Google is being sued again over its monopoly in the Android store market
The company Aptoide, which owns its own mobile app store, has decided to sue Google.
Aptoide filed a lawsuit in the San Francisco court. In it, the company claimed that Google has monopolized the distribution of apps and the use of payment systems on Android, effectively pushing competitors off the platform. Specifically, Aptoide is convinced that Google deliberately encourages developers to place their projects solely in Google Play and hinders other stores from concluding exclusive agreements.
Aptoide asserts that Google's actions have caused it “irreparable harm.” It wants the court to require the corporation to pay triple the compensation and to force a change in its policies on Android.
It should be noted that this is not the first legal battle between Aptoide and Google. In 2014, Aptoide complained to the European Commission, pointing out that Google blocked Android users from accessing its store. That dispute ended in favor of Aptoide, how it will turn out this time—only time will tell.
According to the information on Aptoide’s website, its store is the third largest on Android. Overall, its catalog contains over a million apps, and the number of users exceeds 430 million people.