Epic Games to sue Google, Samsung over alleged app-store scheme
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. “Fortnite" maker Epic Games says it is suing Google and Samsung, alleging that the tech giants secretly colluded and imposed “onerous" restrictions on new third-party app stores. Epic alleges that Google and Samsung made it too difficult for consumers to download app stores made by outside software developers, a new possibility after Google lost a previous antitrust lawsuit brought by the videogame company.
The tech giants conspired to make a feature called Auto Blocker active by default on Samsung’s newest smartphones, according to Epic. The feature prevents users from downloading alternative app stores. Turning off the feature and installing a third-party app store requires 21 steps, effectively making Google Play the only viable way to access apps on those devices, Epic says in a complaint it said it would file Monday in the Northern District of California.
“We’ve seen roughly 50% of users trying to install the Epic Games Store on Android give up before they’ve gotten it installed because of all the friction introduced," said Epic Chief Executive Tim Sweeney. “As sad as this is that there is yet more litigation, it seems like the necessary step." Google has said in the past that the protections it has in place are meant to safeguard users from malicious apps and shield their privacy. Users are already able to download third-party apps outside the Google Play store, the company has said.
Google Play comes preloaded on all Android smartphones outside of China, and Samsung is the world’s largest Android smartphone maker. Samsung made 24% of all Android smartphones shipped last year, or 226.7 million units, according to research firm IDC. Epic alleges in its complaint that Google and
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