Fortnite Is Back on Mobile (for Some of Us)
Fortnite is back on mobile: For the past four years, the massively popular battle royal game has been nowhere to be found on iPhone and Android. If you wanted to play Fortnite, you mostly needed to look elsewhere to get your fix. Starting today, however, the game has made its return to smartphones and tablets-at least, for some of us.
If you have an Android device, you can play Fortnite without issue. If you have an iOS device, however, things are a bit more complicated: Those of us with an iPhone or iPad in the EU will have access to the game, but for the rest of the global iOS community, the Fortnite ban is still very much in effect.
Epic Games is its own app store nowThat's because Fortnite isn't appearing on the iOS App Store or Android's Play Store. Instead, the game's developer, Epic Games, is offering Fortnite through its own app store, Epic Games Store, which is launching today, as well as the independent iOS app store AltStore PAL. The Epic Games Store, and, thus, Fortnite, are available on Android devices around the world, but both Epic's store and AltStore PAL are only offered in the EU for iOS. If Apple had its way, EU users wouldn't have access to these stores either.
The whole saga ties back to EU crackdowns on Apple's closed business practices. The European Commission decided Apple had to open up specific aspects of its ecosystem, including allowing third-party developers to create their own web browsers (rather than build theirs based on Safari's WebKit platform), and giving developers access to the iPhone's NFC capabilities. Part of that decision, however, forced Apple to allow developers to create and operate their own app stores on iOS: Starting with iOS 17.4, stores like AltStore PAL have been able to sell apps to EU users without going through Apple's App Store. Now, Epic is taking advantage of the same policy to offer games like Fortnite to European customers.
Why the delay, considering this policy went into effect in March? Apple pushed back against Epic: The company terminated Epic's developer account in March, claiming Epic was not operating in good faith. After some back and forth, however, Epic was able to get its account back.
It's not overly surprising, considering Apple is not a fan of Epic (and neither is Google for that matter). It's the reason Fortnite isn't on their app stores to begin with. Back in 2020, Apple and Google both barred Epic from hosting the game on their respective platforms when Epic decided to skirt in-app purchase rules. Apple and Google require developers like Epic to give them a 30% cut of all purchases made through their apps. It's steep, and Epic didn't like it, so the company tried to get users to pay them directly outside of both app stores' rules.
Epic did sue Apple, and lost on every count except one: The court found that Apple should not be allowed to block customers from paying developers directly, so now the company has to offer a way for developers to advertise these external payment options. It's a good thing, too: Because of that 30% fee, in-app purchases are often more expensive than the same content offered outside the platform.
In any case, Fortnite (as well as other Epic games like Fall Guys) is now available on all Android devices, and EU iPhones, via the Epic Games Store.
How to get Fortnite on AndroidWhether you live in the EU or not, you can play Fortnite on your Android phone starting today. It's not as straightforward as downloading a normal app, however, which is why Epic has a tutorial on how to download both its app store, as well as Fortnite, on your Android device:
Head to the Epic Games Store download page, and download the store on your phone.
If you see a pop-up warning you about the safety of the app, tap Download anyway. (Epic says this is a standard Android message, and that their app store is safe.)
Once the file is downloaded, tap Open.
If your phone says you can't download an app from this source, tap Settings on the pop-up, then enable the toggle for Allow from this source.
When prompted to download the Epic Games Store, tap Install.
Once finished, tap Open.
Try to download Fortnite from the store. You'll see a similar pop-up from step 4, so tap Settings, and tap the toggle for Allow from this source.
Tap Install on the Fortnite pop-up, and you're done.
Again, to play Fortnite on iPhone, you need to live in the European Union. If you don't, the following steps will not work. Just as with the Android instructions, getting Fortnite on your iPhone isn't obvious, so Epic has a video to walk users through installation:
Head to the Epic Games Store download page, and attempt to download the store on your phone.
Your iPhone will let you know your settings don't allow you to install apps like this from the web. Tap OK, then head to Settings.
Tap Allow Apps From "Epic Games Inc." at the top of the page, then tap Allow on the pop-up.
Go back to Safari, tap Install, then tap Install App Marketplace.
Open the newly downloaded Epic Games Store, look for Fortnite, then install it.
Tap Install App on the pop-up, and you're done.