The Supreme Court declined to pause a lower court order that forces Google to move ahead with major changes to its Android smartphone app store, Google Play.

The high court turned away Google’s emergency application to temporarily suspend a lower court order that game maker Epic Games secured as a result of a lawsuit that alleged that Google was monopolizing how consumers gain access to apps on Android devices and pay for transactions when using the apps.

The new ruling in Google LLC v. Epic Games Inc. was issued on Oct. 6. The court did not explain its decision. No justices dissented.

The decision came as Google is getting ready to appeal the decision that led to the issuance of the order in the lawsuit filed by Epic Games, maker of “Fortnite,” an online video game.

The nation’s highest court rejected Google’s application that was filed on Sept. 24.

In October 2024, after a jury ruled in 2023 against Google under antitrust laws, Judge James Donato of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a permanent injunction restraining Google.

The judge ordered that for three years, Google would not be allowed to “share revenue generated by the Google Play Store with any person or entity that distributes Android apps, or has stated that it will launch or is considering launching an Android app distribution platform or store.”

The injunction also required Google to let users download rival app stores within its Play store and let its competitors have access to Play’s app catalog as of July 2026.

The judge stipulated that Google has to let developers include external links in apps, which would allow users to go around Google’s billing system. That element of the injunction will take effect later this month.

On July 31, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court’s ruling.

In the application, Google asked the Supreme Court to examine the legality of what it called an “unprecedented” injunction “that will restructure the entire Android ecosystem, relied on by over 100 million U.S. users and over 500,000 app developers.”

The injunction exposes users and developers “to substantial new safety and security risks and compels Google to act as both supplier and distributor for its direct competitors.” The Ninth Circuit erred in upholding the injunction, which is inconsistent with Supreme Court precedent, the application said.

On Oct. 3, Epic Games filed a brief with the Supreme Court urging the justices to dismiss Google’s application.

“The only thing a stay would achieve is further extending the year-long delay in implementing the district court’s much-needed injunction … allowing Google to continue to shield its app store from competition and to reap monopoly profits at the expense of Android developers and users,” the brief said.

Tim Sweeney, CEO and founder of Epic Games, celebrated the Supreme Court’s new ruling in a post on X.

“Starting October 22, developers will be legally entitled to steer U.S. Google Play users to out-of-app payments without fees, scare screens, and friction—same as Apple App Store users in the U.S.!” Sweeney wrote.

The Epoch Times reached out for comment to Google’s attorney, Neal Katyal of Milbank in Washington. No reply was received by publication time.

Reuters contributed to this report.

This article by Matthew Vadum appeared Oct. 8, 2025, in The Epoch Times.