Epic Games lawsuit accuses Google and Samsung of Dirty Pool

Google returns to court in the Epic case and this time Samsung joins the action. After winning an antitrust case against the search giant late last year, Epic again accused Google of antitrust practices in the way it manages apps on the Android platform. However, the Fortnite creator claims that this time Samsung is also working with Google.

The problem is a feature in the latest Samsung phones called Auto Blocker. This feature is enabled by default on all devices running One UI 6.1 or later and (among other things) prevents the user from installing apps that do not come from the Play Store or Galaxy Store. Android phones already have “unknown apps” blocked by default, but the system allows you to turn it off quite easily. The auto-blocking feature is the second, more annoying barrier to app installation.

Epic’s new filing says that Samsung implemented the Auto Blocker feature as a default setting just before the launch of the Epic Game Store on Android. It has since done so, noting that content from its store cannot be installed on Samsung devices without first turning off the auto-blocking feature. Epic claims, without any evidence, that this is a 21-step process. By our calculations, that’s three steps.

According to Epic, there is no process by which the Epic Store can become an “authorized source” in Auto Blocker. And asked Samsung to consider this issue. The company claims that Samsung and Google are colluding to undermine the influence of third-party app stores, a practice that may soon become commonplace. There’s no hard evidence of this presented in the filing (PDF), but Epic has a strong argument regarding timing.

In 2020, Epic filed a lawsuit against Apple and Google, alleging unfair monopolistic practices in app distribution. While Apple won the case, Google’s deceptive marketing and management of the Play Store earned it a big, bold L. The judge in the case is preparing to issue a ruling that could fundamentally change the way Google distributes apps, and wouldn’t you know it, largest Android OEM is adding a second layer of app blocking just in time. According to Reuters, Samsung says it will “strongly dispute Epic Games’ baseless claims.”

We may not receive clarity on the rules for the distribution of mobile applications for some time yet. Google will likely file an appeal as soon as the final ruling is issued, and it will be some time before the new Samsung-Google case reaches court. Regardless, Epic may get what it wants sooner rather than later. Google’s mounting antitrust losses give Epic a strong negotiating position if Samsung wants to avoid getting drawn into this mess.