2025-10-21 14:00:52
Google and Epic Games have jointly agreed to a one-week delay in the enforcement of a landmark court order that would force Google to loosen its control over the Google Play Store.
The new deadline, set for October 29, replaces the original October 22 date by which Google was required to comply with a permanent injunction issued by U.S. District Court Judge James Donato.
The order mandates that Google allow developers to use alternative billing systems, set their own pricing, and freely direct users to external payment methods – a major win for the Fortnite maker, which first sued Google in 2020 over alleged monopolistic app store practices.
The joint motion to extend the deadline was approved on Monday (10.20.25), with the judge writing simply: “At the joint request of the parties, the upcoming October 22, 2025 deadline is vacated and extended to October 29, 2025.”
Neither Google nor Epic has publicly explained the reason for the delay, though legal observers speculate it could allow time for final negotiations or to address procedural details ahead of Google’s planned Supreme Court appeal, expected by October 27.
Epic CEO Tim Sweeney had previously hailed October 22 as “the day developers will be legally entitled to steer U.S. Google Play users to out-of-app payments without fees, scare screens, and friction,” drawing comparisons to similar changes on Apple’s App Store following its own legal battles with Epic.
Google maintains that it will “comply with all legal obligations while continuing to appeal the ruling,” but the brief delay underscores the high stakes of the case.
If the injunction goes into effect as planned on October 29th, developers across the U.S. will gain new freedoms to monetize apps outside Google’s payment system – a change that could significantly reshape the $140 billion mobile app economy.
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