After more than a decade, Android users in the US can finally grab a rival app store right from Google Play. Aptoide just dropped its Aptoide Games app, and you can download it straight from the Play Store.

Google previously restricted how other app stores were presented and integrated on many Android devices. That changed after the Epic Games lawsuit, and related remedies, which led Google to create programs that allow some third‑party stores to access the Play catalog and appear via Google Play. Now, with the new Play Catalog Access program, approved third-party app stores can show up on Google Play

What this means for everyday phone owners

No more messy sideloading for alternative stores

For over a decade, Android users have been able to install alternative app stores by side loading or using preinstalled vendor stores, but they could not generally install independent stores directly from Google Play. “Today, that changes,” says Aptoide CEO and co-founder Paulo Trezentos, when pointing out the shift in the company’s official announcement. Under the new program, certain approved third‑party stores can appear in Google Play and be installed there. Continuing, Trezentos said, “Users gain more choice, developers gain additional distribution opportunities, and Android becomes a more open and competitive ecosystem.”

Anyone who wants options should celebrate this news — freedom of choice in apps benefits everyone, as noted by Aptoide Chief Operating Officer Álvaro Pinto: “Developers should have multiple ways to reach users, and users should have genuine freedom to choose where they discover applications.”

Aptoide’s been around since 2009 and has about 25 million users and, according to their main web site, claims to have 400,000 apps. But if you grab Aptoide Games from Google Play, you’ll only see a handpicked set of mobile games that meet Google’s rules. The full app lineup is still on other platforms.

Aptoide has been around for years, but the process of getting it has never been easier. Before, if you wanted Aptoide, you’d have to find an APK and side load it onto your device. Not exactly hard, but more complicated than just downloading it from Google Play now. Now, you just search for Aptoide Games in Google Play and tap install. That’s it. The app shows up with your other apps, and you’re good to go with its huge game selection.

You might be concerned about a new app introducing potential malware to your devices. Aptoide claims it has 15 years of safety tech, like malware checks and developer verification, to keep things clean. Similar to Google Play Protect, your device is protected from any apps you download from the store, but Aptoide uses its own tools and review team. That being said, it can never be 100% accurate, so always take care and look at reviews of any app you’re installing, and mind the permissions it asks you for.

Aptoide is the first major independent marketplace to use Google’s new rules in the US, but it’s likely that it won’t be the last. Android users could have way more choices coming up — could giants like Amazon and Samsung, alongside some smaller players, jump in soon? Only time will tell.