Technology

While there is a link to the Play Store’s alternative app store page, it’s buried several levels deep in its confusing menus. Epic lawyer Yonatan Even showed the court that even searching for “app store” and “aptoide” didn’t show the intended results like any other search. Instead, the Play Store shows an “are you looking for” banner that links to the third-party app store page.

Google’s lawyers contended in the hearing that Epic had already agreed that app stores are in a special category due to their expanded permissions, so the extra step was appropriate. The court didn’t buy that explanation, though.

“That is not acceptable,” said Donato. “That has to be fixed. I want every possible variation that’s even only 70 percent properly phrased.”