Is this the end of Epic and Google’s feud?

Jan 23, 2026 01:55 AM - 4 months ago 112444

Today, I americium sitting successful the courtroom that whitethorn determine the destiny of Android. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney is here. Google Android leader Sameer Samat is here. Together, they’ll effort to person Judge James Donato that they’re nary longer enemies — that Google’s forbidden monopoly connected Android app stores tin beryllium resolved pinch a communal colony alternatively of the consequences the judge had ordered. And I’ll beryllium posting thing absorbing I perceive unrecorded in this Verge StoryStream.

Epic sued Google complete 5 years agone successful August 2020, and in December 2023 a assemblage unanimously handed it the win. An appeals tribunal upheld that verdict, and the US Supreme Court didn’t measurement in to prevention Google from the contiguous consequences. Judge Donato ordered Google to crack unfastened Android successful the United States, forcing Google to yet big rival app stores wrong its ain store, among galore different punishments.

Now, Epic and Google are giving Judge Donato 2 different options. If he approves the settlement as-is, Google will work together to trim its app shop fees globally, not conscionable successful the United States, making app improvement a amended occupation imaginable astir the world, and create a Registered App Stores programme wherever rival app stores could make it onto Android without gobs of clash — but wherever those stores mightiness still beryllium nether Google’s thumb and person to salary analyzable fees.

If Donato doesn’t, Google seems to beryllium threatening an alternative that app makers and the tribunal whitethorn for illustration a full batch less: if developers want to debar Google’s costs systems, they must instantly enroll successful rigid caller Google programs wherever they salary Google aggregate dollars per app download successful speech for only somewhat little app shop fees.

Epic and Google are already acting for illustration the colony is simply a done deal, bringing Epic’s crippled Fortnite backmost to Android and publically declaring their support of each other.

But Donato was publically skeptical of the settlement, and that Google and Epic are “suddenly BFFs,” Law360’s Bonnie Eslinger reported successful November. So now, he’s hauled the “lead negotiators” of the colony into tribunal to explicate further. That’s Epic CEO Tim Sweeney himself, Google’s Android leader Sameer Samat, Epic’s master witnesser successful economics (and Stanford professor) Doug Bernheim, and Google regulatory affairs head Lara Kollios.

Don’t watch this circumstantial station for updates: instead, click done to our StoryStream. It’s not apt the judge will o.k. the colony today, but who knows!

Disclosure: Vox Media, The Verge’s genitor company, has filed a suit against Google, seeking damages from its forbidden advertisement tech monopoly.

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