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Epic Games is suing Samsung (and Google) for making it harder to sideload Android apps

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Epic Games has opened a lawsuit over the difficulty of sideloading apps...

Sideloading apps on Android has existed since the beginning, unlike on Apple’s iOS where it’s only recently become available, even then with a huge set of hoops for developers and users to jump through, and only in the European Union. Epic Games is suing both Samsung and Google over the feature, alleging that the feature is illegal and “cements the Google Play Store as the only viable way to get apps on Samsung devices, blocking every other store from competing on a level playing field.” Auto Blocker undermines the jury’s unanimous decision in Epic v. Google, specifically that “Google entered into one or more agreements that unreasonably restrained trade in a relevant antitrust market” including “Agreements with OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] that sell mobile devices”.

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