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

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