Google has been gradually expanding the reach of Play Protect, which now flags apps whether or not they come from its Play Store, can stop users updating apps from outside Play Store, and will soon monitor for potentially dangerous behaviors including permission abuse before an app has been more formally flagged.

For now, Google still appears to be testing the Download Manager for the Play Store. However, given that the feature is already in a working state, it should go live for the public sooner rather than later.

Google says that opening up its Play Store to third-party app stores "harms safety and privacy" and "puts users at risk."

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.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google won’t have to immediately revamp its Google Play store policies, after a federal judge in California temporarily paused his order that would have forced the technology giant to overhaul its app marketplace.

A federal judge on Friday delayed an order requiring Google to open up its Android app store to more competition until an appeals court decides whether to block the shake-up because of legal questions surrounding a jury’s verdict that branded Google as an illegal monopolist.

Can you believe it's been sixteen years since Google gave you a way to browse, buy, and download apps on your Android phone?

Judge James Donato, who had previously ruled that Googles Android app store constituted an illegal monopoly, agreed to push back the deadline for enforcing significant changes to its rules. This delay will give time for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to review Googles request for a longer-term stay.