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Epic Games and Samsung settled Epic’s lawsuit over Samsung’s Auto Blocker feature in July 2025. Epic dismissed the Samsung defendants and its Auto Blocker-related claims on July 7, but the public filing did not disclose the deal’s terms. It therefore does not establish that Samsung disabled the feature, changed its default, or made Epic’s store easier to install. The dismissal notice ended those claims without a public ruling on whether Samsung violated antitrust law.
What Epic alleged about Auto Blocker
Epic sued Samsung and Google in the Northern District of California on September 30, 2024. Its complaint argued that Samsung’s Auto Blocker, combined with Android’s process for authorizing apps from outside official stores, made it harder for users to install competing app stores such as the Epic Games Store.
Auto Blocker is a Samsung security setting that can restrict app installations from sources it considers unauthorized. Epic said the feature allowed installs through Google Play and Samsung’s Galaxy Store while blocking or obstructing installs from other sources. According to Epic’s first amended complaint, Samsung introduced Auto Blocker as an opt-in feature in October 2023 and made it the default on newer devices in July 2024. Those details were part of Epic’s pleaded account, not findings reached by a court in the Samsung case.
Epic’s theory was that a default-on block, warnings and extra steps could discourage users from trying rival stores—and make developers less willing to distribute apps through them. Epic also alleged that Samsung and Google coordinated in ways that protected their app-distribution businesses. Samsung and Google denied wrongdoing; the settlement did not resolve those allegations in a public trial.
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What the “21-step” claim means
Epic said the combined process for installing an app outside Google Play or the Galaxy Store could involve 21 steps. That figure was Epic’s litigation presentation of an end-to-end journey: changing settings, handling warnings, downloading a store and installing an app. It should not be treated as a universal count for every Samsung phone.
The number of steps can vary with the phone model, Android and One UI versions, region, existing security settings, and whether the user has already authorized a browser or file manager to install apps. Auto Blocker and Android’s per-source authorization flow are separate layers; Epic’s argument concerned their combined effect. The figure is not a current, device-independent how-to guide.
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Why Epic connected the dispute to its Google case
Epic’s Samsung lawsuit followed its separate antitrust case against Google. A jury found Google liable for antitrust violations involving Android app distribution and in-app billing, and the district court entered an injunction intended to permit more competition. In July 2025, the Ninth Circuit affirmed the verdict and injunction. The appellate opinion describes that separate case and its remedy.
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What the settlement establishes—and what it does not
| Publicly established | Not established by the public filing |
|---|---|
| Epic filed a notice of voluntary dismissal on July 7, 2025. | The amount or other financial terms of the settlement, if any. |
| The notice covered the Samsung defendants and Auto Blocker-related claims. | Whether Samsung admitted wrongdoing. |
| Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said Samsung would address Epic’s concerns. | Whether Samsung changed Auto Blocker’s behavior, default or warnings. |
| The Samsung claims ended without a public merits ruling. | Whether Epic received a whitelist, special access, or a specific reduction in installation steps—or whether any terms apply globally. |
Epic’s statement that Samsung would address its concerns suggests the company believed it had obtained some commitment, but it does not reveal what that commitment was. A settlement can include terms that do not appear in a dismissal notice; the notice alone cannot show whether there were product changes, a payment or other obligations. Reuters reported that the terms were not disclosed.
What Samsung users should take from it
Do not assume the settlement automatically changed your phone. The public record cited here does not confirm that Samsung removed Auto Blocker, changed its default setting, or made a special exception for Epic. Whether a particular installation is blocked or requires extra steps depends on the device and software version, region, and settings already in place.
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Nor does the dispute mean that every app installed outside an official store is safe. Sideloading can expose users to malicious or modified APKs, fake storefronts, phishing, excessive permissions and weaker update or review signals. But an app’s being outside Google Play or Galaxy Store does not by itself prove it is unsafe. The dispute concerned where security protections end and unnecessary competitive friction begins—not a court finding that Auto Blocker was ineffective security software.
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Epic achieved a settlement and dismissed its Samsung claims, but it did not obtain a public antitrust judgment against Samsung in this case. The filing tells readers that the Samsung defendants and Auto Blocker-related claims were dismissed; it does not tell them what practical changes, if any, Samsung agreed to make. So the legal outcome is clear, while the most important consumer-facing outcome remains undisclosed.
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The settlement also does not, on its own, establish the status of every claim involving Google. Its title and scope concern Samsung defendants and Auto Blocker-related claims. Epic v. Google remains a distinct matter with its own verdict and injunction.
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