That means Google may not have to open up its Play Store for years, if at all, while it appeals the verdict. In December, a jury unanimously decided that Google’s Android app store, the Play Store, had become an illegal monopoly, though Google is now appealing that jury verdict as well as the court’s order.

The now-delayed order would have forced Google to make sweeping changes to its Play Store for Android smartphones starting Nov. 1.

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.

The latest development is part of an ongoing antitrust lawsuit filed by Epic Games, the developer of "Fortnite." Google had recently approached the California federal court, seeki