Aptoide Takes Google to Court Over Alleged Monopoly on Third-Party App Stores

Aptoide, a rival app store, has launched a lawsuit against Google, claiming the tech giant exerts unfair control over the market for third-party app stores. According to a report by Reuters, the lawsuit was submitted to a federal court in San Francisco, with Aptoide requesting a court order to stop Google's allegedly anticompetitive practices and seeking unspecified financial damages. This is not the first time Aptoide has taken action against Google; in 2014, it filed a complaint with the European Union's antitrust authorities. Aptoide officially launched its app store on iOS in February 2025, after its beta version attracted 20,000 users in June 2024. The company offers an alternative in-app purchase system for iOS devices, developed in partnership with Apple. Recently, Google resolved a long-standing dispute with Epic Games, which had also accused Google of anticompetitive behavior. In response to such criticisms, Google has reduced its commission on in-app purchases to 20% and announced plans to support developers who wish to use third-party app stores. Google's Android president, Sameer Samat, expressed his belief that these changes would lead to a more robust Android ecosystem with a wider range of high-quality apps and games. He also looked forward to collaborating with the developer community to create the next generation of digital experiences.