What you need to know
- Epic Games is warning Fortnite players to be careful updating to iOS 14.
- That's because of a feature that temporarily deletes apps to make space for the new software.
- If Fortnite is deleted from your phone, you won't be able to reinstall it.
Fortnite has warned its iOS player base not to update to iOS 14 without first freeing up plenty of space on their device, in case Fortnite is deleted in the process, rendering it unplayable.
Apple's iOS software has a feature that can temporarily delete users' apps to make space for a new software update if they don't have enough room. As Fortnite noted in a recent tweet:
Fortnite iOS players updating to iOS 14 may lose access to Fortnite. If the message "Temporarily Remove Apps to Install the Software Update?" is accepted, it may result in Fortnite being deleted. Fortnite cannot later be reinstalled due to Apple preventing users from doing so.
This is because Epic Games breached Apple's App Store user agreement by changing its payment system within its iOS app, leading to the game being kicked off the App Store. Fortnite is currently banned from iOS, meaning new players cannot download the game or receive updates. Current players will not be able to re-download the game if it is deleted from their device. To this end, Fortnite is offering the following guidance:
iOS players who wish to continue playing Fortnite should press Cancel first. Then, to free up space you can offload apps or media by going to Settings->General->iPhone Storage. Once you have cleared out enough space, attempt the update again and the prompt will no longer appear.
The Epic Games lawsuit against Apple will next call on Monday, September 28.
