Google asks US Supreme Court to delay Play Store policy changes

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Google has appealed the U.S. Supreme Court to pause an injunction ordered by a lower court. It is related to the antitrust case against Epic Games.

The case has dragged on since 2020, when Apple and Google had removed Fortnite from their stores, because of third-party payment systems that were implemented in the game. In 2023, a jury said Google had built an illegal app store monopoly on Android. This was followed by an appeal, and a ruling in 2024 ordered Google to allow third-party payment options on the Play Store. It also said the Play Store would have to host third-party app marketplaces, for 3 years.

Last month, Google lost its appeal against this ruling, when the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused to turn the lower court's decision. Now, Google has asked the highest court in the United States to intervene in the matter.

Bloomberg reports that Google said that if Play Store policy changes are not delayed, Android's ecosystem will suffer irreparable harm. Irreparable harm? What does that even mean? It looks like Google is using security once again as an excuse to get what it wants, just like Apple does. Its plan to kill sideloading on Android is also based on "security fears".

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