Yesterday, Google and Epic finally reached an agreement to settle their years-long legal dispute. If approved by the judge overseeing the case, the settlement would resolve the lawsuit Epic filed in 2020 to challenge Google’s stranglehold on Android app distribution. As part of the agreement, Google plans to make sweeping changes to Android, which will be implemented in a future version of next year’s Android 17 release. The company is developing a new system that will allow users to easily install third-party app stores, reducing the friction of getting apps from outside of Google Play.
This timing is notable, as next year is also when Android’s new developer verification requirements will go into effect. Beginning in September 2026, Android will block users from installing apps made by unverified developers. Although Google says that sideloading isn’t going anywhere, some critics are concerned this change will kill alternative app stores like F-Droid. That’s why Google’s agreement with Epic has sparked hope that Android’s sideloading restrictions will be eased or eliminated entirely next year.