Aptoide files an antitrust complaint in the EU against Google, accusing the company of abuse of dominant position.
Aptoide alleges that Google's Play Protect was incorrectly identifying Aptoide as a potentially malicious app, leading to it being hidden and uninstalled from Android smartphones without user consent.This action by Google caused Aptoide to lose over 2.2 million users in 60 days.
Aptoide sought legal action to stop Google from removing the Aptoide app store from users' phones without their knowledge and to cease showing warning messages that could deter users from using Aptoide.
A Portuguese court ruled in favor of Aptoide, stating that Google could not remove the Aptoide app store from users' devices. It was the first time an EU national court enforced regulatory rules allowing competitors to operate more freely on the Android OS.
The European Commission fined Google €4.34 billion for practices in violation of EU antitrust rules. Aptoide was one of the complainants in the case, originally filed in 2014.
Aptoide complained to the US DoJ about Google’s abuse of Dominant position. It also launched a campaign website urging Google to “Play Fair” and accusing the company of anticompetitive behavior.
Aptoide has been a vocal supporter of the DMA and other antitrust cases against Google. In the words of Paulo Trezentos, co-founder and CEO of Aptoide, “as Victor Hugo once said, ‘Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come’".