United Kingdom, Aug. 1 -- Google has lost its appeal in its ongoing dispute with Fortnite developer Epic Games over app store policies.

The case, which centres on Epic's challenge to Google's billing system on the Google Play Store, saw the court uphold a previous ruling that Google must loosen restrictions imposed on developers.

The ruling overturns Google's appeal and reinforces the requirement that Android developers - including Epic Games - be allowed to offer alternative payment methods and link to external billing systems.

The court found that Google's Play Store policies unfairly limited competition and developer freedom.

Epic Games expressed satisfaction with the outcome, and spokesperson Christine Chen said in a statement: "T...