Google reportedly prevented OnePlus from preinstalling the Epic Games app on its devices

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Epic Games just launched a lawsuit against Google and Apple, claiming the companies are engaging in anti-competitive behaviour. For Google's part, the lawsuit focuses on how Google makes it more challenging to sideload applications than installing them from the Play Store. A surprising claim in the filing describes how Google reportedly stopped OnePlus from preloading the Epic Games app.

Fortnite uses a launcher app called Epic Games to release updates for it when it's installed from the Samsung Galaxy Store or Epic's site. According to the developer, it struck a deal with OnePlus to preload the app on new devices, but Google struck down the agreement. Epic Games even reportedly designed a version of Fortnite for some OnePlus devices to take advantage of the state-of-the-art framerate. The deal was supposed to cover a worldwide release, but Google supposedly only allowed OnePlus to release the app in India.

According to the filing, "OnePlus informed Epic that Google was 'particularly concerned that the Epic Games app would have [the] ability to potentially install and update multiple games with a silent install bypassing the Google Play Store.' Further, any waiver of Google's restriction 'would be rejected due to the Epic Games app serving as a potential portfolio of games and game updates.' As a result, OnePlus mobile device users in India can install Epic games seamlessly without using the Google Play Store, while users outside India cannot."

Other evidence points to the deal being in the works. Mishaal Rahman of XDA-Developers tweeted that OxygenOS Open Beta 14 for the OnePlus 7 Pro had the Epic Games app in India, but it never made a stable release. OnePlus and Epic Games still partnered on an advertising campaign highlighting 90Hz Fortnite on the OnePlus 8 series.

Having an alternative app store isn't exactly unusual on Android, though. Samsung has its Galaxy Store, and several OEMs include Facebook Services on them, which updates different Facebook apps without having to go through the Play Store. 

Source: Android Police