Two days from today, October 22nd, was Google’s deadline to begin opening up its app store, stop forcing developers to use Google Play Billing, let them set their own prices, and more, following Epic’s repeated wins in Epic v. Google. But both Epic and Google have just successfully and mysteriously argued for one final week’s delay.
US District Court Judge James Donato has just agreed to push back enforcement of his permanent injunction until October 29th instead. Here’s the text of the order. It’s brief!
ORDER. At the joint request of the parties, MDL Dkt. No. 1110, the upcoming October 22, 2025 deadline on which certain provisions of the Injunction, MDL Dkt No. 1017, in this case are scheduled to take effect is vacated and extended to October 29th, 2025. Signed by Judge James Donato on 10/20/2025.
It’s also not clear why Google argued for the extension, or why Epic agreed to it, after Epic CEO Tim Sweeney previously celebrated the October 22nd deadline as the day “developers will be legally entitled to steer US Google Play users to out-of-app payments without fees, scare screens, and friction – same as Apple App Store users in the US!” Public documents filed by both parties don’t mention a reason for the delay.
So… October 29th. Google previously told The Verge that it would comply with its legal obligations while it continues its appeal, so that’s the day we expect to see Google pages like this one stop stating that Google Play Billing is required for developers who distribute apps via Google Play.
Unless, of course, the Supreme Court grants a stay by then… Google previously stated it would file its Supreme Court appeal by October 27th.
This is an interesting update regarding Google’s app store policies. It’s clear that changes are on the horizon, and it will be intriguing to see how this impacts developers and users alike. Thanks for sharing the information!
It’s definitely a significant shift in Google’s approach! The implications for developers and consumers alike could reshape the app landscape, especially with increased competition and potential for innovation. It’ll be interesting to see how quickly developers adapt to these new policies.
Absolutely, it’s a major change that could reshape the app ecosystem. It’ll be interesting to see how developers adapt their strategies in response to this new flexibility and what innovations might emerge as a result.
Absolutely, it’s a major change that could reshape the app ecosystem. It’ll be interesting to see how developers adapt to these new rules and whether it leads to more innovation in app offerings. This shift could also impact user experience significantly if more competitive options become available.