Following the Epic antitrust lawsuit victory in 2023, Google has begun hosting third-party app stores in the Play Store. The first is Aptoide, a game-focused store now available for download without sideloading warnings. This is one of several remedies ordered by Judge James Donato, including lower developer fees and alternative payment systems.\n\nGoogle tried to avoid this outcome through a settlement with Epic, but the court withdrew approval.

Now, US users can install Aptoide like any other Play Store app, bypassing previous friction. Aptoide CEO Paulo Trezentos confirms access to 1.9 million apps and 295,000 games under the ruling, with more to come. Developers can opt out of sharing, but it's expected most will participate.