Aptoide becomes first rival app store available inside Google's US Play Store

Aptoide, a mobile-gaming store, is the first third-party Android app store available for direct download within Google's US Play Store via Google's Play Catalogue Access programme. Users install it like any app — no APK sideloading or security-toggle workarounds required. The listing follows a 2024 court order in Epic v. Google, after Google lost its appeal and a joint settlement collapsed last month.