Epic Games is suing Google and Samsung over phone settings, accusing them of violating antitrust laws

LOS ANGELES (AP) – Video game maker Epic Games sued Google and Samsung on Monday, accusing the technology companies of coordinating efforts to block third-party competition from distributing its apps on Samsung devices.

The problem is Samsung’s “Auto Blocker” feature, which only allows you to install apps from authorized sources like the Samsung Galaxy Store or Google Play Store. This feature is turned on by default, but can be changed in your phone settings. According to Samsung, the tool prevents apps from being installed from unauthorized sources and blocks “malicious activity.”

In a lawsuit filed in federal court in San Francisco – the second in Epic’s lawsuit against Google – the company said the Auto Blocker feature “virtually guarantees the consolidation of Google’s dominance in Android app distribution.” The complaint says Epic, maker of the popular game “Fortnite,” filed the lawsuit to prevent Google “from negating its long-awaited promise of competition in the Android app distribution market.”

“Allowing these coordinated, illegal, anti-competitive transactions to continue harms developers and consumers and undermines both the jury verdict and regulatory and legislative progress around the world,” Epic Games said in a post on its website.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Samsung said it “actively supports market competition, increases consumer choice and conducts its business with integrity.”

“The features integrated into our devices are designed in accordance with Samsung’s core principles of security, privacy and user control, and we are fully committed to protecting your personal information. “Users have the option to disable the auto-block feature at any time,” Samsung said, adding that it plans to “strongly dispute Epic Game’s baseless claims.”

In August, Epic launched the Epic Games Store on iPhones in the European Union and on Android devices worldwide. The company says downloading a third-party app outside of the Google Play Store or Samsung Galaxy Store currently requires an “extremely cumbersome, 21-step process.” However, the support page on the Epic website shows a four-step process for removing the auto-block setting.

Epic won its first antitrust lawsuit against Google in December after a jury found that Google’s Android app store was protected by anticompetitive barriers that harmed smartphone consumers and software developers.

The game’s developer claims that the “Auto Blocker” feature was intentionally created in cooperation with Google to preemptively undermine the jury’s verdict in the case.

“Literally no store can compete with existing players when they are at a disadvantage,” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said on X. “To ensure true competition, all reputable stores and apps must be free to compete on a level playing field.”