Google Play now hosts its own competitors

You can now download an app store inside Google Play.

Following a court order from its antitrust loss to Epic Games, Google has started listing rival app stores directly inside the US Play Store. The first arrival is Aptoide, a game-focused store that previously required manual sideloading. Ars Technica reports US users can install it like any regular app—no security warnings or extra toggles required.

Why it matters: Android users in the US can now browse alternative app stores without navigating security prompts. The remedies imposed by Judge James Donato force Google to host competitors, mirror app catalogs, and allow alternative payment systems. Aptoide CEO Paulo Trezentos confirmed the platform has access to Google's full catalog of 1.9 million apps and 295,000 games.

Know this: Developers can opt out of the app-sharing arrangement. However, because Aptoide uses the same billing and versioning as Google Play, it functions as a low-friction channel that few developers are expected to skip.

Google spent years fighting to avoid this exact outcome, but the app store inside the app store is officially open.