Epic Games pulls Fortnite from Galaxy Store over Samsung's new sideloading restrictions

Epic Games has decided to pull Fortnite and other titles from the Samsung Galaxy Store due to Samsung's new sideloading restrictions introduced with One UI 6.1.1. The update's "Auto Blocker" feature prevents unverified apps from being sideloaded and blocks commands or software updates via USB cable, a move Epic Games criticizes as harmful to their distribution model.

In a blog post, Epic Games also pointed out Google's ongoing proposals to Samsung, which they believe aim to limit competition in the Android app distribution market. Samsung's new automatic blocking feature adds an extra layer of security on top of existing Android measures. Despite the removal from the Galaxy Store, users can still download Fortnite from the Epic Games website by temporarily disabling the Auto Blocking feature.

Epic Games plans to expand its mobile game availability to other stores on iOS in the EU, such as AltStore and other third-party platforms. However, the company has not specified other future markets where Fortnite and other titles will be available. Fortnite remains unavailable on the Google Play Store, but Epic Games has promised more updates regarding its mobile launch in the near future.