Epic Games to Sue Google, Samsung Over Alleged App-Store Scheme

Fortnite maker Epic Games says it is suing Google and Samsung, alleging that the companies 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 at the Northern District of California.