Google is opening the floodgates to third-party app stores on Android…

Google is implementing mandatory support for third-party app stores on Android starting next week, a regulatory shift forced by antitrust pressures in Europe and other jurisdictions. This opens distribution channels outside Google Play and fundamentally alters how developers can reach users on the world's largest mobile platform. If you're a mobile app developer, your distribution duopoly just cracked open—you can now ship through stores that take lower cuts and reach users Google Play's algorithm has buried. Test alternative stores this week; the best ones will become direct sales channels within six months.