An nameless reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Epic Video games, buoyed by the large success of Fortnite, has spent the previous few years throwing elbows within the cell business to get its app retailer on extra telephones. It scored an antitrust win towards Google in late 2023, and the next yr it went after Samsung for deploying “Auto Blocker” on its Android telephones, which might make it more durable for customers to put in the Epic Video games Retailer. Now, the events have settled the case simply days earlier than Samsung will unveil its newest telephones.
The Epic Retailer drama started a number of years in the past when the corporate defied Google and Apple guidelines about accepting exterior funds within the mega-popular Fortnite. Each shops pulled the app, and Epic sued. Apple emerged victorious, with Fortnite solely returning to the iPhone just lately. Google, nevertheless, misplaced the case after Epic confirmed it labored behind the scenes to stymie the event of app shops like Epic’s. Google remains to be working to keep away from penalties in that long-running case, however Epic thought it smelled a conspiracy final yr. It filed the same lawsuit towards Samsung, accusing it of implementing a function to dam third-party app shops. The problem comes all the way down to the addition of a function to Samsung telephones referred to as Auto Blocker, which is analogous to Google’s new Superior Safety in Android 16. It protects towards assaults over USB, disables hyperlink previews, and scans apps extra usually for malicious exercise. Most significantly, it blocks app sideloading. With out sideloading, there is not any approach to set up the Epic Video games Retailer or any of the content material inside it.
Auto Blocker is enabled by default on Samsung telephones, however customers can choose out throughout setup. Epic claimed in its go well with that the sudden inclusion of this function was an indication that Google was working with Samsung to face in the best way of different app shops once more. Epic has apparently gotten what it wished from Samsung — CEO Tim Sweeney has introduced that Epic is dropping the case in gentle of a brand new settlement. Sweeney stated Samsung “will tackle Epic’s considerations,” with out elaborating on the main points. Samsung could cease making Auto Blocker the default or create a whitelist of apps, just like the Epic Video games Retailer, that may bypass Auto Blocker. One other risk is that Epic and choose third-party shops are granted particular entry whereas Auto Blocker stays on for others, balancing safety and openness.
A “extra attention-grabbing consequence,” based on Ars, could be for Samsung to pre-install the Epic Video games Retailer on its new telephones.