First rival app store lands on Google Play in the US

Aptoide Games is now downloadable through Google Play for US Android users, making it the first third-party app store distributed via Google's own storefront. The launch follows Google's July 22 policy change opening Play to rival storefronts — a change compelled by Judge James Donato's 2024 antitrust ruling in the Epic Games case. Users can install it without sideloading an APK.