A judge has granted a short-term relief to Google which would have forced it to allow developers to set up rival marketplaces and billing systems on Android devices that compete with its Google Play Store.

That means Google may not have to open up its Play Store for years, if at all, while it appeals the verdict. In December, a jury unanimously decided that Google’s Android app store, the Play Store, had become an illegal monopoly, though Google is now appealing that jury verdict as well as the court’s order.

The same judge that stated Google must open its Android to third-party app stores in the US has granted Google a temporary administrative stay on that same decision.

E pic’s lawsuit against Google resulted in a final ruling that would require Google to open up its Play Store to third-party app store competitors, but that no longer appears to

A federal judge in California has granted Google's request to temporarily pause his order directing the Alphabet unit to overhaul its Android app store Play by Nov. 1 to give consumers more choice over how they download software.

The ruling by federal Judge James Donato spares Google from having to meet a November 1 deadline to open its Android smartphone operating system to rival app stores.

The Judge for Epic v Google round 1 has ruled that Google has to "open the Google Play store" and Google is already working on the appeal.

Google said Friday that a federal judge in California granted its request to pause his order directing the Alphabet unit to overhaul its Android app store Play by Nov. 1 to give consumers more choice over how they download software.

The decision must be a significant relief for Google, which was staring down a November 1st deadline to change its app store policies (via The Verge). A jury ruled earlier this mo

A federal judge in California has granted Google's request to temporarily halt his previous order, which required the company to revamp its Play Store by November 1, allowing users more options for downloading software.