的商店拦截恶意软件、尊重知识产权，并包含应用更新和卸载机制。
App stores can be removed from the program if more than 1 percent of attempted app installs appear to be malware or unwanted software. It’s unclear if there will be separate, possibly more stringent requirements for storefront distribution in the Play Store. However, Google is prohibited from unreasonably blocking third-party store clients uploaded to Google Play.
如果应用商店中超过 1% 的尝试安装行为被判定为恶意软件或垃圾软件，该商店可能会被从计划中移除。目前尚不清楚在 Play 商店中进行店面分发是否会有额外、可能更严格的要求。不过，Google 被禁止无理阻挠上传至 Google Play 的第三方商店客户端。
The changes Google has announced under the Epic agreement will proceed for now. That means Registered App Stores will happen globally, but they will probably only appear in the Play Store for US users. Google hasn’t specified if there will be any differences in the features available to the stores downloaded from Play versus registered stores. We’ve asked for clarification and will update if Google responds.
Google 根据 Epic 协议宣布的变更目前将继续进行。这意味着“注册应用商店”计划将在全球范围内实施，但它们可能只会出现在美国用户的 Play 商店中。Google 尚未说明从 Play 下载的商店与注册商店在功能上是否存在差异。我们已请求进一步说明，如有回复将进行更新。