On Monday, the blockbuster “Fortnite” video epic games maker accused Alphabet’s Google. And Samsung, the world’s largest Android phone manufacturer, of conspiring to protect Google’s Play store from the competition.
The company said it would sue Samsung in the U.S. federal court in California, claiming that a Samsung mobile security feature called Auto Blocker had been designed to discourage users from downloading apps from places other than the Play store or Samsung’s Galaxy store, which the Korean company opted to put on the back burner.
Samsung and Google are violating U.S. antitrust law by reducing consumer choice and preventing competition that would make apps less expensive, said Epic, a U.S.-based company backed by China’s Tencent.
“It’s about unfair competition by misleading users into thinking competitors’ products are inferior to the company’s,” Epic Chief Executive Tim Sweeney told reporters.
“Google is saying to keep you safe, you cannot install apps from unknown sources. Well, Google knows what Fortnite is because they have delivered it before.” Google didn’t immediately comment on the request.
“Says Samsung, which means “vigorously contest Epic Game’s baseless claims.”
“The features integrated into its devices are developed in line with Samsung’s core principles of security, privacy, and user control, and we remain fully committed to safeguarding users’ data,” Samsung said in the statement, adding that users have choices to disable Auto Blocker at any time.
Epic said Samsung’s Auto Blocker was designed to alleviate the sting of a U.S. ruling last December that Epic won against Google, which is likely to oblige it to make apps more accessible to get from elsewhere.
The firm has been removed from the shelves of iPhones in the European Union and Google’s Android devices globally for nearly four years, having been pulled in August 2020 after a high-profile row with Apple.
Samsung debuted Auto Blocker, which blocked malware in apps downloaded, as an opt-in feature on its devices in late 2023. Epic reported that in July, Samsung made Auto Blocker the default setting and configured it so it was difficult to turn off or circumvent.
Epic Games in Cary, North Carolina, sued Google in 2020, alleging that Google stifled competition due to its controls over app distribution and how people pay for apps.
FAQs
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Why is Epic Games suing Google and Samsung?
Epic Games is filing an antitrust complaint against Google and Samsung, alleging that the two companies conspired to fend off new competition at the Play Store and Galaxy Store.
2. What is Samsung’s Auto Blocker feature?
Auto Blocker is a mobile security feature develop by Samsung. It merely blocks malware present in apps when they are downloaded from sources other than the official app markets.
3. Does the Samsung Auto Blocker limit app distribution?
Epic declares that Samsung’s Auto Blocker dissuades. Users can download apps from sources other than Google Play and Samsung’s Galaxy Store, reducing competition.
4. Why is this unfair competition, according to Epic Games?
Epic Games claims that Samsung and Google are deceiving the public into believing that apps downloaded from third-party stores are dangerous, which, in effect, restrains competition.
5. What were the results of the lawsuit file by Epic against Google in 2020?
In 2020, Epic sued Google for allegedly operating app distribution and payments on its platform and pushing competitors out of the marketplace.
6. How does the European Union fit into the issues of Epic Games?
Epic Games will take its competition concerns to the European regulators, who have been tracking Google’s business practices for years.
7. Can users disable Samsung’s Auto Blocker?
According to Samsung, a user can turn off the Auto Blocker. Feature at any time, although Epic says it is impossible to do so.
8. How did the Auto Blocker feature evolve in Samsung devices?
Samsung first launched it as an add-on feature in 2023. But it later made it a default feature in 2024, making it harder to avoid using it.
9. Why was Fortnite ban from Google Play and Apple’s App Store?
Fortnite was removing in 2020 after Epic crowed over 30%. Commission fee for in-app purchases with both companies.
10. How does the fact that Tencent owns Epic Games relate to this case?
That’s all Tencent need. A big Chinese company is on the back burner, which will definitely help them gain the upper hand in the current legal battles and global competition.
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