Some clever Fortnite fans have been logging into Samsung Galaxy demo devices to get their hands on the device-specific exclusive Galaxy skin
It seemed like we were waiting forever for Epic Games to finally release Fortnite: Battle Royale on Android. Then, when the news came, it turned out that the Android launch of Fortnite would form part of the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9 smartphone, and that for the first 30 days after launch it would be a Note 9 and Galaxy Tab S4 exclusive.
This news would be frustrating enough for Fortnite fans, but when the official launch event came, it got worse. There would be an exclusive skin for anybody who plays Fortnite on one of the launch devices. Most of us won’t get to play Fortnite on Android for at least another month and the lucky few who will also get a very cool and very exclusive skin. Thanks for that.
To be eligible for the Galaxy exclusive skin, Fortnite players need to download the game onto either a Galaxy Note 9 or Galaxy Tab S4, log into their account, and play three games. Once the three games have been logged, and the player has gone back to the lobby after each game they should receive a gift box containing the exclusive skin within 48 hours.
This is easy enough for the rich kids who can afford to buy one of the most expensive smartphones on the market, but almost impossible for the rest of us. If you consider the fact that Fortnite on Android is supposed to be the great equalizing platform as there are more Android phones on the planet than any other type of device, this exclusivity becomes too much to bear.
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Start your game rightStep forward the internet hive mind to remedy the situation. A user on Reddit has shared a photo taken at a local electronics store that is selling Note 9s. The image makes it clear that people have been coming into the store, downloading Fortnite, playing enough games to be eligible for the exclusive skin, and then walking out without buying anything. So far, so good, but the store is clearly not happy about the whole what has been going on, and your local store might not be happy either. Stores may be trying to block people like you from doing the same and accessing your skin.
Reddit has the answer to that particular situation, too. If your local electronics store is trying to block users from using demo Note 9 or Galaxy Tab S4 devices to access the exclusive skin, there is a workaround.
Another Reddit user reports that in Best Buy at least, the security measures may be found in the store’s Wi-Fi rather than on the device themselves. The way to bypass this is to disconnect from the store Wi-Fi and connect to your own phone’s hotspot. Two caveats for this method are avoiding Samsung display devices (look for carrier display devices like Verizon) and that each device is only eligible for one skin so if somebody beats you to it on that particular device, you’ll be out of luck.
We can’t say we endorse this type of behavior, but we can say we’re impressed by whoever came up with the idea in the first place.
