In a nutshell: Fortnite developer Epic Games appears to be getting everything it wanted from its year-long lawsuit against Samsung. Founder Tim Sweeney announced that the case is being dismissed after Samsung engaged directly with the company to understand its goals, avoiding the need for a costly legal battle.
Epic Games is dismissing its lawsuit against Samsung, after the two parties reportedly resolved their dispute through amicable discussions. Sweeney announced that the court case will not proceed further, as Samsung agreed to address the company's concerns over app store competition on mobile devices.
Epic sued Samsung in 2024, accusing the Korean tech giant of colluding with Android-maker Google to block Epic from distributing Fortnite and other gaming products on smartphones. A key point of contention was Samsung's Auto Blocker feature, integrated into Galaxy devices.
Auto Blocker offers advanced security tools to Galaxy users, protecting devices against USB-based attacks, disabling link previews, and scanning installed apps for malicious behavior. However, it also restricts app sideloading – Epic's primary method for distributing its games outside traditional app stores – making it a major obstacle to the company's mobile business ambitions.
We're dismissing our court case against Samsung following the parties' discussions. We are grateful that Samsung will address Epic's concerns. https://t.co/fgJYU6NMH0
– Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) July 7, 2025
Auto Blocker functions similarly to the Advanced Protection feature now available on all Android 16 devices. It is enabled by default on Galaxy phones, though users can choose to disable it during initial setup. However, that's likely a rare occurrence, as most users would be reluctant to weaken the default security protections of their personal devices.
Sweeney confirmed that Samsung is now willing to address Epic's concerns regarding Auto Blocker, though he did not share any specific details about the agreement. Samsung has several potential options for appeasing Epic, including creating a whitelist of apps allowed to bypass Auto Blocker's sideloading restrictions.
Last year, Sweeney argued that Samsung should simply stop making Auto Blocker the default setting on newer Galaxy devices. One surprising outcome of the settlement could be a deal that brings an official Epic Games Store bundle to Galaxy phones. With Samsung expected to unveil its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 devices soon, we may only have to wait a few more days to learn the full details behind the agreement.
Epic Games and Samsung settle lawsuit over app sideloading limitations
