Google has just two weeks to begin cracking open Android, it admits in emergency filing

Yesterday, when Epic won its Google antitrust suit for a 2nd time, it wasn’t rather wide however soon Google would request to commencement dismantling its affirmed amerciable monopoly.

Today, Google admits the reply is: 14 days. Google has conscionable 14 days to enact large changes to its Google Play app store, and the mode it does concern with phonemakers, cellular carriers, and app developers, unless it wins an exigency enactment (pause) from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals arsenic it continues to appeal. It indispensable halt forcing apps to usage Google Play Billing, let app developers to freely steer their users to different platforms, and bounds the perks it tin connection successful speech for preinstalled apps, among different changes.

Those changes would not yet see Epic’s biggest wins. They don’t yet unit Google to transportation rival app stores wrong the Google Play Store, oregon to stock its afloat app catalog with those rival stores, truthful don’t expect the Epic Games Store or the Microsoft Xbox Store to look wrong Google Play rather yet.

When helium issued the imperishable injunction to statesman cracking unfastened Android, Judge James Donato gave Google 8 months to travel up with a “narrowly tailored” strategy of information and information procedures earlier it would beryllium forced to transportation rival app stores, and Google has 7 and a fractional months near present the erstwhile enactment has been lifted. So rival app stores won’t look wrong Google Play until 2026 astatine the earliest.

But according to Google’s exigency enactment request, it believes different changes are required acold faster: “the remedies successful 4-7, 9-10, and 13 of the District Court’s injunction volition spell into effect successful 14 days.” Google claims this is an exigency due to the fact that it’ll person a “significant impact” connected “millions of Google’s users and implicit 500,000 app developers—as good arsenic Google itself,” and that “requiring these changes to beryllium imposed successful lone 14 days would exposure users and developers to important risks and jeopardize the full Android ecosystem.”

So, which remedies are 4-7, 9, 10, and 13? They’re the ones that:

• Stop Google from forcing app developers to usage Google Play Billing
• Let Android developers archer users astir different ways to wage from wrong the Play Store
• Let Android developers nexus to ways to download their apps extracurricular of the Play Store
• Let developers acceptable their ain prices
• Stop sharing wealth oregon perks with phonemakers, carriers, and app developers successful speech for Google Play exclusivity oregon preinstallation
• Work with Epic to resoluteness immoderate disputes arsenic Google builds a strategy to fto rival app stores in

Some of these provisions reflector changes that Epic scored successful its different mostly unsuccessful antitrust suit against Apple. They instrumentality connected what are known arsenic anti-steering rules — policies that, present successful 2 large cases, courts person agreed unfairly bounds developers’ entree to a competitory market.

I’ve copied each of those required remedies retired of Judge Donato’s injunction truthful you tin work for yourself:

4. For a play of 3 years ending connected November 1, 2027, Google whitethorn not share revenue generated by the Google Play Store with immoderate idiosyncratic oregon entity that distributes Android apps, oregon has stated that it volition motorboat oregon is considering launching an Android app distribution platform oregon store.

5. For a play of 3 years ending connected November 1, 2027, Google whitethorn not condition a payment, gross share, oregon entree to immoderate Google merchandise oregon service, connected an statement by an app developer to motorboat an app archetypal oregon exclusively successful the Google Play Store.

6. For a play of 3 years ending connected November 1, 2027, Google whitethorn not condition a payment, gross share, oregon entree to immoderate Google merchandise oregon service, connected an statement by an app developer not to motorboat connected a third-party Android app organisation level oregon store a mentation of an app that includes features not disposable in, oregon is different antithetic from, the mentation of the app offered connected the Google Play Store.

7. For a play of 3 years ending connected November 1, 2027, Google whitethorn not condition a payment, gross share, oregon entree to immoderate Google merchandise oregon service, connected an statement with an original instrumentality shaper (OEM) oregon bearer to preinstall the Google Play Store connected immoderate circumstantial determination connected an Android device.

9. For a play of 3 years ending connected November 1, 2027, Google whitethorn not require the usage of Google Play Billing successful apps distributed connected the Google Play Store, oregon prohibit the usage of in-app outgo methods different than Google Play Billing. Google whitethorn not prohibit a developer from communicating with users astir the availability of a outgo method different than Google Play Billing. Google whitethorn not necessitate a developer to acceptable a terms based connected whether Google Play Billing is used.

10. For a play of 3 years ending connected November 1, 2027, Google whitethorn not prohibit a developer from communicating with users astir the availability oregon pricing of an app extracurricular the Google Play Store, and whitethorn not prohibit a developer from providing a nexus to download the app outside the Google Play Store.

13. Within 30 days of the day of this order, the parties volition urge to the Court a three-person Technical Committee. Epic and Google volition each prime 1 subordinate of the Technical Committee, and those 2 members volition prime the 3rd member. After assignment by the Court, the Technical Committee volition reappraisal disputes oregon issues relating to the exertion and processes required by the preceding provisions. If the Technical Committee cannot resoluteness a dispute oregon issue, a enactment whitethorn inquire the Court for a resolution. The Technical Committee whitethorn not extend immoderate deadline acceptable successful this order, but whitethorn urge that the Court judge oregon contradict a request to extend. Each enactment volition carnivore the outgo of compensating their respective party-designated committee subordinate for their enactment connected the committee. The 3rd member’s fees volition beryllium paid by the parties successful adjacent share.

We’ve asked Google however immoderate of these remedies mightiness “expose users and developers to important risks,” and we’ll fto you cognize what we hear.

The three-judge Ninth Circuit sheet denied Google’s earlier question for a stay, and affirmed that each parts of Judge Donato’s imperishable injunction were valid and appropriate, truthful I’m not definite wherefore it would o.k. this enactment instead. However, Google is signaling that it could entreaty to some the afloat Ninth Circuit, and to the Supreme Court.

You tin work Google’s afloat exigency enactment petition below: