SCOTUS declines to stay Play Store overhaul as changes begin Oct 22

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to delay a court order requiring Google to overhaul its Play Store, clearing the way for changes that must begin nationwide on October 22 and that aim to open the Android app market to greater competition. The move follows a jury verdict in December 2023 that found Google had unlawfully maintained monopoly power over its app-distribution and payment systems, and it obliges the company to start implementing a series of measures ordered by U.S. District Judge James Donato.

Donato’s injunction, issued last October, requires Google to allow app developers to use third-party billing systems, to include direct links to external payment options, and to stop steering users and developers into Google’s own payment system. The order also prohibits exclusivity arrangements with device makers and carriers that deter alternative stores, and it directs Google to make its app catalog available to competing app stores over a multiyear period. More structural reforms, including letting users download third-party app stores through the Play Store, are slated to take effect by mid-2026 under the court’s timeline.

Google said it will comply with the order...