Following Epic loss, Google has started hosting rival app stores in the Play Store

在输掉与 Epic 的官司后，谷歌已开始在 Play Store 中上架竞争对手的应用商店

A new day has dawned in the Play Store, and it’s one that Google tried very hard to avoid. The first third-party app store has arrived in Google Play as a result of the long-running antitrust lawsuit with Epic. Those in the US can now head into Google Play and download Aptoide, a game-focused store that has been available as a sideloaded client since the early days of Android.

Google Play 迎来了一个新时代，而这正是谷歌竭力想要避免的。由于与 Epic 之间旷日持久的反垄断诉讼，首个第三方应用商店现已登陆 Google Play。目前，美国用户可以前往 Google Play 下载 Aptoide，这是一个专注于游戏的商店，自 Android 早期以来一直以侧载（sideloading）客户端的形式存在。

Forcing Google to distribute third-party app stores in Google Play was one of several remedies imposed by Judge James Donato after Epic emerged victorious in 2023. The remedies also included lowering developer fees, mirroring Google Play apps in other app stores, and allowing developers to use alternative payment systems. But it was the app store stipulation that seemed to irk Google the most.

在 Epic 于 2023 年胜诉后，詹姆斯·多纳托（James Donato）法官强制要求谷歌在 Google Play 中分发第三方应用商店，这是他所施加的几项补救措施之一。这些措施还包括降低开发者费用、在其他应用商店中镜像 Google Play 应用，以及允许开发者使用替代支付系统。但其中最让谷歌感到恼火的，似乎正是关于应用商店的规定。

Google almost avoided this outcome when it agreed to a settlement with Epic, which was announced early this year. Under the terms, Google would certify third-party app stores to allow users to install and use them with less friction, but it would not host them in Google Play. However, Google and Epic withdrew the settlement when it appeared the court would not approve it. This Registered App Store program is still slated to launch internationally, but in the US, Google is only doing what it must to comply with the judge’s orders.

今年年初，谷歌曾与 Epic 达成和解，几乎避免了这一结果。根据和解条款，谷歌将认证第三方应用商店，使用户能够更顺畅地安装和使用它们，但不会在 Google Play 中托管这些商店。然而，当法院似乎不会批准该和解协议时，谷歌和 Epic 撤回了该协议。这项“注册应用商店”（Registered App Store）计划仍计划在国际范围内推出，但在美国，谷歌目前仅是在履行法官的命令。

The upshot is that you can now download Aptoide from the Play Store on your Android device from this link. You can install the store just like you would any app—you don’t have to enable sideloading or tap through any scary warnings. Likewise, you can install games via Aptoide just as easily as you can through the Play Store. This is much smoother than the previous sideloading process.

结果就是，你现在可以通过此链接在 Android 设备上的 Play Store 中下载 Aptoide。你可以像安装任何普通应用一样安装该商店——无需启用侧载功能，也不必点击任何令人不安的警告弹窗。同样，通过 Aptoide 安装游戏也和通过 Play Store 一样简单。这比之前的侧载过程要顺畅得多。

Aptoide’s offerings are currently quite sparse compared to Google’s, but Aptoide CEO Paulo Trezentos confirms the company has access to the full app catalog of 1.9 million apps and 295,000 games, as allowed under the judge’s ruling. More will be added in the future, giving users the option to download much of the same content available in the Play Store. Developers can opt out of this sharing arrangement, but it’s really just another acquisition channel that uses the same versioning and billing as the Play Store, so it’s unlikely many will want to stay Google-only.

与谷歌相比，Aptoide 目前提供的应用还比较稀少，但 Aptoide 首席执行官 Paulo Trezentos 证实，根据法官的裁决，该公司有权访问包含 190 万个应用和 29.5 万个游戏的完整目录。未来会有更多内容加入，让用户能够下载到与 Play Store 中基本相同的内容。开发者可以选择退出这种共享安排，但这实际上只是另一个获客渠道，且使用与 Play Store 相同的版本控制和计费方式，因此不太可能有太多开发者愿意仅留在谷歌平台。

The new third-party app stores page in Google Play is currently empty aside from Aptoide. This menu is pretty buried in the Play Store at this time. You can find it under Apps (bottom bar) > Categories (top bar) > Third-party app stores (way at the bottom). You can also search for “Aptoide,” and Google will suggest the link to the app store list, which will presumably fill out in time.

Google Play 中新的第三方应用商店页面目前除了 Aptoide 外空空如也。目前这个菜单在 Play Store 中隐藏得很深。你可以在“应用”（底部栏）>“类别”（顶部栏）>“第三方应用商店”（最底部）中找到它。你也可以搜索“Aptoide”，谷歌会提供指向应用商店列表的链接，预计未来该列表会逐渐丰富起来。

It’s curious that Epic, the company that sued over being unable to effectively distribute its Android storefront, was not the first to take advantage of the ruling. It certainly has the money and resources to beat Aptoide to the punch, as does Microsoft with its planned Xbox mobile store. But for now, Aptoide stands alone.

令人好奇的是，Epic 这家因无法有效分发其 Android 店面而提起诉讼的公司，竟然不是第一个利用这一裁决的企业。它显然有足够的资金和资源抢在 Aptoide 之前行动，微软计划中的 Xbox 移动商店也是如此。但就目前而言，Aptoide 是唯一的先行者。

Trezentos notes that there was still considerable friction getting to this point. Google was under order to begin offering alternative app stores on July 22, but that’s only when it published the rules and fees to access the program. Google stipulates that stores must have reasonable security practices and user safety features and must provide copies of APKs to Google for review before serving them to users. Participation costs the app store operator $15,000 up front, $5,000 of which will serve as credit for review costs. However, Google may charge more if costs climb higher (which they likely will).

Trezentos 指出，走到这一步仍然存在相当大的阻力。谷歌原定于 7 月 22 日开始提供替代应用商店，但那只是它发布该计划规则和费用的时间。谷歌规定，商店必须具备合理的安全实践和用户安全功能，并且在向用户提供 APK 之前，必须向谷歌提交副本以供审核。参与该计划的应用商店运营商需预付 15,000 美元，其中 5,000 美元将作为审核费用的抵扣额。然而，如果成本上升（这很可能会发生），谷歌可能会收取更多费用。

Oddly, Google’s landing page claims it does not “review every app in these stores.” Regardless, the program could end up a spendy proposition for a smaller storefront, but the access it gives to users in the Play Store could still make it worthwhile. Aptoide seems to think so, which is why it spent the past few weeks working toward approval.

奇怪的是，谷歌的落地页声称它不会“审核这些商店中的每一个应用”。无论如何，对于较小的店面来说，该计划最终可能是一笔昂贵的开支，但它在 Play Store 中为用户提供的访问权限可能仍然使其物有所值。Aptoide 似乎也是这么认为的，这就是为什么它在过去几周里一直致力于获得批准。