Video game maker Epic Games has filed a lawsuit against tech giants Google and Samsung, accusing them of collaborating to block third-party app distribution on Samsung devices. The lawsuit centers around Samsung’s “Auto Blocker” feature, which prevents the installation of applications from unauthorized sources, allowing only apps from the Samsung Galaxy Store or Google Play Store.
The “Auto Blocker” feature is enabled by default on Samsung devices but can be disabled in the settings. According to Samsung, the tool is designed to block “malicious activity” and enhance security by limiting app installations to authorized sources. However, Epic Games argues that this feature “is virtually guaranteed to entrench Google’s dominance over Android app distribution,” effectively stifling competition.
In the lawsuit filed in a San Francisco federal court—Epic’s second against Google—the company claims that the collaboration between Google and Samsung undermines the potential for competition in the Android app distribution market. Epic Games, known for its popular game “Fortnite,” alleges that the “Auto Blocker” feature creates an “exceptionally onerous” 21-step process to download third-party apps outside of the official app stores.
“Allowing this coordinated illegal anti-competitive dealing to proceed hurts developers and consumers and undermines both the jury’s verdict and regulatory and legislative progress around the world,” Epic Games stated in a post on its website.
Samsung responded by emphasizing its commitment to security, privacy, and user control. “Users have the choice to disable Auto Blocker at any time,” the company said, adding that it plans to “vigorously contest Epic Games’ baseless claims.”
Epic Games recently launched its Epic Games Store on iPhones in the European Union and on Android devices worldwide. The company contends that the combination of the “Auto Blocker” setting and the install flow designed by Google and Samsung makes it excessively difficult for users to install third-party apps, thereby limiting consumer choice.
This lawsuit follows Epic’s previous antitrust victory against Google in December, where a jury found that Google’s Android app store had been protected by anti-competitive barriers that harmed smartphone consumers and software developers.
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney took to social media platform X to express his concerns: “Literally no store can compete with the incumbents when disadvantaged in this way. To have true competition, all reputable stores and apps must be free to compete on a level playing field.”
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
