Fortnite Android download scams rise as mobile release nears
ENTERPRISING scammers have been targeting Android users on YouTube and other social media platforms as they look to profit off the hype surrounding Fortnite on Android.
Epic Games has been promising that Fortnite would be coming to Android phones this summer for several months, but the void left by the lack of concrete detail on offer has been filled by hackers, scammers and all manner of other online ne'er-do-wells.
This has only increased in recent days, .
This comes after Epic Games has also confirmed the game WON'T be on Google's App Store, with Epic CEO Tim Sweeney blaming the "30 per cent store tax", a reference to the cut of all app sales Google takes.
Eager gamers will have to download the official installer from Epic directly instead.
The fact that gamers know they will have to download the app from the Internet only increases the risk of fraud when compared to limiting it to official app stores, and seems to have energised scammers.
These scammers are now paying Google to show ads for their illicit wares to anyone who has previously watched Fortnite videos on YouTube in an attempt to lure them into downloading whatever it is they're hawking.
These can include all manner of viruses and other nefarious pieces of software that could do anything from steal your Fortnite log-in information to take control of your phone and everything on it.
When the game eventually hits Android, it will only be available to Samsung owners for a number of months--and for the first of those it will just be available for Samsung Galaxy Note 9 users.
"Fortnite requires a recent high-end Android smartphone," Sweeney . "Fortnite brings the game's full PC and console experience to Android; of the roughly 2.5 billion Android devices, we estimate around 250 million are Fortnite-ready."
Some handsets are simply too old, or lacking the necessary computing horsepower to handle the game.
If you've just forked out on a powerful new blower, you'll probably be fine.
But if you're using particularly old (or particularly cheap) models, you might find yourself unable to play.
After that, Fortnite will be opened up to a list of white-listed devices that have passed rigorous testing by Epic Games.
That list, according to the Epic Games website, reads as follows:
- Google Pixel 2
- Google Pixel 2 XL
- Huawei Mate 10
- Huawei Mate 10 Lite
- Huawei Mate 10 Pro
- Huawei P10
- Huawei P10 Plus
- Huawei P10 Lite
- Huawei P9
- Huawei P9 Lite
- Huawei P8 Lite (2017)
- LG G6
- LG V30
- LG V30+
- Motorola Moto E4 Plus
- Motorola Moto G5
- Motorola Moto G5 Plus
- Motorola Moto G5s
- Motorola Moto Z2 Play
- Nokia 6
- Razer Phone
- Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
- Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
- Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime (2017)
- Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro (2017)
- Samsung Galaxy Note 8
- Samsung Galaxy Note 9 (expected)
- Samsung Galaxy On7 (2016)
- Samsung Galaxy S7
- Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
- Samsung Galaxy S8
- Samsung Galaxy S8+
- Samsung Galaxy S9
- Samsung Galaxy S9+
- Sony Xperia XA1
- Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
- Sony Xperia XA1 Plus
- Sony Xperia XZ
- Sony Xperia XZs
- Sony Xperia XZ1
There are a few notable omissions from this list, of course.
For instance, no smartphone models from HTC or OnePlus have been included, despite both brands being very popular.
It's also interesting to see Motorola Moto G smartphones making the cut, because they're quite cheap – a Moto G5 costs £149.
We're similarly surprised by the lack of support for the original Google Pixel and Pixel XL phones, launched back in 2016.
What is Fortnite Battle Royale?
If you're new to the game, here's what you need to know
- Fortnite's Battle Royale is free-to-play
- It's available on the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac, iPhone and most recently Nintendo Switch
- In the game, up to 100 players are dropped onto a fictional island
- Players are then forced to battle it out in a last-person-standing deathmatch
- To help, players can collect a range of weapons hidden all over the island
- You can also collect resources – like wood, bricks and metal – to build defensive structures
- The area you can play in on the island is constantly shrinking thanks to an encroaching storm
- This means players are forced together over time, until just one person survives
- The game also has a paid-for co-op story campaign
Both are technically more powerful than Motorola's budget range, but aren't supported.
In any case, Android gamers will likely feel peeved by the fact that iPhone owners have been playing Fortnite for months.
Fortnite for mobile was first announced back in March this year, and became available to all iPhone owners on April 2.
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But Android has been a much slower battle, largely because it's tougher to make sure the game works right.
All iPhones work in largely the same way and (because they're expensive) have powerful hardware.
But there are tens of thousands of different Android phones, all with different specs – making it a nightmare to develop a console game for Android mobiles.
The good news is that it's likely we're just a few weeks away from the official Fortnite on Android launch.
Does your Android phone make the cut? If not, would you be willing to upgrade to a new blower just to play Fortnite? Let us know in the comments!
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