Aptoide becomes the first rival app store to return to Google Play in the US
Aptoide has become the first rival Android app store to return to Google Play in the US, marking a significant step in opening up the mobile app market to competition. The Portugal-based company relaunched its games store on Google Play on Monday, more than a decade after it was forced off the platform, following a loosening of restrictions that critics had long viewed as anticompetitive.
The change follows US District Judge James Donato's ruling in Epic Games' antitrust lawsuit against Google, which requires Google to allow installation of third-party apps from outside the Play Store. Since 22 June 2026, Google has let rival stores access its app catalogue through a new Play Catalog Access Program. Aptoide, which offers more than 40,000 apps to roughly 25 million monthly active users, previously relied on sideloading to reach US users, its largest market; Epic first sued Google in 2020, won at trial in 2023, and Google subsequently lost its appeal.
In short
- Aptoide is first rival app store back on Google Play in the US
- Change follows Epic v Google antitrust ruling requiring third-party app access
- Aptoide has 40,000+ apps and 25 million monthly active users
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The strongest case for opening Google Play to rivals is fundamentally about consumer choice and fair competition. Google's control over app distribution gave it the power to extract large commissions from developers, set arbitrary terms, and prevent legitimate competitors from reaching users—practices that courts found anticompetitive. Allowing rival stores like Aptoide restores genuine choice: consumers can now decide which store offers the best combination of selection, price, and features, whilst developers gain alternatives to Google's gatekeeping. This competitive pressure benefits everyone by driving innovation, lowering costs, and returning power to users and creators.
The case against
The strongest case for maintaining curated app distribution centres on user protection and ecosystem coherence. Google's careful review and distribution processes protect billions of users from malware, fraud, and harmful content—a responsibility that becomes vastly more complex if dozens of unvetted stores operate in parallel. Fragmenting the app ecosystem through forced interoperability doesn't serve users well; it creates confusion, inconsistency, and security vulnerabilities whilst diminishing the network effects that made a unified platform valuable. Users who wanted alternatives already had sideloading available; courts should hesitate to impose business structures through litigation rather than allowing companies to design coherent products.
Explained simply
Google Play is the main app store for Android phones, while Aptoide is a separate store run by a company based in Portugal. Aptoide distributes apps and games outside Google Play, and until now US users generally had to install it separately.
Google controls Google Play and sets rules for which stores and apps can appear there. Epic Games, the maker of Fortnite, sued Google over its control of Android app distribution, arguing that its practices restricted competition; the case led to a court order changing how Google handles rival stores.
The dispute matters because app stores shape how people find and install software, and how developers reach customers. Allowing rival stores to connect with Google Play’s app catalogue could give users and developers more ways to access apps.
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