Google is being sued by US states over its Play Store practices

Apple has recently been the subject of a high-profile private antitrust case from Epic Games.

37 US states have filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google that focuses on the company's app store practices. The crux of the case is an accusation that Google is overcharging developers who sell through its own app store that is built into its Android operating system. "Google leverages its monopoly power with Android to unlawfully maintain its monopoly in the Android app distribution market," the lawsuit stated.

Google has left millions of Android users and app developers with no option but to use the Google Play Store.

This is raising prices for consumers and squeezing millions of small businesses that are trying to compete. — NY AG James (@NewYorkStateAG) July 7, 2021

The news follows complaints about Google’s management of the app store, known as the Play Store, although the Play Store has traditionally been regarded as more open than Apple's App Store. On Wednesday, Google said the case was due to a handful of major app developers seeking preferential treatment and it was not about helping small businesses or consumers. It rejected claims the Play Store was similar to the Apple's App Store on iPhones and said Android supports competition on its Play Store. "Android and Google Play provide openness and choice that other platforms simply don't," the company said in a blog post. The company lashed out at Apple's practices and criticised the move to target its system. Wilson White, Google’s senior director of public policy, said it was “strange that a group of state attorneys-general chose to file a lawsuit attacking a system that provides more openness and choice than others”. While Google has faced less criticism than Apple over the charges for mobile app developers, Apple has been the subject of a high-profile private antitrust case from Epic Games, the creators of the hugely popular Fortnite game.