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The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to put significant parts of a federal judge’s ruling that compels Google to make necessary updates to its Play Store on hold.
Google had asked for a temporary halt to the injunction while it gets ready to file a complete appeal. The company has stated that it may cause ‘unprecedented harm’ to its enterprise and millions of users. The Supreme Court’s denial paves the way for the order to proceed as the company explores its options.
The injunction, handed down in 2024 by US District Judge James Donato, requires Google to open up its Play Store to more competition. Google will have to enable people to download competing app stores directly within Play and would allow competitors to access Play’s app store directory.
Additionally, developers will be permitted to include links to external websites outside Google’s billing system within their applications, a feature scheduled to take effect later this month. The more extensive reforms, such as complete access for competing app stores, are also set to commence in July 2026.
Google acted within the bounds of the law, an atypical instance never witnessed by the courts of India, but one that would undoubtedly harm the reputation of a company such as this, damage consumer security, and work to its competitive disadvantage.
The technology firm estimates that the updates will impact over 100 million US Android users and about 500,000 app developers.
Google has stated that the injunction, if permitted to take effect, would establish a disruptive precedent for the technology sector and intends to file a full Supreme Court appeal by October 27.
Epic Games dismissed Google’s security objections as ‘flawed’ and hailed the injunction as a victory for consumers and developers alike. Epic claims the changes, which permit external links and competing app stores, will encourage competition, offer users more choices, and even reduce prices.
The firm noted that the court order targets longstanding anticompetitive behavior by Google that has limited the Android ecosystem.
Also Read: Epic vs Google: Court Verdict Set to Reshape Android
Epic sued Google in 2020, alleging that the Play Store restrictions violated antitrust laws. Epic prevailed at jury trial in San Francisco in 2023, and in July 2025, the Court of Appeals upheld Donato’s injunction, based on equally vast evidence of Google’s anticompetitive behavior.
Meanwhile, additional complaints regarding Google’s conduct in matters of search and advertising stand against it. This is a strong indication that the company's activities remain under regulatory and legal pressure.
