THE CRUNCH

Many Samsung Galaxy phones ship with a security feature called Auto Blocker quietly working in the background, and it may be blocking more than you realise. Enabled by default on devices that come with One UI 6.1.1 or later, it stops app installs from outside the Google Play Store and Galaxy Store, blocks malicious commands sent over USB cables, which matters if you ever charge on a public port, and filters images suspected of carrying malicious code in messaging apps including Samsung Messages, Google Messages, Messenger, WhatsApp and Telegram.

For anyone who wants to go further, Samsung offers a "Maximum restrictions" mode that blocks device admin apps and work profiles, disables 2G connections, stops phones auto-reconnecting to unsecured Wi-Fi and strips location data from shared photos. It is a deliberately aggressive setting that trades convenience for security.

The friction is real for people who sideload. Epic Games sued Google and Samsung in 2024, arguing that Auto Blocker combined with the Play Store and Galaxy Store flows forced users through more than 20 steps just to download the Epic Games Store. The suit was dropped after Epic reached an agreement with Samsung, but Auto Blocker stayed on.

If you need to install something unofficial, the toggle lives in Settings > Security and privacy > Auto Blocker, and switching it off requires authentication, so someone holding your phone cannot casually disable it. On phones running One UI 8.5 or later, an extra option automatically turns Auto Blocker back on 30 minutes after you disable it, handy for a one-off install.

Samsung recommends leaving it on, and for most people that is sound advice. If you do turn it off, other protections such as Google Play Protect still help, but it is worth verifying the source of anything you install outside the official stores.