Third-Party App Stores Arrive on Google Play: What Changes

Type “app store” into Google Play on a US phone and you can now install a competitor to Google Play, from Google Play, with no sideloading and no warning screens. Third-party app stores on Google Play are the result of Epic Games’ antitrust win over Google, and on 1 October 2026 the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) called the change “a win for competition.”

It applies in the US only. Here’s how it came about, what it means for prices and payments, and how to try a rival store without getting burned.

From jury verdict to Aptoide on the Play Store

In Epic v. Google, a US jury found that Google had illegally restricted competition through the Play Store and its billing rules. In October 2024 the court issued an injunction ordering big changes, including letting rival Android app stores be distributed through Google Play and giving them access to Play’s app catalog.

In late 2025 Epic and Google proposed a settlement, alongside an $800 million partnership, that would have swapped those changes for a softer approach. According to Android Authority, the two companies jointly withdrew the settlement and Google’s motion to modify the injunction in July 2026. A Google spokesperson said the move avoided “prolonging this process” and that Google would comply with the original US injunction.

From 22 July 2026 Google started carrying third-party stores in the US Play Store and opened its catalog to them through an enrollment program. Thurrott reported on 10 August that the first rival store, Aptoide Games, was live, and that Judge James Donato had ordered a smoother, more consumer-friendly approach than the abandoned settlement, which would have relied on sideloading.

How a rival store works once it’s on your phone

You find it by searching Google Play, and it installs like any other app. Stores that enrol can offer apps from the Play catalog. US listings are shared with them automatically unless the developer opts out. Each store pays $5,000 a year for security and policy reviews and has to show when an app comes from the Play catalog.

One catch, which Thurrott points out: a Play catalog app you get through a rival store is still delivered through Google Play and still carries Google’s fees. Where rival stores can really compete is with their own apps and deals, offered next to the shared catalog.

For developers, it’s more ways to reach US Android users: listing in rival stores through the shared catalog, distributing directly through a competing store, or promoting their own payment options. Developers who don’t want to appear in other stores can opt out of catalog sharing. As BGR notes, there are open questions about how easy onboarding will be for smaller store operators, and how Google judges a store’s security before letting it in.

Where’s the Epic Games Store?

Epic has said its store is coming to Google Play after its court wins, and Fortnite itself came back to the Play Store in December 2025, according to BGR. In the reports we checked, Aptoide Games was the first rival store to launch. Search Google Play directly for the Epic Games Store, because availability can change fast.

Paying outside Google Play

The other half of the case was about payments. According to the EFF, developers now have more freedom to steer users to alternative payment and distribution options, for example telling you a subscription is cheaper on their website and linking to it. What you may notice:

• In-app messages about paying outside Google Play.
• Different prices depending on where you pay.
• Subscriptions managed on the developer’s website instead of in Play Store › Payments & subscriptions.

Outside the US: a different program

The court-ordered changes cover the United States only. Android Authority reports that other markets will follow Google’s Registered App Stores program instead, which Google planned to launch worldwide later this year. Separately, in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, Android developer verification has applied since 30 September 2026 to installs from seven major stores, Google Play and Samsung Galaxy Store among them, with a global expansion planned for 2027.

If you’re outside the US, wait for official availability where you live rather than downloading a store from a website.

What this means if you’re buying a used phone

More stores means more choice, possibly lower prices, and more ways to get scammed if you’re careless. That makes the protections built into the phone more important, Play Protect certification above all: it tells you the device runs Google-approved software and gets Play Protect scanning. Our Play Protect certified check guide shows how to confirm it.

An uncertified phone, or one with modified software, may not get those protections at all. Before buying second-hand:

• Open Play Store › Settings › About › Play Protect certification and make sure it says certified.
• Confirm the real brand and model with a manufacturer and model check.
• Check the IMEI isn’t reported lost or stolen with a GSMA blacklist check.

Trying a rival store safely

A store installed from Google Play has been through Google’s review and the store’s paid security and policy review, which is a lot better than a store APK from a random website. New stores still bring new risks, and BGR points out that Google hasn’t yet worked out how Play Protect applies to catalog apps installed through other stores. If you want to try one:

1. Install it from Google Play or the developer’s official site. Never from a link in a text, an ad or a chat group.
2. Leave Play Protect on. Go to Play Store › profile icon › Play Protect and check scanning is enabled.
3. Watch the install permission. A store needs it; a game or torch app doesn’t. In Settings › Apps › Special app access › Install unknown apps, take it away from anything that doesn’t need it, and from the store itself when you’re done.
4. Look at the developer of the store and of every app in it: name, website, reviews.
5. Watch for clones. Scammers copy the names of popular games and banking apps. If the name, icon or developer looks slightly off, skip it.
6. Pay with something that has protection, like a credit card or a trusted payment service, never gift cards or direct transfers.

A store you don’t like uninstalls like any other app. If something feels wrong afterwards, go through our list of signs your phone has been hacked.