Apple Blacklists 'Fortnite' on App Store Amid Legal Battle: How to Download Game on iPhone After Shocking Ban

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney recently called Apple a liar after "Fortnite" was officially "blacklisted from Apple ecosystem" until the company resolves its legal case, which could take up to five years

Now, "Fortnite" gamers in iOS are using workaround strategies to download the game from the App Store.

According to Sportskeeda, the popular battle royale game "Fortnite" first got banned from iOS in August 2020. The companies Apple and Epic Games are currently engaged in a lawsuit, and based in recent developments, it won't be ending any time soon.

Tim Sweeney Calls Apple a Liar; 'Fortnite' Banned from App Store

On Wednesday, Sweeney tweeted a post about Apple lying. He said the company "reneged in another abuse of its monopoly power over a billion users."

Apple lied. Apple spent a year telling the world, the court, and the press they’d "welcome Epic’s return to the App Store if they agree to play by the same rules as everyone else". Epic agreed, and now Apple has reneged in another abuse of its monopoly power over a billion users.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 22, 2021

Sweeney's frustration is not just his own. Thousands of "Fortnite" players use iPhones and Mac platforms. Unfortunately, Apple's decision to ban the game from the App Store was carried over all Apple devices.

Sweeney tweeted further details about the "Fortnite" ban. He said, "Just last week, Epic agreed with Apple that we would play by the same rules as everyone else." The post came with a letter attachment written by Sweeney. An excerpt from the letter said, "Epic has asked Apple to reactivate our Fortnite development account. Epic promises that it will adhere to Apple's guidelines whenever and wherever we release products on Apple platforms."

A few days after the letter was sent, Apple informed Epic that "Fortnite" would be blacklisted from Apple's ecosystem. The letter tweeted showed that "Apple will not reconsider any further requests for reinstatement until the district court's judgement becomes final and nonappealable." Sweeney commented it could take five years to process.

Late last night, Apple informed Epic that Fortnite will be blacklisted from the Apple ecosystem until the exhaustion of all court appeals, which could be as long as a 5-year process. pic.twitter.com/QCD7wogJef
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) September 22, 2021

With this announcement, Apple seems to have finalized its decision to remove "Fortnite" from the App Store and iOS.

How to Download Fortnite on App Store and iOS Devices

Fortunately, there's a workaround for players to download "Fortnite" on iPhone and other Apple devices.

According to YouTuber kevinsmak, gamers who previously downloaded "Fortnite" can redownload it even after the ban. Here are the steps:

Open the Apple App Store.
Click on the top-right corner Account Icon
Open All Purchases option
Switch to the My Purchases tab to open the complete list of applications that have been downloaded in the iPhone
In the search bar, type "Fortnite." The game should appear in the results
Click on the "Download" button to install the game.

Note that this method does not work for everybody. Sometimes, users would see a "Cannot Connect to App Store" result instead. iOS users can try the second method that Sportskeeda provided about "Family Sharing."