Tim Sweeney, The CEO of Epic Games has always worried that his company’s victory last year in a multimillion-dollar legal battle against Google’s app store monopoly would not be enough to create competition. Even if Google could no longer keep alternative markets out of Android, phone makers could make access to them more difficult. In a US lawsuit filed today in San Francisco, that’s exactly what Epic claims Google conspired with Samsung to do.
Some newer Samsung phones require settings changes to install apps from the Web, such as Epic’s app market, according to Epic, which also develops Fortnite and Rocket races. The requirement went into effect by default in July, and Epic launched its app store in August. Samsung claims the feature, which it calls Auto Blocker, protects against “apps from unauthorized sources” and “malicious activity.” But it expands the installation process from 15 steps to 21, Epic claims. The company says it has found in the past that the higher the number of hurdles, the fewer people complete the process.
“This is not about reasonable measures to protect consumers against malware,” Sweeney told reporters at a briefing before the lawsuit was filed. “It’s about preventing competition.”
“Contrary to Epic Game’s claims, Samsung actively promotes market competition, improves consumer choice and conducts its operations fairly,” a Samsung spokesperson said in a statement. “The features integrated into our devices are designed in accordance with Samsung’s core principles of security, privacy and user control, and we remain fully committed to protecting users’ personal data. Users have the choice to disable Auto Blocker at any time. We plan to vigorously challenge Epic Game’s baseless claims.”
“This is a baseless case. Android device manufacturers are free to take their own steps to keep their users safe and secure,” Google spokesman Daniel Cohen said in a statement.
The lawsuit builds on efforts Epic launched in 2020 to provide more choice to mobile users and boost its own bottom line. While downloading apps in any way from almost any source is usually easy for desktops and laptops, Apple and Google have used caveats and various rules and technical restrictions to force users to download from the iOS App Store and Google Play, which brings huge profits for tech giants by virtue of the sales commissions they collect.
