Judge tells Google to brace for shakeup of Android app store as punishment for running a monopoly

AP Technology Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge has indicated he will order major changes in Google’s Android app store. It’s to punish the company for engineering a system that a jury declared an illegal monopoly that has hurt millions of consumers and app developers. Over the course of a three-hour hearing in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge James Donato made it clear that the forthcoming shake-up will probably include a mandate requiring Google’s Play Store for Android phones offer consumers a choice to download alternative app stores. The judge said he hopes to issue an order within the next few weeks, possibly before Labor Day weekend.