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Google and Epic Games struck a secretive $800 million deal, 'helping Google market Android'

Settlement would lower app-store fees worldwide and allow rival stores on Android with less friction, while Google warns of costly developer fees if rejected.

  • Today, in a U.S. federal courtroom, Google and Epic Games presented a proposed settlement and hauled lead negotiators including Tim Sweeney, Sameer Samat, Doug Bernheim, and Lara Kollios to explain it.
  • Epic Games filed its suit over five years ago in August 2020, leading to a December 2023 jury victory; an appeals court upheld that verdict and Judge James Donato ordered structural remedies to open Android in the United States.
  • Google cautioned the court that rejecting the deal could push app developers into costly Google enrollment programs charging multiple dollars per download, while rival app stores might still face complex fees and Google oversight.
  • Judge James Donato told the court he is skeptical about the settlement and the companies' sudden cooperation, while Epic and Google have presented him with two different options.
  • If approved, the settlement would change app economics worldwide by cutting fees and easing rival entry, lowering fees globally and creating easier paths for rival stores in the Android ecosystem despite Donato's U.S.-focused remedies.
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Good morning! Surprises in the conflict between Epic Games and Google, the Tiktok deal is finally over – and AI has difficulty understanding Skåne.

·Stockholm, Sweden
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The Verge broke the news in United States on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
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