Epic Games Store Expands to Android and iOS
After years of legal battles between Epic, Apple, and Google over the iPhone and Android makers’ app store restrictions, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney is about to get his last licks in. Starting Friday, the Epic Games Store is making its way onto Android and iOS. Unfortunately, you’ll have to wait to play Fortnite on mobile if you live in the U.S. or elsewhere.
Epic announced in a press release that its new Epic Games Store is available to download through the company’s website. The company created a tutorial for iPhone and Android users to follow when installing the extra app store.
For iOS, installing the app involves going into the settings to toggle a setting that lets you download apps from the web. Android phones give a standard warning that the “File might be harmful” when you attempt to download it. That’s pretty funny, considering just how much junk you find on the Play Store. You also have to go through the phone’s settings to allow your phone to download apps from the Epic Games Store.
In its release, Epic calls out both companies for “intentionally poor-quality install experiences laden by multiple steps, confusing device settings, and scare screens.” The company said it plans to continue to go to court over Apple and Google’s “anti-competitive terms.”
Epic's Battle with Apple and Google Continues
It’s been four years since Apple pulled Fortnite off the App Store, claiming the company’s in-game store violated its app policies. Google then removed Fortnite from the Google Play Store. Users could still stream the game to their phones, but throughout the early 2020s, players had little means to play the game natively. The restrictions also meant users couldn’t access other Epic exclusives like Fall Guys and Rocket League Sideswipe.
Epic also declared its games were going on the independent app marketplace AltStore PAL. This week, Epic gave a grant to the AltStore developers so users no longer needed to pay the €1.50 annual fee to download. AltStore devs said on Wednesday that the annual payments were to help cover the cost of Apple’s Core Technology Fee.
Google has faced intense scrutiny stateside for its Play Store after Epic won its years-long suit against the Mountain View tech giant. A jury declared Google’s App Store an illegal monopoly, which has forced the search giant to allow more third-party platforms onto Android. We’re now waiting to see how a federal judge in California plans to make sweeping changes to how Google handles apps on Android. Google has continued to claim that a more open ecosystem could allow malicious apps onto users’ phones.
Federal judge James Donato reportedly told Google attorneys, “We are going to tear the barriers down,” according to Fox26 local.
Apple and Google Face Legal Challenges
Last year, the European Commission forced Apple to open a small door into its infamously restrictive walled garden with the Digital Markets Act. In June this year, the European Commission claimed Apple had already violated the new act with its obtuse app store policies. The EU could fine the tech giant billion. The U.S. has not passed any law as drastic as the DMA, though feds sued the Cupertino, California tech giant in June regarding Apple’s notorious 30% App Store fee.
While it’s good news for iPhone users in the EU, it remains the status quo for U.S.-based iPhone users, at least for now. Google faces heavy scrutiny for its monopolistic practices regarding Search. The U.S. Department of Justice is reportedly considering breaking up Google. Before it would pull a Teddy Roosevelt, the Feds might also force Google to share more of its ecosystem with rivals.