Epic Games accused Samsung and Google of coordinating to make rival Android app stores harder to install—but the allegation was never proven in court. Epic later settled with Samsung and dismissed the Auto Blocker-related claims without prejudice. The public filing does not disclose the settlement terms or establish that either company admitted wrongdoing.
What Epic accused Samsung and Google of doing
Epic filed its lawsuit on September 30, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, naming Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., Samsung Electronics America, Inc., and Google LLC. In its complaint, Epic alleged that Samsung and Google coordinated around Samsung’s Auto Blocker feature, which Epic said was enabled by default on newer Galaxy devices.
Epic’s theory was that Auto Blocker made installing apps from sources other than Google Play or Samsung’s Galaxy Store more difficult, discouraging users from trying competing stores such as the Epic Games Store. Epic said the default setting helped blunt the effect of remedies in its separate antitrust case against Google and protect Google Play from competition. Those claims were allegations, not findings in the Samsung case. Epic’s announcement described the feature as a 21-step barrier to installing apps outside the two stores; that figure is Epic’s characterization, not an independently established universal experience.
What Auto Blocker does—and why its default mattered
Samsung describes Auto Blocker as a security feature intended to prevent potentially harmful apps from being installed from unauthorized sources. Samsung’s support explanation and newsroom description frame it as a protection users can control.
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The dispute was not simply about whether sideloading is safe or whether users could turn the feature off. Contemporary reporting said users could override or disable Auto Blocker, while Epic argued that the process imposed excessive friction. A reversible setting can still affect whether people choose to install a competing store; at the same time, added friction alone does not prove an antitrust violation. The legal issue was whether the feature was a justified security measure or part of coordination that unfairly disadvantaged rival stores.
What evidence did Epic point to?
Epic connected the Auto Blocker allegation to Google-Samsung commercial relationships, earlier Google efforts to limit competition from Samsung’s Galaxy Store, a 2020 revenue-sharing agreement, and evidence from Epic’s earlier trial against Google. It also pointed to the timing of Samsung’s move to make Auto Blocker default-on, arguing that the decision was inconsistent with Samsung’s interest in competing against Google Play. These points formed Epic’s theory; they did not by themselves establish an agreement about Auto Blocker.
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That distinction was especially important at filing. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney reportedly acknowledged that Epic did not have direct proof of specific collusion over Auto Blocker at that point and hoped discovery would uncover evidence. He did not say the allegation was false. Contemporaneous reporting also quoted Samsung describing Auto Blocker as a security and privacy feature that users could disable, and saying it would contest Epic’s claims. Google called the suit meritless.
What was established, and what remained disputed?
| Established or documented | Alleged or not established in this case |
|---|---|
| Epic filed the complaint in September 2024 against Samsung and Google. | That Google and Samsung unlawfully coordinated over Auto Blocker. |
| Samsung offered Auto Blocker as a feature intended to block installations from unauthorized sources. | That the feature was designed to preserve Google Play’s market position. |
| Google and Samsung had commercial dealings, and Epic’s earlier Google case produced an antitrust verdict and injunction. | That those dealings caused Samsung to enable Auto Blocker by default, or that the earlier verdict proved collusion in the Samsung case. |
The earlier Epic v. Google verdict was significant context, but it did not decide whether Samsung and Google had colluded over this feature. The two proceedings involved different claims.
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- LIVE FAST. CHARGE FASTER: Focus more on the moment and less on your battery percentage with Galaxy A17 5G. Super Fast Charging powers up your battery so you can get back to life sooner.²
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How the earlier Google case fits in
In its separate case against Google, Epic obtained a jury verdict finding Google liable under federal and California antitrust law. A permanent injunction that took effect November 1, 2024, imposed U.S.-focused restrictions on Google’s dealings with developers, device makers, carriers, and third-party Android app stores. The injunction included limits on revenue-sharing arrangements that could discourage rival stores, exclusive billing requirements, and restrictions on developers linking users to external apps or transactions. It also addressed distribution of third-party stores and their access to app catalogs, subject to safety and content requirements.
Epic argued that a device-level default could undermine the practical effect of those remedies: formal permission for alternatives would matter less if users faced a difficult installation path. The injunction applied in the United States, not worldwide, and many provisions were set to last three years or until November 1, 2027. The Northern District of California case page covers that separate proceeding.
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How the Samsung claims ended
On July 7, 2025, Epic filed a notice saying it had reached a settlement with Samsung and voluntarily dismissed the Samsung defendants and Auto Blocker-related claims. The dismissal was without prejudice. The public notice does not disclose the settlement’s substantive terms.
A settlement followed by dismissal is not a court finding that Epic’s allegations were true, and it is not a finding that they were false. The filing does not establish whether Samsung changed Auto Blocker, paid money, or agreed to another remedy. It specifically addresses the Samsung defendants and Auto Blocker-related claims; it should not be read as proof that every claim against Google in the broader proceeding ended on that date.
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What changed for Android app stores afterward?
The wider Google litigation continued to shape U.S. Android app distribution after the Samsung claims were dismissed. Google’s Play policy update says the Ninth Circuit upheld changes to Android and Google Play on September 12, 2025, and that Google and Epic reached a new settlement agreement on March 4, 2026, asking the district court to enter a revised modified injunction.
Google says its third-party app-store and catalog-access programs for U.S. Android users became effective in July 2026. For developers using certain U.S. external-link and alternative-billing programs, reporting transactions and successful downloads and paying applicable service fees are scheduled to begin October 1, 2026. These are developments in the Google proceedings, not evidence that Epic proved its Auto Blocker allegations against Samsung.
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