Apple blocked an Epic Games submission for Fortnite in 2025, but the two companies described the dispute differently: Epic said the game was offline on iOS worldwide, while Apple said it had asked Epic Sweden to resubmit the update without the U.S. App Store storefront. Fortnite later returned to the U.S. App Store and, according to Epic’s May 19, 2026 announcement, to App Store storefronts worldwide except Australia. The legal fight between Epic and Apple was still ongoing in 2026.
What happened when Apple blocked Fortnite?
The dispute concerned an Epic submission in 2025. Epic said it could not release Fortnite to the U.S. App Store or to the Epic Games Store for iOS in the European Union, and described Fortnite as offline worldwide. Apple told The Associated Press that it had asked Epic Sweden to resubmit the update without the U.S. App Store storefront, saying that would avoid affecting Fortnite in other geographies.
Those are the companies’ respective accounts, not a shared explanation. The available reporting does not establish a verified direct exchange between Epic CEO Tim Sweeney and Apple CEO Tim Cook; the documented dispute was between the companies over Epic’s submission and Apple’s requested changes.
Where and when was Fortnite available on iOS?
Availability changed after the 2025 block. The clearest later status in the available statements is Epic’s own May 19, 2026 announcement. It is not an independent live check of every storefront, so treat it as Epic’s reported availability rather than a guarantee of what appears on a particular device today.
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| Period and geography | Distribution route | What was reported |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 submission dispute; United States | Apple App Store | Epic said it could not release Fortnite through the U.S. App Store. Apple said it had asked Epic Sweden to resubmit without the U.S. storefront. |
| 2025 submission dispute; European Union | Epic Games Store for iOS | Epic said it could not release Fortnite through the Epic Games Store for iOS in the EU. |
| May 2025; United States | Apple App Store | Fortnite returned to the U.S. iPhone App Store after further exchanges before the court. Apple said the dispute that had kept Fortnite off iOS was resolved at that point. |
| May 19, 2026; worldwide except Australia, according to Epic | Apple App Store | Epic announced Fortnite was back on the App Store worldwide, while explicitly saying it had not returned in Australia. |
| Australia; as of Epic’s May 19, 2026 announcement | Apple App Store | Epic said Fortnite had not returned. Epic also said an Australian court had found many Apple developer terms unlawful and that Epic was seeking further court orders; that is Epic’s account of the Australian proceedings. |
The announcements establish milestones, not a current device-by-device download guide. They do not verify the exact present availability in every country or compatibility on every iPhone.
Why were Epic and Apple in conflict?
The 2025 submission dispute followed U.S. litigation over Apple’s App Store payment and anti-steering rules. In 2021, the district court rejected Epic’s claim that Apple was an antitrust monopolist in the mobile-gaming-transactions submarket. It did, however, find Apple’s anti-steering restrictions anticompetitive and ordered a remedy.
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In April 2025, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers found Apple in contempt over its compliance with the injunction. As reported by AP, the judge ordered Apple not to impede developers from communicating with users or impose a new commission on off-app purchases. She said, “Apple’s continued attempts to interfere with competition will not be tolerated.”
Fortnite’s U.S. App Store return followed further exchanges before the court. Apple said the dispute that had kept the game off iOS was resolved, but that did not end the broader legal proceedings or settle later questions about how the injunction applied.
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What was the status of the U.S. court dispute in 2026?
Apple’s Q3 2026 filing described an ongoing appeals and review process. In December 2025, the Ninth Circuit partly upheld and modified the 2025 injunction, including allowing some commission on link-out purchases. On June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court granted Apple’s petition to review the applicable civil-contempt standard. Apple said it was seeking a stay of district court proceedings while the Supreme Court considered the case.
Separately, the Supreme Court docket records that Justice Kagan denied Apple’s May 2026 application for a stay. The grant of review and the denial of that stay application are distinct procedural events. They do not mean the dispute was finally resolved; the case remained in process in the cited 2026 materials.
How significant was Fortnite’s iOS audience?
The figures reported during the dispute describe the period before Fortnite was removed from iOS in August 2020, not its current audience. AP, attributing the figures to company filings, reported that 116 million iOS users accessed Fortnite between its April 2018 iOS launch and its August 2020 removal. AP also reported about 2.5 million average daily iOS players, around 10% of Fortnite’s total daily traffic at the time.
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