Epic Games did not allege that Android universally abolished sideloading. Its September 30, 2024 lawsuit argued that Samsung’s default-on Auto Blocker made rival app stores substantially harder to install and use, allegedly helping preserve Google Play’s position. Samsung said the feature was a security control users could disable. Epic later announced a 2026 settlement with Google, but the available authoritative material does not establish a final resolution of the separate Samsung litigation.
The case in brief
- Filed: September 30, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
- Defendants: Samsung and Google.
- Feature at issue: Samsung Auto Blocker.
- Epic’s theory: Samsung and Google allegedly coordinated conduct that restricted rival Android app distribution and weakened the practical effect of Epic’s earlier Google antitrust victory.
- Samsung’s response: Auto Blocker protects users, and users can turn it off.
- Later development: Epic announced a worldwide settlement with Google on March 4, 2026; that announcement did not confirm that the Samsung case had ended.
Epic described the filing and its theory in its announcement at Epic’s site. The specific allegations appear in the first amended complaint.
What sideloading means here
Sideloading is installing an Android application from outside the device’s preinstalled or default stores. The usual examples are downloading an APK from a developer’s website or installing an alternative app marketplace.
Sideloading is not synonymous with malware. Android normally displays warnings and requires the user to authorize the browser, file manager or other source used to install the package. A phone maker can add another warning or block on top of Android’s normal controls.
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The Ninth Circuit described Android direct downloads as available but subject to “friction” that can discourage users from completing installation. That distinction is central to Epic’s case: a technical ability to install an app may remain while defaults and extra steps make a rival store commercially difficult to use. See the court’s opinion at Justia.
What Samsung’s Auto Blocker did
From opt-in protection to a default barrier
According to Epic, Samsung introduced Auto Blocker as an opt-in feature in October 2023 and made it the default setting on relevant devices in July 2024. When active, it blocked installation from sources other than Google Play and Samsung’s Galaxy Store. A user could disable the feature, but had to find and change the setting before installing an app such as the Epic Games Store.
This was a Samsung software feature, not a universal Android rule. Behavior can vary by Galaxy model, One UI version, region and carrier configuration. Pixel, Motorola, OnePlus and other Android phones may use different controls and defaults.
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Why the distinction matters to users
Auto Blocker could stop an installation before the user reached Android’s separate “install unknown apps” authorization step. Turning off Auto Blocker therefore might not be the only action required: the user could still have to authorize the particular browser or file manager supplying the APK.
Because menus change across devices and One UI releases, a universal settings path would be misleading. Anyone changing the control should use the instructions for the exact Galaxy model and software version, then restore protective settings where practical.
Why Epic called the feature anticompetitive
Epic operates the Epic Games Store for Android and has a direct commercial interest in reducing Google Play’s distribution and billing advantages. Its complaint argued that a default block changes user behavior even when a workaround exists:
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- many users abandon a multi-step installation;
- warning screens reduce completion rates;
- rival stores become harder to discover and reach at scale; and
- preinstalled stores retain a substantial distribution advantage.
Epic alleged that Google and Samsung coordinated the change to protect Google Play and to undermine remedies associated with the earlier Epic v. Google case. Those are allegations in the complaint, not findings that a court has accepted in the Samsung proceeding.
The evidence Epic connected to the theory
Materials from the earlier Google litigation discussed Google’s relationships with device makers and game publishers. An appellate filing described alleged “Project Banyan” discussions involving compensation to Samsung while discouraging meaningful competition from the Galaxy Store, and “Project Hug” arrangements with game developers. That material is relevant background, but it does not by itself prove Epic’s separate claims against Samsung. The filing is available from the U.S. Supreme Court docket.
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Samsung told the Associated Press that users could disable Auto Blocker, called Epic’s claims baseless and intended to contest the suit. Samsung’s stated rationale was protection against malicious or fraudulent applications. The company’s response is reported by The Associated Press.
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Google characterized the lawsuit as meritless and argued that Android manufacturers may take steps to protect users and device security, according to The Information.
That creates the central policy question: is a default block a neutral, proportionate safety measure, or a distribution restriction that selectively benefits incumbent stores? Epic would also need to show an actual coordinated agreement and competitive harm, not merely inconvenience to its own store.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How Epic’s earlier Google case fits in
The dispute with Google began after Fortnite was removed from Google Play in August 2020, following Epic’s attempt to bypass Google’s billing system. A jury later found Google had unlawfully maintained monopoly power in Android app distribution and in-app billing. On July 31, 2025, the Ninth Circuit affirmed that verdict and the permanent injunction. The appellate opinion is available at the Ninth Circuit, with a text version at Justia.
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Epic’s Samsung complaint framed Auto Blocker as an attempt to reduce the practical effect of those remedies. The U.S. Department of Justice’s filing provides additional background on Android distribution and sideloading at justice.gov. The earlier Google findings and injunction should not be confused with a judgment that Samsung colluded; they are separate proceedings.
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| August 2020 | Fortnite was removed from Google Play after Epic attempted to bypass Google’s billing system. |
| October 2023 | Epic says Samsung introduced Auto Blocker as an opt-in feature. |
| July 2024 | Epic says Samsung made Auto Blocker the default on relevant devices. |
| September 30, 2024 | Epic announced and filed the Samsung-Google lawsuit. |
| January 7, 2025 | A Justice Department filing summarized the earlier Android distribution dispute and sideloading issues. |
| July 7, 2025 | Epic filed a first amended complaint in the Samsung case. |
| July 31, 2025 | The Ninth Circuit affirmed the earlier Google verdict and permanent injunction. |
| March 4, 2026 | Epic announced a worldwide Google settlement and proposed Android competition changes. |
| As of the authoritative material available for this article | No final disposition of the separate Samsung Auto Blocker litigation was confirmed. |
What changed with Google in 2026
On March 4, 2026, Epic announced that it and Google had settled their disputes worldwide, including in the United States, and had submitted a proposed settlement for U.S. court approval. Epic said Google’s changes would facilitate competition among Android app stores, reduce barriers involving payments and store access, and support continued investment in the Epic Games Store for Android. Epic also said Fortnite would return to Google Play worldwide. Read the announcement at Epic’s site.
The Associated Press described proposed elements including lower Google Play fees and a process for rival stores to obtain Google’s approval at AP News. Those are proposed settlement changes, not proof that every Android device immediately adopted identical settings. They also do not establish that Samsung’s Auto Blocker case was dismissed or otherwise finally resolved.
What this means for Samsung owners
- Sideloading still exists: Auto Blocker is not an Android-wide elimination of APK installation.
- A block can occur early: an active Auto Blocker may prevent the APK process before the usual unknown-app permission appears.
- Controls differ: the exact menu and availability depend on model, One UI version, region and carrier software.
- Disabling protection has a cost: it increases exposure to malicious, tampered or fraudulent APKs.
- Use trusted sources: obtain packages from the developer’s official site or a reputable store, verify the publisher and re-enable protections when possible.
For developers and rival stores, the commercial issue is conversion rather than mere technical possibility. Every extra warning, permission and default choice can reduce the number of users who complete installation, while Google Play and Galaxy Store benefit from being already present.
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Epic’s lawsuit targeted control over Android’s distribution layer. It challenged the competitive effect of Samsung making Auto Blocker a default barrier, and alleged that Google and Samsung coordinated to preserve Google Play’s advantage and blunt antitrust remedies. Samsung and Google presented the feature as a user-security measure that remains optional. Epic’s Google litigation moved toward a worldwide settlement in 2026, but that development should not be reported as a final resolution of the separate Samsung case.
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