Epic Games has filed serious allegations against Google and Samsung. The firm has asked the U.S. federal court that a conspiracy on the part of Google and Samsung was such that no other app store is being allowed to exist so that they remain under their dominance. Now the case has been filed by Epic in a U.S. federal court alleging that Samsung’s Auto Blocker feature is designed to scare users away from downloading Fortnite outside of Google’s Play Store or Samsung’s Galaxy Store.
Epic claims that this Google-Samsung collaboration is, in violation of United States antitrust law, only creating lessened consumer choice and no true competition and leading to overpriced apps. A company backed by Chinese tech mega-firm Tencent, whose existing business is also part-owner of an app store, says Google is misleading consumers by assuring them there’s greater security in getting apps through the Google Play app store when it doesn’t make sense.
Samsung has retorted that Epic’s claims are baseless, and the company is of the view that Auto Blocker is a service introduced to safeguard users against malware. It maintains that if users dislike its auto-blocking feature, they can always uninstall the application, insisting that their practices are in line with security, privacy, and user control principles.
Epic’s case comes after a significant win for the company against Google back in December 2023, when a U.S. court ordered Google to make it easier for users to access apps from beyond its Play Store. Epic Game claims that Samsung’s Auto Blocker feature is a direct response to this legal setback, which cuts down on the effects of the after-effect of that court ruling.
It is not the first time Epic and Google go to battle. The gaming company has been battling with both Google and Apple over its policies on the different app stores, which would charge developers up to 30% on any purchases done in-app. Epic was reinstated in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store last month after a long battle.
Epic’s lawsuit against Google and Samsung draws attention to ongoing conflicts between those behemoths and small developers fighting for dominance over the space of app publishing and monetizing. What will occur in court can influence such technologies for the future of mobile application markets.
