Epic Games has recently filed a lawsuit against Samsung and Google for alleged anti-competitive behavior. The lawsuit, filed in a California court, accuses the two tech giants of unfair practices related to the Auto Blocker feature on Android devices.
The Auto Blocker feature, initially introduced by Samsung in 2023, aims to prevent users from installing applications from sources outside of the Google Play Store and Galaxy Store. Samsung plans to make Auto Blocker the default setting by 2024, effectively blocking all applications downloaded from other sources. Epic Games argues that this creates a significant barrier for users to install applications from alternative stores, including the Epic Games Store. They criticize the complex 21-step installation process and numerous warnings and notifications that can confuse users.
The lawsuit also highlights Samsung’s classification of the Epic Games Store as ‘software of unknown origin’, despite Fortnite previously being available on Samsung’s Galaxy Store. Epic Games views this as discriminatory and unfair, placing other application developers at a disadvantage.
This legal action follows a previous lawsuit between Epic Games and Google, in which Epic Games succeeded in accusing Google Play of implementing monopoly policies. Epic Games believes that Samsung and Google’s collaboration in implementing Auto Blocker goes against the previous lawsuit’s ruling.
Samsung has not yet started the lawsuit. This case underscores developers’ efforts to assert their rights and advocate for a fair and competitive environment in the mobile application market.