Epic Games Challenges Google and Samsung in Court Over App Distribution 📱🆚⚖️
Hey gamers and tech enthusiasts! 🎮🔥 Epic Games, the creator of the mega-hit Fortnite, is shaking things up again. On Monday, they filed a lawsuit against tech giants Google and Samsung, accusing them of teaming up to block third-party apps from being installed on Samsung devices. 😱
So, what's the drama? 🤔 At the heart of the issue is Samsung's \"Auto Blocker\" feature. This default setting only allows apps from authorized sources like the Google Play Store or Samsung Galaxy Store to be installed. While it's designed to protect users from \"malicious activity,\" Epic Games claims it's more about keeping competition out. 🛡️🚫
Epic argues that this feature makes it super tough for users to install apps from other sources—like their own Epic Games Store. They say it now takes a whopping 21 steps to download a third-party app outside the official app stores! 😓 That's a lot of tapping and swiping just to get your game on.
According to Epic, \"Auto Blocker is virtually guaranteed to entrench Google's dominance over Android app distribution.\" They're not holding back, folks! They believe this move undermines competition and hurts both developers and consumers. 💔
But wait, there's more! Epic had previously won an antitrust lawsuit against Google in December, where a jury found that Google's Android app store had anti-competitive barriers. Now, Epic alleges that Google and Samsung's latest actions are a way to sidestep that verdict. 🕵️♀️
Samsung responded by saying they \"actively foster market competition, enhance consumer choice, and conduct operations fairly.\" They emphasize that users can disable the Auto Blocker anytime and plan to \"vigorously contest Epic Games's baseless claims.\" 😤
As for Google, they haven't commented yet. 🤷♂️
Epic's CEO Tim Sweeney took to social media, stating, \"Literally no store can compete with the incumbents when disadvantaged in this way. To have true competition, all reputable stores and apps must be free to compete on a level playing field.\" 📣
This showdown could have big implications for how we download and use apps on our devices. Will this pave the way for more freedom in app distribution, or will the giants keep their stronghold? Stay tuned! 🚀
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
