As antitrust concerns loom over Google, the company is going to make it easier to access third-party app stores on Android smartphones.
The company announced the upcoming change on Monday, though details are scant. The Google Play Store has been the main—and often only—way for Android users to safely download apps, but Google cited input from developers who've been requesting an easier way to install apps from third-party stores.
“In response to that feedback, we will be making changes in Android 12 (next year’s Android release) to make it even easier for people to use other app stores on their devices while being careful not to compromise the safety measures Android has in place,” the company said.
Google may be trying to address complaints from Epic Games, the developer of the hit game Fortnite. Last month, Epic filed a lawsuit against Google, over claims the tech giant has been foiling attempts to preinstall the Epic Games Store on Android smartphones from vendors including LG and OnePlus.
The same lawsuit also accuses Google of making it difficult for consumers to install third-party app stores on their Android handsets. “As anyone who has tried to download directly on an Android device knows, it is significantly different than the simple process available on a personal computer: directly downloading Fortnite on an Android device can involve a dozen steps, requiring the user to change default settings and bravely click through multiple dire warnings,” Epic Games said in the court filing.
Indeed, installing a third-party store on your Android phone is usually a hassle. But as Google points out, at least consumers have the choice of doing so; the same can't be said for Apple, which maintains strict control over the iOS ecosystem.
“Android has always allowed people to get apps from multiple app stores,” Google VP Sameer Samat wrote in a blog post.
Ironically, Samat noted that "Fortnite, for example, is available directly from Epic's store or from other app stores including Samsung's Galaxy Store." In Samsung's case, the Galaxy app store is preinstalled on the device.
“This openness means that even if a developer and Google do not agree on business terms the developer can still distribute on the Android platform,” Samat added. "We are designing all this now and look forward to sharing more in the future!"