Aptoide becomes the first rival app store to return to Google Play in the US

4 days ago 19

In Brief

Posted:

11:31 AM PDT · August 10, 2026

Image Credits:Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket / Getty Images

Competing Android app stores are present backmost connected Google Play successful the U.S., and Aptoide is the archetypal to instrumentality vantage of the caller option. On Monday, the Portugal-based app distributor brought its games store backmost to Google Play aft much than a decade, crediting the loosening of restrictions that had been criticized arsenic anticompetitive.

For the archetypal clip successful galore years, U.S. users volition beryllium capable to instal a rival to Google’s Android app store straight from Google Play itself, a milestone successful presumption of opening the app marketplace to much competition.

Aptoide’s autarkic app store is 1 of the larger Android app marketplaces extracurricular of Google Play, offering much than 40,000 Android applications to its astir 25 cardinal monthly progressive users. The U.S. has been Aptoide’s largest marketplace to date, but until now, the store had to beryllium sideloaded connected Android devices, limiting its reach.

That changed pursuing U.S. District Judge James Donato’s ruling successful the Epic Games lawsuit, which, among different things, present requires Google to let the installation of third-party apps from extracurricular the Play Store. As of June 22, 2026, Google began allowing third-party app stores to entree Google Play’s app catalog done the Play Catalog Access Program. This allows competitors to entree Google Play infrastructure, including its catalog of apps that tin beryllium offered to users, portion remaining an autarkic store.

Epic Games archetypal sued Google successful 2020, alleging anticompetitive abuses successful the Android app ecosystem. A assemblage proceedings ruled successful Epic’s favour successful 2023. Google appealed the ruling, but lost. Earlier this year, the comapny said it would driblet Play Store commissions and marque it easier for Android users to instal alternate app stores.

Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news