The long-running feud between Epic Games and Apple has reached another critical juncture, with Fortnite now unavailable on iOS devices worldwide.
"Apple has blocked our Fortnite submission so we cannot release to the US App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union," the official Fortnite account posted on social media platform X. "Now, sadly, Fortnite on iOS will be offline worldwide until Apple unblocks it."
Apple responded with a statement claiming it "did not take any action to remove the live version of Fortnite from alternative distribution marketplaces." Instead, the company said it "asked that Epic Sweden resubmit the app update without including the U.S. storefront so as not to impact Fortnite in other geographies."
This latest clash comes after a complex history between the two companies. Apple banned Fortnite from its store in 2020 but allowed the game back in Europe last year following pressure from EU authorities to comply with the Digital Markets Act. Apple also approved Epic's marketplace app on iPhones and iPads in Europe in 2024.
The current situation follows a significant legal victory for Epic Games on April 30, 2025, when U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that Apple violated a court order requiring greater competition for app downloads and payment methods. "Apple's continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated," Gonzalez Rogers stated in her ruling. "This is an injunction, not a negotiation. There are no do-overs once a party willfully disregards a court order."
Before the ruling, Apple had required developers to request an entitlement (an exception to its App Store rules) while also charging a 27% commission on purchases made outside its App Store. It also mandated the use of "scare screens" – full-screen pop-up messages warning consumers about the dangers of making in-app purchases from developers' websites.
Following the court victory, Epic Games attempted to resubmit Fortnite to the U.S. App Store on May 9, 2025. After waiting over five days with no updates from Apple, Epic pulled the submission and resubmitted a new version on May 14. As of May 15, the app had been stuck in review for over six days with no update from Apple, prompting Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney to express concern that the stalemate could put Fortnite's Friday update "in jeopardy" on all platforms.
The outcome of this latest confrontation could have significant implications for the future of app distribution and payment systems on iOS devices, potentially reshaping the economics of the mobile app ecosystem.