Pocketnow Daily: Google Pixel 5 Leaked Design Disappoints? (video)

Posted on by Samuel Martinez

Today’s deals include the Google Pixel 4a, an Apple sales event and more

Deals. Best Buy is having another Apple Sales Event on a bunch of products. For example, the latest 13in MacBook Pro is $200 off, meaning you can get the Intel Core i5, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD variant for $1800 shipped. MacBook Airs are also $50 off, leaving the Intel Core i5, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD for $1250, however if you’re a student you can save some extra. The iPhone XS and XS Max are also $200 off from their original price, if you choose to activate it today. We have more deals on iPad Pros, Fitbits and more in the links in the description.

Buy Google Pixel 4a Verizon
Buy iPhone XS/ XS Max
Buy MacBook Pro
Buy MacBook Air
Buy iPad Pro
See complete Apple Sale Event selection
Buy 13-inch MacBook Pro
Buy Fitbit Versa Lite Edition

Samsung may be working on a new Galaxy Fold “lite”

A new Samsung phone just went through the Wi-Fi Alliance and, it looks like Samsung might be working on a “Lite Foldable“. All of the Foldable Samsung phones have a model number that starts with an F, for example the Fold was F900 and the Z Flip was F700. Now, this new phone has an F400 model number hinting to a more affordable phone. The model number also reveals that this is a second generation device so we could be getting a new cheaper Z Flip. Of course this is just speculation as of right now but, it would be nice to see if it’s real.

Epic Games is hosting a FreeFortnite Cup on August 23 targeted squarely at Apple

We know that Apple most likely has the upper hand when it comes to their Epic situation but, Epic isn’t staying put either. We know that so far they have, filed a lawsuit, mocked Apple’s 1984 ad, and they’re CEO had some interesting stuff to say about Apple. Now, it looks like they’re doing a little bit of a marketing stunt in-game. They’ll be hosting a “Free Fortnite” Cup on August 23rd, offering different prizes that include a “bad Apple”. Because, they just made a new Tart Tycoon skin which, well, it’s an Apple with a suit. This is most likely to stay in the spotlight while they hear something from the lawsuit. As far as we know, the 14 days are still in effect so they might want to hurry up.

Apple to reduce costs in the iPhone 12 series with battery board changes

Speaking of Apple, it looks like they’re really trying to cut some corners with the iPhone 12 to save some money. According to a new report from Ming Chi Kuo, the adoption of sub-6GHz 5G will increase Apple’s cost by $75-$85, while the mmWave technology will mean a $125-$135 increase. He also mentioned that Apple has been putting some “higher bargaining pressure” with their suppliers and, one of the ways they will be able to cut the price will be with the battery board. Apparently we will be getting a simpler and smaller battery board with fewer layers and this one will apparently be 40-50% cheaper than the one on the iPhone 11. In addition to that they will be also moving on to a pure soft board design in 2021 which will decrease an extra 30-40% from the iPhone 12’s cost. We’re expecting these iPhones to come in October and November, let’s just hope this doesn’t mean worse battery life as we’re also getting smaller batteries.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra users are already reporting camera defects (Update)

According to the Samsung forum posts, multiple Galaxy Note 20 owners have been having several issues with hardware issues on the Note 20 Ultra’s camera. Apparently there are visible gaps in their camera module which accumulate dust particles and condensation droplets on the inside of the glass panel. If you are one of these people, don’t worry as Samsung just issued out a statement on the matter. They said that they are committed to ensuring the customer’s satisfaction and optimal experience on Galaxy devices as they have been getting reports of fog build up on the Note 20. They gave an explanation saying that as with reading glasses, water resistance phones can suffer from condensation with a sudden temperature change. Sadly, they didn’t say if they will be replacing these phones or fixing them for free. These are most likely a bad batch of phones so, we’ll keep you posted on Samsung’s next move.

Story of the day:

Here’s your first detailed look at the Google Pixel 5 and its boring design

Google Pixel 5 leak tips Snapdragon 765G, an ultra wide angle camera and 90Hz display

We have different Google Pixel 5 leaks from different sources so, let’s start with the design. We have some new CAD renders from OnLeaks, and this literally looks like the Pixel 4a’s big brother. It brings the Pixel 4’s camera module, a fingerprint sensor at the back meaning that the punch hole is here as well, no more facial recognition. These renders show off the black color variant and we should be getting a green variant as well. Let’s move on to the specs, which is where it gets interesting. According to a new report from Android Central, it will bring a 6in OLED display running at 90Hz and, even with the larger display it will apparently have the same footprint as the 4a due to the slimmer bezels. It’ll be powered by the Snapdragon 765G, 8GB of RAM and they will reportedly start at 128GBs of storage. Finally, and probably the most important, the report mentions that this phone will still bring a dual camera, a primary, and an ultra wide angle. Finally. We still don’t have any info on the battery size or the price tag but, it shouldn’t be so steep with the Snapdragon 765G.

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Apple blames Fortnite fiasco on Epic Games, says the developer demanded a special deal

Posted on by Nadeem Sarwar

Following Epic Games’ lawsuit against Apple after Fortnite was removed from the App Store and later asking for a temporary injunction, Apple has now retaliated via its own court filing. Apple claims that the whole fiasco is Epic’s own making and that the developer breached its end of the contract. Taking a clear stance, the Cupertino giant mentioned that developers who deceive Apple are terminated, and the same has happened to Epic Games.

“In the wake of its own voluntary actions, Epic now seeks emergency relief. But the “emergency” is entirely of Epic’s own making,” the court filing mentioned. Apple even likened Epic Games’ decision to bypass the App Store payment rules to that of shoplifting, a scenario in which Apple does not get paid similar to when a customer walks out of an Apple Store without paying for its products.

Furthermore, Apple claims that Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney asked for a special treatment in an email addressing Apple CEO Tim Cook and a few other high-profile executives (via CNBC). “On June 30, 2020, Epic’s CEO Tim Sweeney wrote my colleagues and me an email asking for a ‘side letter’ from Apple that would create a special deal for only Epic that would fundamentally change the way in which Epic offers apps on Apple’s iOS platform,” former SVP and now an Apple Fellow, Phil Schiller, noted in a declaration.

The post Apple blames Fortnite fiasco on Epic Games, says the developer demanded a special deal appeared first on Pocketnow.

Epic Games is hosting a FreeFortnite Cup on August 23 targeted squarely at Apple

Posted on by Nadeem Sarwar
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To say that Epic Games is not pulling any punches in its fight against Apple over the Fortnite row is an understatement. After filing a lawsuit, mocking an iconic Apple ad and CEO Tim Sweeney’s scathing remarks against Apple, Epic Games is now hosting the FreeFortnite Cup on August 23 that offers a lot of prizes “and one bad apple.”

Epic Games claims that with the FreeFortnite Cup, it is offering players an opportunity to win more prizes than ever before including the new Tart Tycoon Outfit, gaming hardware, and exclusive apparel. The most eye-catching prize is, of course, the Tart Tycoon Outfit which looks like a well-dressed villain whose head is an Apple. In case you’re wondering, you can join the event irrespective of the platform you’re playing the game on.


The Tart Tycoon Outfit

Aside from the cheeky outfit, Epic Games is also giving away consoles, gaming laptops, smartphones and other merch to players. Winners will be decided based on the number of points they score, which in turn is calculated on the basis of eliminations, victories and the amount of time they stay alive in the battle royale mode.

The FreeFortnite Cup is more like a swansong for iOS users who will be unable to enjoy Season 4 of Fortnite Chapter 2 when it releases on August 27, unless the feud between Epic Games and Apple is resolved. You can read about all the rules for Freefortnite Cup here.

Source: Epic Games

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You can find iPhones with Fortnite installed at eBay for up to $10,000

Posted on by Samuel Martinez

Apple vs. Fortnite disputes may be getting out of control. Now, Apple iPhones with Fortnite installed are being listed on eBay for insane prices.

Apple has recently removed the Fortnite app from its App Store. Epic Games included an alternative payment method that would save users some money if they decided to buy directly from the Epic Store. This has led to legal actions on both sides, and we could even see Epic lose access to its developer app tools.

However, this could end up hurting players, more than the companies above. Some eBay users are starting to list iPhones on sale with Fortnite installed on the device. Prices as high as $10,000 have been mentioned for an iPhone X, which would easily get you up to six maxed iPhone 11 Pro Max devices, but these would come without the app. We strongly advise you not to go for these devices, as you can install Fortnite on your iPhone is you had installed it before.

To reinstall Fortnite on your iPhone, just go to your “My Purchases” section in the App Store, then tap “purchases: and you will find every single iOS app you’ve ever installed. Search for the “Fortnite” app, and you should start the download process by clicking on the cloud icon. This will download around 10GB of app files, and it should let you play, or at least until the next update arrives.

Source MacRumors

Via The Verge

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Pocketnow Daily: Apple vs Epic Games: CHECKMATE! (video)

Posted on by Samuel Martinez
https://youtu.be/f3nkn17yg5E

Today’s deals include Apple’s 27-inch iMac, laptops, tablets and more

Deals. Amazon is currently having a back-to-college sale on their own devices. For example, the Echo Dot is $20 off, leaving it at $30 shipped. The Echo is $30 off as well, leaving it at $70 shipped. The Echo Plus is half off, leaving it at $75 and the Echo Show is $50 off, leaving that at $180. They also have deals on Kindles, Fire Sticks and more. Moving on, the 27in 5K iMac is $120 off, leaving the Intel Core i7, 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD variant for $2180. Finally, Gigabyte’s Aero 15X gaming laptop is now $700 off it’s original price, leaving it at $1487. We have deals on Razer keyboards, iPads and more, in the links below.
Buy 27-inch iMac Core i7
Buy 27-inch iMac Core i5

Here’s your first clear glimpse of the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE 5G, and it looks pretty darn cool

Speaking of Samsung, There’s been a bunch of rumors on the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE. So far, we’ve gotten some leaks on both Exynos and Snapdragon variants, as well as some leaked specs like the 6.4in display running at 120Hz, the 8GBs of RAM and the 4500 mAh battery. We also got a render of the front from Evan Blass but, now we get some full blown CAD renders of the whole device from OnLeaks. It brings bigger bezels than the S20 but, they’re still pretty slim. The camera array also looks pretty similar to the S20+ but, the sensors seem smaller inside the stove. We’re expecting this phone to come out some time in October so, we’ll keep you posted if we get some more leaks.

New executive order gives ByteDance 90 days to sell TikTok

Let’s talk about the whole Tik Tok ban situation. Last week we covered how the President signed an executive order, giving Tik Tok 45 days to sell their US operations to a company like Microsoft or they would be banned, possibly being forced out of the App Store and Play Store globally. This morning, the President signed a new executive order, giving them 90 days to sell their operations. According to him, there is credible evidence that ByteDance might take actions that threaten to impar the United States security. This new order gives Tik Tok to iron out whatever their plan is, whether that is selling to Microsoft or taking legal action. Apple also presented their concerns about the WeChat ban but, they just dismissed them and the 45 day order seems to still be on for Tencent.

New iPhone 12 lineup could look just like the iPhone 4

And, let’s start talking about Apple as, there’s a lot to cover today. We have a new gallery of pictures of iPhone 12 dummies from a tipster on Facebook. We’ve gotten dummies on two occasions prior to this but, these are probably the realest-looking ones. On these new images we can see the 4 different models, two with dual camera and two with the triple camera array. As expected, they all look pretty boxy, reminiscent of the iPhone 4 and the newer iPad Pros. All of these dummies are for case makers so we only get to see the back of them. Some of the things we’re also expecting that aren’t included here are the LiDAR sensor and some smaller notches for the Pro models. We’re expecting these phones to come out some time in October and November so, we’ll keep you posted.

Epic Games CEO calls Apple a middleman that separates gamers from game creators

On Friday we covered how Epic Games is taking on both Apple and Google and suing them for anti-competitive practices due to the high fees they put on developers. Well, you won’t believe who’s the next company denouncing Apple, it’s Facebook. On Saturday, Facebook announced that businesses and creators can host paid online events to help them make money and survive during the pandemic. What’s really good about this is that Facebook is letting these people keep 100% of the money they make from this events, saying that they won’t be charging any fees for at least a year. However, this is apparently only happening on Android phones as Apple won’t let them achieve this goal. According to them, they asked Apple to waive their infamous 30% tax or allow them to use Facebook Pay so that they could absorb the costs and let creators keep the revenue but Apple dismissed both of these requests, meaning people who do this on Apple devices will only keep 70% of the money. Facebook will now disclose this issue with users, if you make a payment on an Android device it will say “Facebook doesn’t take a fee from this purchase” but if you do it from an iPhone, it’ll say “Apple takes 30% of this purchase”. We’ll see how Apple moves as, this means there’s three people on their back, Spotify, Epic and Facebook.

Story of the day:

Epic could lose all access to Apple’s App Store and app development tools

Speaking of Epic being on Apple’s back, it looks like Apple has decided to strike back. According to a new PDF from Epic’s Court Filing, Apple told Epic that by August 28th, they will be cutting off Epic’s access to “all development tools necessary to create software for Apple’s platforms” and, this even includes the Unreal Engine which Epic offers to third party developers. Apple sent out a letter to Epic where they said they reviewed the situation and have found several violations to the Apple Developer Program License Agreement, therefore their account will be terminated if these violations aren’t cured in 14 days. Epic is currently asking the court to prevent Apple from taking “any adverse action” which includes terminating Apple’s License to the Apple Developer Program as well as modifying the Fortnite code. They’re also working on a solution as, Unreal Engine doesn’t really violate any of the terms like they did with the Fortnite app, and it shouldn’t be removed as it will also affect third-party developers. As for right now, Fortnite remains banned, an Epic has to work something now during these 14 days unless the court rules something against Apple. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/pocketnowsub http://pocketnow.com Follow us: http://flipboard.com/@Pocketnow http://facebook.com/pocketnow http://twitter.com/pocketnow http://google.com/+pocketnow

The post Pocketnow Daily: Apple vs Epic Games: CHECKMATE! (video) appeared first on Pocketnow.

Epic could lose all access to Apple’s App Store and app development tools

Posted on by Samuel Martinez

The recent battle between Apple and Epic Games has gotten more interesting. Cupertino removed Fortnite from its App Store after Epic Games included an option to make in-app purchases directly from their store, instead of paying Apple’s 30 percent fee. This also led to more legal problems for Apple, as Epic Games sued it for anti-competitive restrictions and a cool video mocking Apple’s 1984 Macintosh ad. However, things don’t end here, as Apple is taking further actions to block Epic from its platform completely.

Apple has notified Epic Games that it will lose all access to its development tools on August 28. This means that Epic won’t have the tools required to create software for the Unreal Engine that the company offers to third-party developers for their games. Epic Games has filed a court order in a Northern California court looking to stop Apple from removing Epic’s App Store access.

The filing explains that:
“Apple told Epic that by August 28, Apple will cut off Epic’s access to all development tools necessary to create software for Apple’s platforms–including for the Unreal Engine Epic offers to third-party developers, which Apple has never claimed violated any Apple policy.”

Apple’s letter to Epic explains how the company can avoid losing its access to its platform.

“Upon further review of the activity associated with your Apple Developer Program membership, we have identified several violations of the Apple Developer Program License Agreement. Therefore, your Apple Developer Program account will be terminated if the violations set forth below are not cured within 14 days. […]

“If your membership is terminated, you may no longer submit apps to the App Store, and your apps still available for distribution will be removed. You will also lose access to the following programs, technologies, and capabilities:

– All Apple software, SDKs, APIs, and developer tools
– Pre-release versions of iOS, iPad OS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS
– Pre-release versions of beta tools such as Reality Composer, Create ML, Apple Configurator, etc.
– Notarization service for macOS apps
– App Store Connect platform and support (for example, assistance with account transition, password reset, app name issues)
– TestFlight
– Access to provisioning portal for certificate generation, and provisioning profile generation
– Ability to enable Apple services in-app (i.e. Apple Pay, CloudKit, PassKit, Music Kit, HomeKit, Push Notifications, Siri Shortcuts, Sign in with Apple, kernel extensions, FairPlay Streaming)
– Access to Apple-issued keys for connecting to services such as MusicKit, DeviceCheck, APNs, CloudKit, Wallet
– Access to Developer ID signing certificates and Kernel Extension signing certificates
– Developer Technical Support
– Participation in Universal App Quick Start Program, including the right to use the Developer Transition Kit (which must be returned to Apple)
– Engineering efforts to improve hardware and software performance of Unreal Engine on Mac and iOS hardware; optimize Unreal Engine on the Mac for creative workflows, virtual sets and their CI/Build Systems; and adoption and support of ARKit features and future VR features into Unreal Engine by their XR team

We hope that you are able to cure your breaches of the Apple Program License Agreement and continue to participate in the program.”

Epic is also trying to prevent Apple’s restrictive actions, as losing access to Mac and iOS developer tools may have a considerable impact on the apps and games using Epic’s Unreal Engine. It is also trying to stop Apple from removing the Fortnite app or modifying the Fortnite code, but right now, it can only wait for the court to decide on the matter.

Source MacRumors

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Epic Games CEO calls Apple a middleman that separates gamers from game creators

Posted on by Nadeem Sarwar

The Apple vs Epic Games war is on, and at the center of it all is wildly popular game Fortnite that was recently removed from the App Store for violating policies. A mocking ad and a lawsuit later, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney has now spoken up without mincing any words, claiming that “the fight isn’t over Epic wanting a special deal, it’s about the basic freedoms of all consumers and developers.”

“Finally, there’s nothing wrong with fighting about money. You work hard to earn this stuff. When you spent it, the way it’s divided determines whether your money funds the creation of games or is taken by middlemen who use their power to separate gamers from game creators,” Sweeney added.

The Epic Games CEO went on to claim that the company is fighting for the freedom of smartphone users to choose where they want to install an app from, and also the freedom of creators to choose the distribution channel for their apps. “We all have rights, and we need to fight to defend our rights against whoever would deny them. Even if that means fighting a beloved company like Apple,” he mentioned in one of his scathing tweets.

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Pocketnow Daily: Fortnite EXPOSES Apple and Google’s Monopoly… (video)

Posted on by Samuel Martinez

Apple’s MacBook Air, iPad Pro and more devices on sale today

Deals. Best Buy is currently running a major 3-Day Anniversary sale on Apple products. You can find up to $300 off on MacBook Pros, up to $150 on MacBook Airs and even some deals on the iPhone SE. Moving on, B&H also has the 2018 12.9in iPad Pro for $350 off, leaving the 64GB, Wi-Fi + Cellular variant for $800 shipped. We also have deals on Sony earbuds, Razer Gaming keyboards and more in the links in the description.
Buy MacBook Air
Buy MacBook Pro
Buy iPad Air
Buy iPhone SE
Buy iPhone XS/ XS Max
See complete listing Best Buy’s 3-Day Anniversary sale
Buy 12.9-inch iPad Pro
See complete iPad Pro deals
Buy Sony WF-SP800N Truly Wireless Sports headphones Buy Razer BlackWidow Elite gaming keyboard

Microsoft Surface Duo gets 3 years of Android updates, and a new demo video

For those of you guys interested in buying the Microsoft Surface Duo and you’re not so sure yet. Well the company officially announced it 2 days ago and now, they shared a full 35 minute demo video of Panos Panay showing you what the product can do. According to them, their aim with this product is not to “reinvent the phone” but is a vision of better mobile productivity for the Surface fans and people who love Office, Teams and Outlook. Microsoft also announced that they will be committing to 3 years of software updates for the Duo, as they should for the $1400 price tag. Thing is, I mean I love Excel on anything but Android.. But other than that I know of no human being that can claim that they love productivity apps. We’ll see.

The Samsung Galaxy S21 won’t include ToF sensors

And, we know that Samsung ditched their whole ToF approach with the Galaxy Note 20 as, well, we all know what happened with the S20 Ultra. According to a new report from the Elec, the ToF sensor won’t be making it to the Galaxy S21 either but, Samsung isn’t giving up in the technology. According to this report, the reason why the S20’s ToF wasn’t doing so hot is because it wasn’t as powerful as direct ToF which is what other companies like Apple are using from companies like Sony. Apparently Samsung is now working on their own ToF solution and now, the “technological advancements” will depend on them and not third party companies. We’ll see if they are able to develop something for the Note 21.

Facebook is now sued over allegedly gathering biometric data on Instagram

Let’s talk about what Facebook has done with Instagram… yeah that sounds about right. For starters, the company is being sued in the state of California for “collecting, storing and profiting” off biometric data of more than 100M users, specifically for facial recognition technology. The lawsuit claims that Instagram uses a “face-tagging” tool which uses facial recognition to create “face templates” which are stored in Facebook’s database without the user’s consent. They even use your tagged pictures so, you didn’t even have to post it yourself for this to happen. According to Bloomberg, they’re facing up to $5K per violation, meaning do the math when you multiply that times 100M. On another note, TechCrunch is reporting that there’s a “bug” in their system which would retain deleted photos and messages on their servers for over a year. Now, the bug has been conveniently patched but, apparently there was no evidence of abuse, if that even means something.

Apple without WeChat could mean disaster for the iPhone in China

Earlier this week we covered some predictions from Ming Chi Kuo over how the US ban on WeChat could affect Apple on a major scale. Well, according to a Bloomberg report, things could pan out the way Kuo predicted. Apparently there was a massive survey conducted on Chinese iPhone users and 95% of them said that they would replace their iPhone if WeChat was banned from the App Store. This translates to around 1.2M users from the survey alone. Most of them made comments over how this ban “would force them into switching their phones as WeChat is very important to them” with someone even saying that the ban would turn the iPhone into simple “electronic trash” as WeChat is one of their most essential apps. The details of the ban still aren’t clear yet as, it could just be a thing in the States but if it’s completely banned from the App Store, it looks like Apple will be suffering. It also looks like Apple, Disney, Ford and other companies have warned the White House about what this ban would mean so, let’s see how it plays out.

Story of the day:

Epic Games claims Google forced OnePlus, LG to scrap Fortnite deals

Epic Games mocks Apple’s 1984 Macintosh ad after Fortnite’s removal from App

Store Fortnite removed from Google Play Store after getting kicked off the App Store

Now, let’s talk about Fortnite… yeah you heard that right. Yesterday, the game was removed from both, the App Store and Google Play, as the company added a direct payment option in the game that would save customers 20% on their in-app purchases, preventing Apple from taking their 30% cut from each purchase. You guys know the Amazon Kindle story where it was banned years ago until Amazon removed the in-app purchase model and forcing you to use a browser to make purchases. As for Google, apparently Epic was working on a deal with both OnePlus and LG, to offer the Fortnite launcher pre-installed in their phones and Google reportedly forced them to back out of the deal as well as the direct payment option in the app. Epic Games is reportedly filing a lawsuit against both of them for anti-competitive restrictions on their stores. Android Users at least have the advantage of being able to side load the APK and Samsung Devices still have it available on the Galaxy Store, but iOS users are screwed. Epic even put out a short video mocking Apple’s famous 30-year old “1984” ad and ending theirs with “Epic Games has defied the App Store Monopoly, Apple is Blocking Fortnite to billions of devices. Join the fact to stop 2020 from becoming 1984″ as a reference to George Orwell’s novel. Other companies like Spotify which have had issues with the App Store and Apple in the past have come out in support of Fortnite. We’ll keep you posted. Subscribe: http://bit.ly/pocketnowsub http://pocketnow.com Follow us: http://flipboard.com/@Pocketnow http://facebook.com/pocketnow http://twitter.com/pocketnow http://google.com/+pocketnow

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Epic Games claims Google forced OnePlus, LG to scrap Fortnite deals

Posted on by Prakhar Khanna

Earlier today, Fortnite was removed from the App Store and Google Play Store. In turn, Epic Games filed a lawsuit against both Apple and Google. Now, new details have been spotted in the filed lawsuit. As  The Verge points out, Google prevented OnePlus from offering Fortnite launcher preinstalled on OnePlus phones.

Epic claims that Google “forced OnePlus to renege on the deal.” According to the suit, it was done because Fortnite was being offered with an install method that bypassed the app store for devices outside of India. Google also scrapped a similar deal between Fortnite and LG.

Epic says, had Google not blocked these deals, the studio “could and would negotiate with OEMs to make Fortnite and other Epic games directly available to consumers, free from Google’s anti-competitive restraints.” However, the deals were scrapped, and Epic ended up releasing Fortnite on Play Store.

The post Epic Games claims Google forced OnePlus, LG to scrap Fortnite deals appeared first on Pocketnow.

Fortnite removed from Google Play Store after getting kicked off the App Store

Posted on by Nadeem Sarwar

Earlier today, Fortnite was removed from the App Store after developer Epic Games started offering a direct payment option in the game that will save players 20% on their in-app-purchases, but prevents Apple from taking a 30% cut as its fee. Now, Google has followed in the footsteps of Apple and has removed Fortnite from the Google Play Store. Here’s what Google had to say:

“The open Android ecosystem lets developers distribute apps through multiple app stores. For game developers who choose to use the Play Store, we have consistent policies that are fair to developers and keep the store safe for users. While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies. However, we welcome the opportunity to continue our discussions with Epic and bring Fortnite back to Google Play.”

In case you’re wondering what policy Fortnite exactly violated, Google makes it clear on its payments support page that “developers offering products within a game downloaded on Google Play or providing access to game content must use Google Play In-app Billing as the method of payment.” As for Google’s definition of in-game items, it includes pretty much everything – coins, gems, extra lives or turns, special items or equipment, characters or avatars, additional levels or playtime.

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Apple removes Fortnite from App Store, gets sued by Epic Games

Posted on by Nadeem Sarwar

Epic Games announced a new payment system today called Epic direct payment that allows Fortnite players (on mobile) to save 20% on in-app purchases if they opt for it instead of paying via the App Store or Google Play Store. It uses the same payment system that is used to make purchases in the game’s console and PC versions.

The 20% price cut is not a discount. It is just the new price of V-Bucks or real-money offers in the game’s console and PC versions, and can also be availed on mobile if players pay using Epic direct payment. Epic Games says Apple and Google collect a 30% fee on in-app purchases, which is why it has launched Epic direct payment to pass on the benefit of those savings to players.

Apple, obviously not happy with the move, has removed Fortnite from the App Store – something Epic Games calls “Apple’s punishment to developers” who offer direct payment options. In return, Epic Games has sued Apple seeking to “taken legal action to end Apple’s anti-competitive restrictions on mobile device marketplaces.”

Additionally, Epic Games has asked players to trend the hashtag #FREEFORTNITE on social media and also tag the official App Store handle in their messages. Fortnite says those who have Fortnite already installed on their mobile will have no trouble playing the game, but they won’t be able to play the Chapter 4 of Season 2 which arrives soon via an update.

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OnePlus 8 series phones can now run Fortnite at a silky-smooth 90FPS frame rate

Posted on by Lee Kelly

OnePlus has announced that it partnered with Epic Games to allow 90FPS gameplay for Fortnite on the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro. In doing so, the OnePlus 8 series phones have become the only two smartphones that can play the hit game at 90FPS, up from the 60FPS standard you’ll experience on other flagships out there.

The only other device to eclipse that figure is the iPad Pro, which can run Fortnite at 120FPS. In theory, playing Fortnite at 90FPS on the OnePlus 8 series phones will provide the smoothest experience you’ll get on any phone, and even consoles such as Xbox One X and the PlayStation 4, on which the game is locked at 60FPS.

But there is one trade-off. While playing Fortnite at 90FPS on the OnePlus 8 or its Pro sibling, the graphics are scaled down to ‘low’ settings, but the resolution remains the same at the native 2400×1080. However, if you don’t want to make the compromise, you can still choose to play the game at ‘Epic’ graphics settings, but at a still respectable 60FPS frame rate, notes GameSpot.

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Fortnite to arrive on Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 with cross-gen progression in tow

Posted on by Lee Kelly
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Epic Games’ moneymaker, Fortnite, will arrive on the next-gen consoles – PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X – when they debut later this year. And just to be clear, this is not a new version of Fortnite, but the same game that has been optimized to take advantage of the powerful hardware packed inside Sony and Microsoft’s upcoming consoles.

What improvements exactly? Well, Epic Games has not revealed any specific details, aside from a vague explanation that “performance and visuals” will be better on the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5. This is to be expected, since the new version of Fortnite for the aforementioned consoles will be based on the freshly-announced Unreal Engine 5.

And in case you’re wondering, Epic Games says all progression and items will be carried over console generations and platforms you are playing on. Also, the studio has promised that it will support cross-play across all platforms (including current and next-generation consoles), aside from continued support for Fortnite on all older consoles and platforms.

Source: Epic Games

The post Fortnite to arrive on Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5 with cross-gen progression in tow appeared first on Pocketnow.

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