Epic Games Accuses Google and Samsung of Blocking Competition in New Lawsuit
Epic Games has launched a new legal battle, accusing tech giants Google and Samsung of making it unnecessarily difficult for users to download and install Fortnite and other apps on Samsung devices.
According to Epic’s complaint, the root of the problem is Samsung’s Auto Blocker feature.
What is Auto Blocker?
Samsung introduced the Auto Blocker feature to their mobile devices in October 2023 as an opt-in feature, but in July 2024 it was made the default setting on Samsung devices. Auto Blocker was introduced by Samsung to disable the user’s ability to install apps from sources other than the Google Play Store and Samsung Galaxy Store on Samsung devices, meaning that users have to change their device settings to be able to download and install apps from third party app stores and websites.
Why is Auto Blocker a problem for Epic Games?
Epic claims that Auto Blocker requires users to go through a 21-step process to install apps from third-party stores. The company says this process discourages users from downloading Fortnite, causing 50% of potential players to give up before they complete the installation.
Epic’s complaint argues that Auto Blocker was developed in coordination with Google to preserve Google’s monopoly in the Android app market. It claims that Google and Samsung have long worked together to limit competition, including through a 2020 revenue-sharing agreement where Google allegedly paid Samsung to reduce competition from the Galaxy Store.
"Auto Blocker is virtually guaranteed to entrench Google’s dominance over Android app distribution," Epic stated in its lawsuit.
Samsung denies allegations as Google calls the lawsuit “meritless”
Samsung, however, denies these allegations, stating that Auto Blocker is designed to protect users from potentially harmful apps, and it can be turned off manually.
“Contrary to Epic Games’ assertions, Samsung actively fosters market competition, enhances consumer choice, and conducts its operations fairly,” a Samsung spokesperson said.
The current legal challenge comes on the heels of Epic's victory against Google in December 2023, when a jury found Google had been unlawfully restraining trade. Epic now argues that Samsung's Auto Blocker feature undermines the court’s ruling by making it more difficult for users to access third-party app stores like Epic’s.
Google dismissed Epic’s new lawsuit, calling it "meritless." Dave Kleidermacher, Google’s VP of engineering, explained that the issue is about user safety, not competition.
“To make this about access to a game is deliberately misleading,” he said, adding that security features like Auto Blocker are necessary to protect users from risky web downloads.
Epic claims Google and Samsung collaboration harms customers
Despite this pushback, Epic Games maintains that the collaboration between Google and Samsung harms both developers and consumers.
Tim Sweeney, Epic’s CEO, voiced his frustration, stating, “I did not think we would end up in this place.”
He emphasised that Epic’s goal is to create a level playing field for app developers, adding that they would have "made a lot more money" had they not pursued this legal action.
As for a resolution, Epic is asking the court to either remove Auto Blocker as the default setting or create a transparent process allowing legitimate apps to bypass it. Without these changes, Epic warns that competition in the Android app market will continue to suffer.
This lawsuit is just the latest in a series of legal actions Epic has taken against major tech companies. The developer has previously battled both Google and Apple over what it views as anti-competitive practices in their app stores.
