Google ordered Epic Games to open an app store in the antitrust ruling

• A judge has ordered Google to open up Android to compete with third-party app stores.

• The ruling is part of Epic Games' blockbuster antitrust case against Google.

• Google said it plans to appeal the ruling and ask the courts to suspend implementation of remedies.

A US judge has ruled that Google must open Andriod to third-party app stores.

Monday's ruling was one of several appeals in the landmark antitrust case brought against Google by Epic Games, the company behind the video game Fortnite.

The remedies aim to provide Android users with more options for downloading apps and paying for transactions within them.

The judge ruled that Google cannot pay companies for three years to publish apps exclusively on the Play Store or to pre-install the company's App Store on devices.

The judge also ruled that Google must allow competing app stores to access Google Play apps and that it cannot require app makers to use Google Play Billing.

The remedies are set to come into effect from November.

Shares of Google parent Alphabet fell 2.4% after the ruling.

In a statement posted online, Google said it was appealing the decision.

“The Epic ruling missed the obvious: Apple and Android are clearly competing. We will appeal and ask the courts to stay implementation of the remedies to ensure a consistent and safe experience for users and developers as the legal process continues,” the company said.

“We will continue to advocate for what is best for developers, device manufacturers and the billions of Android users around the world.”

The remedies build on a jury's finding last year that Google violated antitrust policies in its Play Store for Android systems. The jury found that the tech giant held a monopoly in its Play Store for Android operating systems that limited the reach of competitors' apps and drove up the prices for processing in-app purchases.

Representatives for Epic Games did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment made outside of normal business hours.

Another antitrust blow for Google

The Epic Games ruling is Google's latest setback as the company faces additional antitrust cases affecting various parts of its sprawling business.

In August, a federal judge ruled that Google violated antitrust laws to maintain a search monopoly. Google predicted it could lose $30 billion if it lost its default spot on Apple devices. A judge is expected to outline possible remedies for the case this week.

Separately, the Justice Department is suing Google over its dominance in digital advertising. The ongoing process could lead to the collapse of the Internet giant.

Last month, Europe's top court upheld a 2.4 billion euro ($2.67 billion) lawsuit Antitrust fine against Google after deciding in 2017 that it was using its search engine dominance to favor its own price comparison service over competitors.

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