How to keep Fortnite on your Android phone up to date

Following the whole Epic Games lawsuit against Apple and Google for both companies’ predatory and monopolistic policies in both app stores, it’s become a little harder to play Fortnite than you’d expect. Okay, well maybe not that hard given that you can still access the game on nearly every platform and console available but if you’re wanting to play the mobile version, well, you’ll need to jump through a few hoops, I’m afraid.

With Fortnite no longer included on neither the Google Play Store nor the App Store store, it’s become impossible to access the game’s new content which is genuinely a huge problem. This is because the latest season just kicked off and it requires a hefty new patch. So what exactly are you meant to do?

Well, there are some avenues you can explore and fortunately for everyone they’re not too difficult to find. I say “everyone” but I actually mean “Android users” because folks locked into Apple’s ecosystem… well you guys are out of luck considering how difficult it is to load apps onto an Apple device from a third-party source. Hopefully, we’ll figure out something for you folks in the future but for now, let’s focus on those Android users.

Third-Party, Third Wheelin’

So to get around the problem of not using a Google-specific app store, you’ll need to adopt a workaround. Fortunately for you, dear Android user, there are plenty of alternative stores you can use. People often think of the Google Play Store as being the only place to download apps but that’s simply not true. So let’s take a gander at what we have to work with.

Firstly, if you’re on a Samsung device, check out the Samsung Galaxy Store. It should come pre-installed on your device and all you really need to do is search for Fortnite. You might need to redownload the game if your original copy was from the Play Store but that’s really not an issue. Just download, log in and you’ll have your Fortnite nicely up to date.

The other way to go about updating your Fortnite is to just download the Epic Games Mobile app. Pop open your browser and simply search for “Epic Games app” and you’ll be taken to a page that can download it. You might get a pop up warning you that you’re downloading a third-party app but considering that’s the whole point just select “continue” and have it download. Open the app up, log in with your Epic Account details and you’ll find Fortnite staring at you right there on the home page. As easy as that.

It’s Worth It

If you’re really missing out on Fortnite Mobile, you really should just go through one of the alternative launchers. Following the latest update, players who own the app through the Google Play Store will still be able to play the game but none of the new cosmetic features will be available to them nor will any of the challenges. Players won’t even be able to accept any of the new cosmetic items even if they’re gifted by another account.

Look, we get it. It’s a real mess and a pain to have to find a workaround. It’s just the unfortunate case that the players are the casualties caught up in this ongoing legal tussle between Apple, Google and Epic Games.