Fortnite for Android won’t launch in the Google Play Store, but it may come to Samsung’s app store and launch as an exclusive for the Galaxy Note 9 and Tab S4.

This newfound compatibility was discovered in a leaked Fortnite APK, showing that it’ll run on Samsung’s new flagship tablet, according to data mined by the XDA Developers forum. While the leaked APK will not allow users to play the game quite yet, it does share some enlightening details – the hardware check for the Galaxy Note 9 and Tab S4, for instance.  

Fortnite for Android will reportedly have a 30-day exclusivity period for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 and Tab S4, then. However, that exclusivity might extend up to another 90 days for other Galaxy devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S8, according to the second report from Android Headlines.  

Stay tuned for an August 9 announcement 

This all leads us to believe that while Fortnite will skip the Google Play Store, it might end up using the Samsung’s own app store, which is backed up by a string in the APK referencing Samsung’s in-app purchase API.

Google’s Play Store takes a hefty 30% cut of app sales, which Fortnite publisher Epic Games mentioned was a primary reason for bypassing Google’s official store. Samsung, on the other hand, may cut the game publisher a deal and simply want users to remember their Samsung ID and password for once.

This approach could be a major benefit to Samsung users, who would sidestep the need to sideload the APK – and all the security vulnerabilities that come with it. We won’t have to wait long to figure out what’s happening, however, as the Samsung Unpacked 2018 event is on Thursday, August 9.

The Fortnite for Android launch has been a rollercoaster. We’ll keep following the release date saga on TechRadar as news breaks.

Some were surprised when leaks and rumors began to suggest there wouldn't be a fingerprint scanner on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4. Surely Samsung needs to include some form of security tech, right?

It's almost certain now that the company will include its Intelligent Scan feature - like on the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus - using an iris scanner and facial recognition tech at the same time.

Samsung fan blog SamMobile dived into the official Galaxy Tab S4 firmware that's already uploaded to the company's database and found a very similar animation to the one you get when you set up the feature on smartphones.

The Intelligent Scan feature uses both the iris scanner tech and facial recognition tech at the same time. It will aim to unlock the phone using the former, but if you're in bright sunlight or other bad conditions for the tech it will switch to facial recognition.

Goodbye fingerprint

The firmware doesn't confirm that there's no fingerprint sensor on the device, but we've seen other leaks that suggest there's no physical home key with a scanner built-in.

Getting rid of the tech entirely is a bold decision from Samsung, but perhaps including the new iris scanner will allow for a more seamless way to unlock your tablet when you want to use it.

It's rumored Samsung will be unveiling its next tablet at the end of August during IFA 2018. Before then we'll be treated to the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 on August 9, plus the Samsung Galaxy Watch may be unveiled there too.


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Samsung left a fairly large gap between the release of its Galaxy Tab S2 and Tab S3 tablets, but it appears that the Korean electronics giant isn't resting on its laurels when it comes to the Galaxy Tab S4 launch — a listing believed to be the next iteration of Samsung's flagship tablet has shown up on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website (via Droid Life), just 16 months after the launch of its predecessor.

While the Galaxy Tab S4 isn't specifically listed by name, the device submitted to the FCC carries the model number SM-T835, which follows the same naming scheme as Samsung's previous tablets in the S series, including the Galaxy Tab S2 (SM-T810) and Tab S3 (SM-T825). 

In the documents submitted to the US regulatory agency, it's stated that the supposed Galaxy Tab S4 will feature audio 'Tuned by AKG' and a single camera on the device's rear, as well as support for LTE, Bluetooth 5.0, 802.11ac WiFi. 

The submitted device also sports tablet-sized dimensions at 249.3 x 164.3mm, making it slightly taller and thinner than last year's Galaxy Tab S3. 

This isn't the first time that evidence of the Galaxy Tab S4's existence has leaked out — the device has reported been benchmarked on two separate occasions, with the second test suggesting it to be a bit less powerful than the iPad Pro 10.5. 

News of the Galaxy Tab S4's alleged FCC listing comes just hours after Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 was also seemingly approved by US regulators, suggesting the upcoming phablet could be announced imminently too.

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