Epic Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google and Samsung on September 30, 2024, alleging that Samsung’s Auto Blocker made it harder to install competing Android app stores, including Epic’s. Auto Blocker is not a Fortnite-specific ban: it is a security setting that can block apps installed from sources Samsung treats as unauthorized. Epic’s claims of coordination were allegations, not a court finding.
The case is distinct from Epic’s older lawsuit over Google Play. Later changes in that separate case do not establish that Samsung’s Auto Blocker was unlawful.
What Epic sued Google and Samsung over
Epic filed Epic Games, Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. et al. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on September 30, 2024. The named defendants were Google LLC, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., and Samsung Electronics America, Inc. The docket identifies the case as No. 3:24-cv-06843 and includes an antitrust claim under 15 U.S.C. § 1. See the case docket.
Epic’s complaint challenged Samsung’s decision to make Auto Blocker enabled by default on newer Galaxy devices and alleged that Google and Samsung coordinated on the policy. Epic argued that the setting and the warnings users encounter when installing apps outside Google Play or Samsung’s Galaxy Store added friction to rival distribution channels, including the Epic Games Store. It said this could weaken competition among app stores and make Google Play the practical default route for Android users. Those are Epic’s allegations, not established findings. Read the original complaint.
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Epic said Auto Blocker began as an opt-in feature in October 2023 and became default-on in July 2024. That chronology is Epic’s account of Samsung’s policy change. Epic’s announcement of the lawsuit sets out its position.
What Samsung Auto Blocker does
Auto Blocker is a Samsung security feature intended to prevent installations from unauthorized sources. Depending on a device’s software and settings, that can affect an APK downloaded from a website or an app installed through a third-party store, including the Epic Games Store. It does not single out Fortnite by name, and it is not the same as a system that individually scans each app and makes a bespoke safety judgment.
Epic characterized the feature as blocking installation based on the source or channel rather than evaluating each app’s merits. That distinction matters to the dispute: a source-based safeguard can make risky installation routes harder to use, but it can also affect legitimate competing stores and apps. Samsung can argue that default protections reduce exposure to malicious or deceptive software; Epic argues that the resulting friction disadvantages competitors. Whether the policy is unlawful depends on its competitive effects and the evidence about how it was adopted, not simply on the existence of a setting users can change.
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Why Fortnite became the example
Epic distributes Fortnite through its own Epic Games Store on Android, rather than relying only on Google Play. That makes Fortnite a visible example of the broader question: can users readily choose an alternative store, and can developers reach them without barriers that favor a platform’s own distribution channel?
Epic says the combined installation flow involving Samsung and Google could require 21 steps in the relevant setup. That is Epic’s description, not a universal count for every Galaxy phone, One UI version, country, or installation route. Epic’s Samsung installation guidance discusses the flow for devices running One UI 6.1.1.
The distinction between sideloading a single APK and installing an alternative app store is also important. Both involve distribution outside Google Play, but a store can provide a channel for many developers and updates, while a direct APK is one app’s installer. Epic’s complaint concerns the competitive position of distribution channels, not only whether one game can be installed.
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What Epic alleged about coordination
In its July 7, 2025 First Amended Complaint, Epic argued that Google benefited when rival stores were harder to install, that the Galaxy Store had not become a strong competitor to Google Play, and that Samsung’s default-on policy was allegedly inconsistent with Samsung’s independent economic interests. Epic asked the court to examine Google’s and Samsung’s conduct together rather than as unrelated product choices. The amended complaint states these contentions.
Google denied asking Samsung to create Auto Blocker and called the suit meritless, according to contemporaneous reporting. That reported response is not a court ruling. No conclusion that the companies colluded should be drawn from Epic’s pleadings alone.
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Epic’s support instructions for Samsung devices running One UI 6.1.1 describe turning off Auto Blocker before installing from Epic. The precise menu names and availability can vary by model, One UI release, country, carrier, and device-management policy.
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- Open Settings.
- Tap Security and privacy, then Auto Blocker.
- Turn Auto Blocker off.
- Return to Epic’s official Epic Games Store or Fortnite download flow.
- Follow Android’s security prompts and install the Epic Games app, then install Fortnite through it.
Disabling Auto Blocker removes one layer of installation protection. Download the installer only from Epic’s official distribution channel, not an APK mirror you cannot verify. Android may still require permission for the browser or file manager handling the installer. If a device is managed by an employer, school, or family administrator, the setting may be restricted. If Fortnite is already installed, Epic says to use the in-game prompt to update through the Epic Games app.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What happened to the lawsuit?
Epic filed an amended complaint on July 7, 2025. Later reporting said Epic voluntarily dismissed its Auto Blocker claims against Google, but the materials available here do not establish an authoritative, final disposition of every claim against Samsung. That means it would be misleading to say without qualification that Epic is still suing both companies, or that the case ended in a ruling against them. The separate Google Play settlement did not itself resolve the Samsung claims. MLex reported on the later procedural developments; consult the district-court docket for authoritative claim-by-claim status.
In antitrust litigation, an allegation is a party’s claim. A motion to dismiss asks whether the pleaded claims are legally sufficient; discovery gathers evidence; and a merits ruling decides whether the law was violated. A voluntary dismissal or settlement can end claims without a finding of liability. The existence of the lawsuit—and of an amended complaint—does not prove Epic’s account of coordination.
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How this differs from Epic’s Google Play case
Epic’s older case against Google challenged Google Play’s app distribution and billing practices. A jury found Google’s practices unlawful in that separate litigation, and the Ninth Circuit upheld the core judgment on July 31, 2025. Read the Ninth Circuit opinion.
Google later announced a settlement with Epic in that Google Play case and said its U.S. third-party Android app-store program took effect on July 22, 2026. Those developments concern the Google Play litigation; they are not a ruling that Samsung’s Auto Blocker violated antitrust law. Google’s developer policy page describes the settlement and program.
Timeline
| Date | Development | Qualification |
|---|---|---|
| October 2023 | Auto Blocker introduced as opt-in | Epic’s account of the feature’s introduction. |
| July 2024 | Auto Blocker changed to default-on | Epic’s allegation about Samsung’s policy change. |
| September 30, 2024 | Epic filed its Google-Samsung lawsuit | Federal case No. 3:24-cv-06843 in the Northern District of California. |
| July 7, 2025 | Epic filed a First Amended Complaint | The amended pleading revised and expanded Epic’s claims. |
| July 31, 2025 | Ninth Circuit upheld the core judgment in Epic v. Google | A separate Google Play case, not a decision on Samsung Auto Blocker. |
| March 2026 | Google and Epic announced a settlement | In their separate Google Play litigation. |
| July 22, 2026 | Google’s U.S. third-party app-store program took effect | Google’s stated program timing; not a finding against Samsung. |
Why the dispute matters beyond Fortnite
Default settings can shape real choices even when a user can technically opt out: extra warnings and steps may deter some users from installing a rival store. At the same time, controls on installations from outside established stores can serve a security purpose. The antitrust question is not answered by either point alone. It turns on evidence about the policy’s design, its effects on competition, and Epic’s allegation that Google and Samsung coordinated.
For developers, the issue is whether Android’s alternative distribution routes are meaningfully accessible. For users, it is a trade-off between added protection and freedom to choose where apps come from. For Samsung owners installing Fortnite, the immediate practical issue is the device’s Auto Blocker setting and Epic’s official installation instructions—not a Fortnite-specific prohibition.
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