Google is opening a door it fought hard to keep shut. Starting July 22, qualifying third-party Android app stores will be downloadable straight from inside the Google Play Store, though only for users in the US so far. Right now, getting one of these stores means hunting down its APK yourself. You’d grab it from F-Droid’s site, the Samsung Galaxy Store, or the Amazon Appstore, then enable sideloading to install it.
That changes under Google’s new Play Catalog Access Program. Rival stores that enroll get to plug into Google’s own catalog. App names, icons, descriptions, screenshots, and videos all become available to them. A competing store won’t have to talk every developer into listing separately anymore. Developers can still opt out, though. Downloads still route through Google Play either way, and Google’s standard service fee still applies.
Why This Wasn’t Google’s Idea
The one big catch is the gate Google built around letting third-party Android app stores in. Third-party stores have to enroll and pay a $5,000 annual fee. They also have to meet a list of requirements, including clearly labeling any app that comes from Google’s catalog. Google didn’t choose this timeline on its own either.
A federal court ordered it back in October 2024, after Epic Games won its long-running antitrust fight over Android app distribution. Google spent months trying to negotiate a softer version of that ruling. Its proposal would have let rival stores register instead of appearing directly inside Play. On July 15, Google and Epic jointly dropped that idea rather than arguing it in court again, leaving the original order standing. The same case already forced Google to open Play Store external payments earlier this summer.
Once this launches, US users won’t need to hunt for third-party Android app stores manually anymore. They’ll show up right inside Google Play, where people already go for everything else. It’s a smaller shift than Epic originally pushed for back when the court first ruled in its favor. Still, it’s the version Google is shipping.
