This week saw the most brazen effort to bypass Apple’s Fortnite restrictions meet with abject defeat for one resourceful YouTuber. Saunders Tech managed to temporarily bypass the regional lock set by the tech giant and could play the popular battle royale game on an iPad outside the EU. However, Apple’s response was equally as fast—patching the exploit within a day.
His method involved running a VPN, creating a Swedish Apple ID, and using third-party software to fiddle with the system of the iPad. Despite the intricate process, the workaround did indeed turn out to be successful—at least for some time.
The move by Epic Games to launch an app store in the EU renewed interest in the availability of Fortnite on iOS devices. In this region, players can play, but others cannot, so Saunders Tech made the dream of playing a reality for many interested gamers. Apple hit back quickly to prove its stronghold on this ecosystem.
Options remain few for Fortnite fans outside the EU, however. Sure, you can find decrypted IPA files floating around online quite easily—but these raise a lot of legal and safety red flags. Getting a developer account is pricey. The cat-and-mouse game between players and platform holders rages on; it’s just that the latter is winning at the moment.
