One of the more notable headlines from last week was Epic Games’ win against Google in the District Court of Northern California. The three-year-long legal battle was settled with the jury determining Google holds a monopoly in the Android app distribution market and in-app billing services. That court settlement wasn’t the only one fought by Google as the Android maker was also facing an anti-trust lawsuit against a coalition of attorney generals from all 50 US states.
Google reached a settlement with the US legal officials back in September and we now get the detailed settlement details which include a $700 million contribution to a settlement fund and some shifts in the functioning of the Play Store in the US.
Google will pay $630 million into a settlement fund “to be distributed for the benefit of consumers according to a Court-approved plan”. The remaining $70 million will be put aside into a fund used by all 50 US states coordinated by each state’s attorney general.
Google will allow Android smartphone makers to pre-load third-party app stores on their devices and allow developers to implement alternative app billing options. User choice billing will allow developers to show app users different pricing options within their app or game including ones that bypass the Play Store. Developers will also be able to disclose app store fees on the Play Store. Google also affirmed it will simplify the process of sideloading apps with the option to use APIs and feature splits to help install apps.
