Hackers are taking advantage of impatient players who really want to start playing Fortnite Battle Royale multiplayer shooter game on their Android phones.
The exact Fortnite Android release date remains unclear, with Epic Games only giving a wide summer 2018 launch window. Fortnite Mobile for iOS, meanwhile, made its way to iPhones and iPads in March.
Fake 'Fortnite Mobile' Apps For Android
One of the suggested reasons for the delay of Fortnite Mobile for Android is the operating system's fragmentation problem, as the versions installed in Android smartphones widely vary. This means that Epic Games needs to make sure that Fortnite Mobile will work not just on Android Oreo, but also on older versions.
Meanwhile, hackers are targeting impatient Android users who want to play Fortnite Mobile.
"Due to the massive interest of users surrounding the Fortnite game, many gaming and tutorial websites have started taking advantage of Android users' impatience with frighteningly convincing scams, which is all over Google and YouTube as well," reported The Hacker News. Some fake Fortnite apps force users to download many other Android apps. Worse, some fake apps request for access to a device's contacts, camera, and other information, threatening the user's security.
The fake Fortnite Mobile apps are not new, as previous reports have already flagged the issue. However, instead of Android users learning to ignore them, it appears that the fake apps are getting more prevalent.
Protection From Fake 'Fortnite Mobile 'Apps
People behind the fake Fortnite apps take advantage over the hype surrounding a popular video game, and the methods they use are not even new. However, they continue to victimize a lot of Android users.
It's worth noting that if Fortnite Mobile for Android is already available, Epic Games will announce it through their official channels, including the developer's website and social media accounts. Without an official announcement, all versions of Fornite Mobile for Android that are "available" should be considered as fake apps or malware.
There is really no way to protect one's self from fake apps aside from being vigilant against suspicious apps, especially those that are downloaded and installed as APK files outside of the official Google Play Store.
The massively popular Fortnite is now available on the PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, iOS, and Nintendo Switch. Android is now the only major platform where Fortnite is not available, but Android device owners should remain patient as there may be severe consequences for installing fake Fortnite Mobile apps.
