After a 2-year absence, the wildly popular game ‘Fortnite’ is back on iPhones — but it’s still not in the App Store. Here’s how to get it.

• Despite being wildly popular, there is no way to download and play “Fortnite” on Apple’s iPhone and iPad.
• This is due to a long-running dispute between “Fortnite” maker Epic Games and Apple.
• This week, Microsoft revealed a workaround that puts “Fortnite” back on the iPhone.

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In August 2020, the relationship between “Fortnite” creator Epic Games and Apple broke very publicly.

Apple pulled one of the world’s most popular games from the App Store after an update enabled “Fortnite” players to bypass Apple’s payment systems and pay Epic directly. Epic responded by filing a lawsuit, which turned into a protracted legal battle.

Nearly two years later, and “Fortnite” still isn’t available in the App Store — but Microsoft has introduced a new way for players to get the game back on their iPhone and iPad.

Here’s how it works:

Open the web browser app you prefer on your iPhone or iPad.

Navigate to xbox.com/play and sign in to your Xbox account. If you don’t already have one, you can sign up for free.

After signing in, you will be redirected to a page full of games on the Xbox Cloud Gaming service. One of the options is “Fortnite”, which can be played for free.

Xbox Cloud Gaming Service, as viewed in a desktop computer web browser. Microsoft

When you load the game, you can use your existing login information to retrieve your account. And all!

Instead of downloading games, “Fortnite” runs through Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure—it runs on a remotely located computer and streams the game to your device, with potential latency introduced in the process, ideally. , is imperceptible.

Microsoft is taking its shot at Apple by adding “Fortnite” to its cloud gaming service for free, which will enable it to run on iPhones and iPads once again.

In addition to the argument between Epic Games and Apple over App Store policies, there was a public dispute between Microsoft and Apple over Xbox Game Pass on the iPhone in 2020. That controversy resulted in Apple creating a new policy for video-game streaming services that would require each game on the service to be individually approved before being allowed on the App Store.

“The App Store was built to be a safe and reliable place for customers to find and download apps, and a great business opportunity for all developers,” an Apple spokesperson told Insider at the time. “Prior to visit our store, all apps are reviewed against the same set of guidelines that aim to protect customers and provide developers with a fair and level playing field.”

Announcing the addition of “Fortnite” to its Xbox cloud streaming service, Microsoft rolled out an ad that specifically highlights the game’s return to the iPhone — a very subtle jab at Apple from a major competitor.

Apple representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

You can see the ad here:

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