“Healthy competition is the cornerstone of innovation and progress in the tech world. However, recent developments indicate that Google and Samsung might not be playing fair, as Epic Games has stepped up to challenge them in court over their Auto Blocker feature. This feature, introduced by Samsung in 2023, is raising eyebrows as it seemingly obstructs third-party app installations, thus stifling competition.
Epic Games has filed a legal complaint in California, arguing that the Auto Blocker, which prevents users from installing apps outside of the Google Play Store and Samsung Galaxy Store, creates unnecessary barriers and promotes a monopoly. Initially rolled out as an optional feature, the Auto Blocker will become the default setting in July 2024, automatically blocking external app downloads.
With the recent launch of the Epic Games Store for mobile, this barrier is particularly problematic. Epic Games contends that the Auto Blocker forces users through a cumbersome 21-step process to download third-party apps, littered with multiple warnings and prompts. Such a lengthy procedure, they argue, severely restricts competition and unfairly benefits Google and Samsung’s platforms.
In its complaint, Epic Games highlights the irony of their popular game ‘Fortnite’ being previously available on Samsung’s Galaxy Store, yet now the company’s store is treated as software from an ‘unknown source.’ Epic claims this inconsistent classification is detrimental, unfairly labeling their apps as unsafe and discouraging potential users. The company states this not only damages their reputation but also results in tangible financial losses due to abandoned installs.
Epic Games is no stranger to legal victories. They successfully argued against Google’s mandatory use of Google Play’s payment system in December, winning a unanimous jury verdict that ruled the practice anti-competitive. Now, Epic is pushing back against what they see as a collaborative effort by Samsung and Google to circumvent this previous ruling with the Auto Blocker.
As of now, Samsung has not issued a statement regarding the lawsuit. The case underscores the ongoing battle for fair competition in the mobile app market, and it will be interesting to see how both companies respond to these accusations. As the fight for a more level playing field continues, tech giants might need to rethink their strategies to avoid such legal entanglements in the future.”
