How to reinstall Forntite on iOS, even after Apple removes it from the App Store

Fortnite disappeared from the App Store last week as part of developer Epic Games’ big legal and regulatory showdown with Apple, but the battle royale success hasn’t completely gone away.

If you’ve never downloaded the game before, you’re pretty much out of luck right now – and we recommend that you avoid all eBay listings that appear to appear on iPhones with the game installed for up to $ 10,000. . It looks suspicious. Those who have already downloaded the game can still play it of course and even install update files, at least until the next big patch launches, because Apple does not have the option to forcefully remove the software from your. apparatus.

But for those who have downloaded Fortnite at least once in the past, but maybe unloaded or deleted manually, there is always a way to reinstall the game on the iOS device of your choice. Here’s how:

1. Go to the “My Purchases” section of the App Store, which can be found by clicking on your avatar (usually the Memoji or photo you chose for your Apple ID contact image) in the upper right corner of one of the main screens.
2. From there, tap “bought” and then “My Purchases” to find your app directory containing all the iOS apps you have previously downloaded.
3. Search for “Fortnite”.
4. The app should appear and tapping on the cloud icon will initiate the download process.

Screenshots of Nick Statt / The Verge

You will still need to install the almost 10 GB collection of application files, because Fortnite exists on mobile as a sort of shell for the larger chunk of game files that need to be fetched from Epic servers. But going through this process will put the app back on your home screen and make it available to play once updated, at least for now. The trick works even if a member of an Apple Family Sharing plan has already downloaded Fortnite on iOS in the past.

It’s not entirely fair to call this a loophole, as this behavior has always existed in one form or another for iOS apps. For example, you can still play Flappy Bird for years after its creator removed the game from the App Store, until Apple ditched 32-bit apps with the launch of iOS 11 in 2017 and the game stopped working.

But given the unprecedented action Apple has taken to remove Fortnite from the App Store and threatening Epic to end its inclusion in its development program, it’s a good idea to get Fortnite back on your iOS device if you want to keep up with the game or any real-world controversy surrounding it. We don’t know how long that Fortnite The fight will persist and if Epic will ever decide to give in to Apple’s demands and remove its own built-in payment method. From now on, you can still take advantage of Epic on its price reduction offer by paying less for Fortnite v-bucks if you decide to bypass Apple and its controversial 30% cut.

Epic has stated that the next season of the game, Chapter 2 Season 4, will launch on August 27, but that it will not be available on the iOS version of the game due to the ongoing disagreement. It’s also a day before Apple said it would end Epic’s developer account and “cut Epic off iOS and Mac developer tools.” Epic has requested a preliminary injunction against Apple to prevent this from happening, but we are awaiting a judgment on this matter.