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Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Alphabet has been ordered to open its Android operating system to rivals, allowing them to create their own app marketplaces and payment systems to compete with its dominant Google Play Store, in the latest blow for the search giant that has lost recent antitrust cases.

A federal judge in San Francisco ordered the changes on Monday following a successful lawsuit from Epic, the maker of popular video game Fortnite, which argued Google suppressed competition in Android apps and used its monopoly to charge excessive fees.

US district judge James Donato issued an injunction that bans Google from paying developers to “launch an app first or exclusively” in the Play Store and can no longer force customers to use its in-house billing system, which charges fees of as much as 30 per cent.

Additionally, Google can no longer strike revenue share deals with mobile device manufacturers such as Samsung and LG to preinstall Play Store prominently on their home screens — or pay them not to preinstall a rival Android app distribution platform — under the injunction, which takes effect on 1 November and lasts for three years.

Google must also allow third-parties access to its app library for that period of time in order for them to build a legitimately competitive product. Epic had argued in the lawsuit that Google paid off network operators such as AT&T and T-Mobile, and game developers such as Activision Blizzard, to prevent them from launching Play Store rivals.

The ruling gives Epic most of what it sought in the case and could potentially affect a lucrative stream of revenue for Google, which made an operating profit of $12bn from its Play Store in 2021 alone, according to evidence presented in the case (the company does not routinely disclose performance of its Play unit). Alphabet shares fell 2.3 per cent after the news.

Google said it will appeal against the verdict and asked the changes be put on hold, arguing they would put customers’ privacy and data security at risk. “The Epic verdict missed the obvious: Apple and Android clearly compete,” the company said of the underlying judgment.

The injunction could have a wider impact on the strict controls that Big Tech groups wield in their mobile app stores. Epic lost a related case against Apple in 2021, when a California judge concluded the iPhone maker did not break the law by imposing rules that block rival stores and payment methods on its devices. The ruling was upheld by an appeals court; Epic is seeking a US Supreme Court review.

Epic chief executive Tim Sweeney said on X: “All app developers, store makers, carriers, and manufacturers have 3 years to build a vibrant and competitive Android ecosystem with such critical mass that Google can’t stop it.”

“The court’s injunction applies to the United States only, so the legal and regulatory battle will continue around the world,” Sweeney added.

In August 2020, the games maker deliberately circumvented Apple and Google’s payment rules, resulting in Fortnite being removed from their respective stores.

The app store is just one of the antitrust battles that Google is defending. In August, it lost a case against the US Department of Justice for running a monopoly in online search. On Tuesday, the DoJ will propose remedies which could be as drastic as breaking up the company.

Furthermore, the DoJ is also suing Google for its alleged monopolistic control over digital advertising, with the future of its $20bn ad tech business at stake. The trial started last month in Virginia.

GIVE your spending power a little boost this month by bagging more loyalty points.

With extra autumn challenges and bonus offers, now is the perfect time to stock up on points ahead of your festive shopping.

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TAKE ADVANTAGE: If you have a Boots Advantage Card, download the Boots app and link your card number.

Then check out the offers section.

You should find a double points deal that can be used twice, valid until October 24.

Save this for your bigger purchases to maximize your points.

RISE TO THE CHALLENGE: Open the Tesco Clubcard section in the Tesco app to see if you’re eligible for the Tesco Clubcard challenges.

Eligible customers can earn extra points by completing challenges, which usually involve spending a set amount on certain products.

You can do up to ten of 20 challenges, with some focusing on fruit and veg while others cover confectionery.

Offer runs until November 10.

JUST THE TICKET: Need to renew or buy a railcard?

Head to VirginTrainsticketing.com to earn 2,000 bonus Virgin points with your purchase.

These are worth £10 and can be used towards future train travel, Greggs bakery treats or cinema passes.

MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK: If you’re a regular Morrisons shopper and have a Morrisons More card, you can earn 400 points when you buy a packet of Morrisons fresh fish fillets, or 300 points when you purchase Morrisons large frozen pies.

ASDA BE WORTH IT: Boost your Asda cashpot by completing a mission in the Asda Rewards app.

The missions are tailored to customers and, currently, selected shoppers can earn £1 in their cashpot when they buy three packs of Ben’s Original Rice.

SWEET TREAT: Off to Sainsbury’s? Check the Nectar app first for weekly, personalized offers based on your shopping habits.

Currently, selected customers might find an offer for 5x Nectar points when spending £20 in store.

• All prices on page correct at time of going to press. Deals and offers subject to availability.

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RYANAIR passengers will have to follow new boarding pass rules next year – and it isn’t good news.

The low-cost airline has confirmed that paper boarding passes are to be scrapped in 2025.

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Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary confirmed that they would phase our the physical boarding passes by May, saying that as many as 60 per cent currently use mobile passes.

Currently, Brits can get a boarding pass at the airport with the airline.

But passengers are charged £55 if they forget to check in and download their boarding passes before arriving at the airport.

The new rules would mean there would be no option to to check in at the airport at all, with the desks scrapped.

He said: “Our goal is to eliminate check-in desks at the airport, just like we’ve done with luggage counters.

“Everything will be managed through the app, making the process fully digital and eliminating paper entirely.”

The scrapping of the desks would also mean the scrapping of the £55 fee.

He added: “I’m one of the last remaining people still showing up with my piece of paper.

“It also means, once we get everybody onto the app, nobody will ever again pay for a boarding pass at an airport – the airport check in fee will be gone. 

“So, I think it will be a smoother, easier journey for everybody.” 

Some countries, however, require a physical print out of the boarding pass, such as Morocco, Turkey and Albania‘s Tirana, so it isn’t clear how this will be affected for passengers who forget to print one.

The Ryanair website currently states: “If you depart from a Moroccan airport, a digital boarding pass will not be accepted.

“You must carry a physical printout of your boarding pass, and you’ll need to present this boarding pass at the Moroccan airport check-in facility.”

Ryanair has also increased their luggage fees this week.

The airline previously charged up to £38 for anyone booking Priority upgrades at the airport, which come with a 10kg suitcase and hand luggage bag.

New rules could see passengers charged up to £60 if adding this after booking flights or at the airport.

A spokesperson said the fees depend on the route and travel dates selected.

Earlier this year, the Ryanair boss warned that flight prices will soar this Christmas.

Due to passenger caps at Dublin airport, he said that flight prices could hit £422, adding he will “make a fortune” this Christmas.

It’s not the only outlandish way the airline wanted to make money.

Previous Ryanair plans included paying £1 to use the onboard toilets.

And the airline even proposed standing cabins and scrapped armrests to reduce the weight of the plane – saving them money.

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TOP SAS veterans have warned the elite regiment is under attack from European human rights laws — and could cease to exist as we know it.

A trio of ex-commanders, including a former aide to Princes William and Harry, accuse successive governments of betraying their Who Dares Wins comrades.

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They warn the SAS may lack volunteers amid fears over prosecutions.

And they said the creeping jurisdiction of the European Convention of Human Rights has left Britain’s Special Forces facing potential legal action over missions like the storming of the besieged Iranian embassy in 1980.

Former Royal aide Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton led the SAS’s G Squadron from 1991 to 1994.

He served under Lt Col Aldwin Wight, a commanding officer who won a Military Cross in the Falklands, and with Regimental Sgt Maj George Simm, who got a Distinguished Conduct Medal on a mission in the 1980s.

Together, they have taken the bold decision to step out of the shadows in a letter to The Times today.

They write: “The public deserves to know of this betrayal of their SAS veterans, who need their support, not least so others like them will step forward in the future.

“Thirty years after being the command team of 22 SAS, we set aside reservations about discussing service, because the individuals we led then are today gravely threatened.”

The ECHR includes the Right to Life — enshrined into UK law by the Human Rights Act in 1998.

The letter states: “Since the introduction of the Human Rights Act into British law in 1998, and the incremental supremacy of the European Convention on Human Rights over our laws, there has existed no fair legal framework for British counter-terrorist operations.

“This represents a dangerous failure of democracy and a repudiation of the Military Covenant between the British people, their Government and the armed forces.

“The result: successive UK Governments fund predominantly vexatious compensation cases against British soldiers who did their duty to the best of their abilities and are now being hounded for it.

“At the national level, those units of the armed forces charged with the final sanction of protecting ­British people from terrorists may soon lack volunteers of the right calibre, making the Government’s first duty — protecting its citizens — unattainable.”

And the trio urge the Prime Minister to activate an emergency clause of the ECHR that nullifies Article 2 — the Right to Life — in times of war and national crisis.

Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick sparked fury last week by claiming the SAS were killing ­terrorists instead of capturing them due to the ECHR.

Ex-Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also claimed the law prevented ­Special Forces from snatching terror suspects overseas and bringing them back to Britain for trial.

He said: “When we have a threat to the UK, this lunacy of being unable to render people across borders or arrest people in countries whose police forces are unacceptable, means we are more often than not forced into taking lethal action than actually raiding and detaining.”

The Ministry of Defence said: “It is the longstanding policy of successive governments not to comment on UK Special Forces activity.”

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A MAJOR energy supplier with five million customers is set to pull a fixed energy deal that is currently the cheapest on the market.

New and existing customers who sign up for EDF Energy‘s Essentials Fixed 1Yr Oct25v3 tariff are promised savings of £163 a year.

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This plan costs a typical household £1,553 per year, making it cheaper than Ofgem’s current price cap.

At the beginning of this month, the 29 million customers on standard variable tariffs linked to Ofgem’s price cap saw their annual bills increase by £149, rising from £1,568 to £1,717.

If these households were to switch and take up EDF’s offer, they’d save £163 over the next 12 months.

The tariff is available to new and existing EDF customers and requires a smart meter or an agreement to have one installed.

The 12-month fixed offer includes a £25 exit fee per fuel or £50 for a dual fuel tariff.

But households wanting to switch will only have until midnight to do so.

EDF Energy’s offer is the cheapest among the country’s largest energy suppliers, including British Gas and Octopus Energy.

It’s not unusual for suppliers to reprice or remove their fixed energy tariffs in reaction to fluctuating wholesale market conditions.

This means that the best deals can be pulled at any time.

How do fixed deals work?

Fixed deals work to protect customers from bill hikes if Ofgem were to increase the price cap in the future.

Customers on their supplier’s standard variable tariff see their energy prices change every three months, as these are tied to Ofgem’s price cap.

However, those who lock into a fixed energy deal are charged the same gas and electricity rates throughout the contract’s term.

Of course, doing so carries a slight risk of you paying more than those on the standard variable tariff if Ofgem’s energy price cap were to fall within your deal’s term.

However, experts say this risk is minimal as analysts at Cornwall Insight predict that the energy price cap will rise again in January.

The price cap is reviewed every three months in Oct, Jan, April and July, and can go up or down depending on what’s happening in the wholesale energy market.

Currently, those on the standard variable tariff (SVT) have their rates capped by Ofgem at the following levels:

• 5.48p per kilowatt hour (p/kWh) for gas
• 22.36p per kWh for electricity
• A standing charge of 31.66p per day for gas
• A standing charge of 60.99p per day for electricity

For a typical household that uses an average of 11,500kWh of gas and 2,700kWh of electricity every year, these rates will cap bills at roughly £1,717 .

As this is only an estimate for a typical household, if you use more energy, you’ll pay more.

But if you’re offered a fix that’s cheaper than the current price cap, it’s always worth considering.

Elise Melville, energy expert at Uswitch, said: “There are many fixed energy tariffs on the market right now that are cheaper than the current energy price cap.

“Some are offering savings of over £150 per year for households with average energy usage.

“The January 2025 price cap is predicted to only drop by 1%, so it’s worth locking in a cheaper fixed rate now that will save you money throughout winter.”

Outfox the Market is currently offering the second cheapest deal on the open market right now to new and existing customers.

Its Fix’d Dual Oct24 v5.0 tariff costs a typical household £1,555 a year.

This means it is £162 cheaper than Ofgem’s October price cap.

It comes with a £25 exit fee per fuel or £50 if you lock in with a dual fuel tariff.

British Gas’ The Fixed Tariff v5 tariff matches the Outfox the Market deal, but it comes with a £50 exit dee per fuel.

Octopus Energy’s 12M Fixed October 2024 v1 costs £1,566 a year – £151 less than Ofgem’s October price cap.

This deal also comes with no exit fees, so customers are free to ditch and switch supplier at anytime they wish.

Remember to always compare prices before switching, as energy tariffs vary widely, and costs differ depending on where you live.

What are the alternatives?

Customers unwilling to commit to long-term fixed energy deals may want to consider flexible tariffs.

For example, E.ON Next‘s Pledge variable tariff offers a fixed discount of around three per cent on the price cap rates for 12 months.

It will save the average household around £50 a year but comes with a £50 exit fee if you switch before the year ends.

The deal is available to both new and existing customers.

EDF Energy’s Ensure Tracker works in a similar way and offers a £50 discount off the price cap’s standing charges for 12 months.

For a bigger reward but at a higher risk, Octopus Energy offers two variable tariffs which track wholesale gas and electricity costs.

Customers on the Octopus Tracker see their prices change daily, but unit rates have remained consistently lower than the price cap in recent months.

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