Epic Games, the billion-dollar company behind the popular game Fortnite, is continuing its legal battles. This time, they’ve filed a lawsuit against tech giants Samsung and Google. The lawsuit alleges that these two corporations are working together to prevent third-party app stores from gaining a foothold on Samsung devices.
At the heart of the lawsuit is Samsung’s Auto Blocker feature. As the name suggests, this feature blocks apps from unknown sources by default. Epic argues that this feature effectively makes the Google Play Store the only viable way to get apps on Samsung devices, giving it a huge advantage over other app stores. They claim this creates an unfair playing field, preventing competition.
Samsung, however, insists that Auto Blocker is a safety feature designed to protect users by preventing harmful apps from being installed. They argue that it’s crucial for security and stops potentially dangerous .apk files from automatically installing on Samsung devices.
However, Epic alleges that Auto Blocker is not just a security measure but a tool used by Google and Samsung to stifle competition. They highlight that users must go through a complex 21-step process to allow apps from sources other than the Galaxy Store or Google Play Store onto their devices. Epic seeks court intervention to ensure that Auto Blocker is not turned on by default, enabling a more competitive environment for app developers and users alike.
