Fortnite can be reinstalled on iOS, even though Apple has removed it

Apple pulled off Fortnite from the App Store after Epic Games slipped in a new payment method for players in-game to avoid paying Apple the 30% fee it charges for in-app purchases. Google soon followed suit and pulled Fortnite off the Play Store as well.

While Google still allows side-loading apps on Android devices (here’s how you can download Fortnite on Android), Apple has no such workaround. So, if you have not downloaded Fortnite on any of your Apple devices, you are out of luck and will have to wait till this whole legal tussle between Apple and Epic Games gets sorted out.

Also Read: Fortnite ban: Android users can still download the game, here’s how

If you had downloaded the game in the past, you can reinstall it and if you still have it on your device, you can play it and even install update files till the next big update arrives on the game. Apple does not have the ability to forcibly remove software from your device, so if you already have it, you can keep it.

For those who had downloaded the game earlier, and removed it for whatever reason but want it back now - you can reinstall it and play. Here’s what you need to do -

- Go to the “My Purchases” section on the App Store. To head to this section you need to click on your avatar on the top righthand corner of any of the main screens.

- Click on ‘Purchased’ and then go to ‘My Purchases’ to get into your app directory. This directory has all the apps you have ever downloaded on the App Store.

- Find Fortnite.

- Once the app shows up, tap on the cloud icon to download it.

Now, you will have to install the 10GB collection of app files again since Fortnite exists on mobile a shell of sorts for a larger bulk of game files that need to be retrieved from the Epic Games’ servers. This process will put the game back on your home screen and you can play it for now, at least.

This ‘trick’ will work for any member of the Apple Family Sharing plan who has ever downloaded Fortnite on iOS in the past.

However, this is not really a loophole. This ‘trick’ works for almost all iOS apps. As The Verge reports, you could still play Flappy Birds even after the game creators pulled it off the App Store.

But in this case, given how the Apple Vs Epic Games battle is going, perhaps it is a good idea to get Fortnite back on your iOS device if you are interested in keeping it. And you can still take up Epic Games’ in-game offer of discounted V-bucks if you want to circumvent Apple’s fees and save some money.

Epic has announced that the next season for Fortnite - Chapter 2 Season 4 - is launching on August 27, but it is not going to come on iOS.

Lucky for Android users though, the game can be downloaded from the Epic Games store and on Samsung devices from Samsung’s own app store.