Google to appeal Epic Games verdict to show ‘Apple and Android clearly compete’

Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) said it is appealing a court verdict ruled in favor of Epic Games and the tech giant is asking courts to pause the remedies proposed by the online game store operator, which it alleges will hurt its ability to compete with rival Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL).

In May, Epic asked a U.S. federal court to impose changes to Android and Google Play that will allow consumers to download apps from wherever they choose without interference, whether a third-party app store or another app or the web. Google said those proposed changes would undermine the privacy, security, and overall experience of consumers, developers, and device manufacturers.

“As we have already stated, these changes would put consumers’ privacy and security at risk, make it harder for developers to promote their apps, and reduce competition on devices. Ultimately, while these changes presumably satisfy Epic, they will cause a range of unintended consequences that will harm American consumers, developers, and device makers,” Google said in its blogpost on Monday.

“Android has helped expand choice, reduce prices, and democratize access to smartphones and apps. The initial decision and today’s Epic-requested changes put that at risk and undercut Android’s ability to compete with Apple’s (AAPL) iOS,” Google added.

Google said in its post that “Android is an open platform that has always allowed for choice and flexibility like multiple app stores and sideloading” and, through its appeal, will try and show that the company and Apple directly compete for consumers and app developers.