Epic Games files antitrust lawsuit against Google, Samsung: Here's why
Epic Games, the folks behind Fortnite, are back at it with a fresh antitrust lawsuit against tech behemoths Google and Samsung. This comes just four years after Epic's first legal spat with Google, where they accused the search giant of running an illegal app store monopoly. The company won that case in December. Now, they're claiming that Google and Samsung have teamed up to mess with third-party app stores.
Samsung's 'Auto blocker' feature targeted
The lawsuit mainly goes after Samsung's "Auto Blocker" feature, which is set to active by default on new Samsung phones. This feature stops users from installing apps unless they come from "authorized sources," namely Google and Samsung's app stores. Epic Games claims that there's no way for any competing store to get this "authorized" status.
Epic Games launches its own mobile app store
In August, Epic Games rolled out its own mobile app store worldwide on Android and in the European Union for iPhones. But here's the twist: the company claims that just before this launch, Samsung decided to activate Auto Blocker by default on its new phones. This move supposedly made it tougher for new phone buyers to install competing apps on their own.
Biased app installation process
Epic Games claims that Samsung's Auto Blocker feature has made downloading a third-party app store onto a Samsung phone a "exceptionally onerous 21-step process." The company thinks this complicated process might put users off from finishing the download. On top of that, Epic Games says that Auto Blocker doesn't even check the safety or security of any particular source or app before blocking an installation.
Epic CEO questions intent behind auto blocker
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is raising some eyebrows over Samsung's Auto Blocker feature. In a recent chat with journalists, he claimed that it's not about keeping malware at bay, but more about keeping competitors at a distance. While he doesn't have solid proof of any collusion between Google and Samsung just yet, he's optimistic that something will come to light during the legal discovery process.
Changes sought to auto blocker
Sweeney revealed that he had privately requested Samsung to either deactivate Auto Blocker by default or establish "an honest whitelisting process" for legitimate apps. However, when the two companies could not agree on the terms of this whitelisting process, Epic Games threatened legal action. The company has now officially filed its complaint against both Samsung and Google in court.
