A federal judge in California has granted Google’s request to temporarily pause his order requiring the Alphabet unit to revamp its Android app store, Google Play, by November 1.
This order aimed to provide consumers with more options for downloading software. San Francisco-based U.S. District Judge James Donato made this decision on Friday amid an antitrust lawsuit against Google filed by Epic Games, the maker of “Fortnite.”
Google argued that Donato’s October 7 injunction would harm the company and pose “serious safety, security, and privacy risks” to the Android ecosystem.
Donato delayed the injunction to allow the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to consider Google’s separate request for a pause on the order. However, he denied Google’s request to suspend the order throughout its broader appeal in the case.
In a statement, Google expressed satisfaction with the District Court’s decision to temporarily pause what it described as “dangerous remedies” demanded by Epic, while the Court of Appeal reviews its request for a further pause during the appeal process.
Epic responded by calling Donato’s ruling a procedural step, asserting that the court indicated Google’s appeal lacks merit and rejected the company’s request to delay competition on Android devices while the appeal proceeds.
Epic accused Google of employing “fearmongering and unsubstantiated security threats” to maintain its control over Android devices and continue collecting excessive fees.
In the Epic Games lawsuit, a jury found last year that Google had illegally monopolized the ways consumers download apps on Android devices and how they pay for in-app transactions. In his order, Donato adopted many of Epic’s recommendations in light of the jury’s decision.
The order mandates that Google permit users to download competing third-party Android app platforms or stores and to use alternative in-app payment methods. It also prohibits Google from paying device manufacturers to preinstall its app store and from sharing revenue generated from the Play Store with other app distributors.
Google has already appealed the jury’s antitrust findings to the 9th Circuit but has not yet presented its antitrust arguments to the appeals court.
The company maintains that it cannot be considered a monopolist because Google Play and Apple’s App Store are direct competitors, and it argues that Donato’s injunction would unlawfully force it to collaborate with rivals.
