Android Foldables

Star Wars Hunters insists on blocking Galaxy Z Fold and other foldables

Ben Schoon | Aug 3 2024 - 5:20 pm PT

First launched in June, Zynga’s Star Wars Hunters has been a well-received and pretty fun multiplayer title, but the game has been blocking Android foldables such as the Galaxy Z Fold series since day one, and insists on going out of its way to do so.

As we covered previously, Zynga was blocking the download of Star Wars Hunters on devices such as Galaxy Z Fold 5, Fold 4, and Pixel Fold when it first debuted. But it didn’t block the OnePlus Open, oddly enough, and played just fine on the the device through its large internal display.

When the Galaxy Z Fold 6 hit the market, we noticed that the game was, strangely, freely available for download via the Play Store.

That’s now quietly changed. The Play Store now says that Star Wars Hunters is suddenly “not compatible” with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 following its latest updates. And, for those who installed early on, the game no longer functions as it requires an update that the Play Store will not install. The update should still be available for sideload, but it cannot be accessed via the Play Store.

Yet, the game is still available for download on OnePlus Open.

We suspect that Zynga may simply be blocking the foldables it is aware of, with the OnePlus Open’s “underdog” status and the Fold 6’s first few weeks of availability slipping past the company’s radar.

Why is Zynga blocking Android foldables? It’s hard to say for certain, and the company hasn’t provided a clear answer anywhere. The game, in our testing, runs perfectly fine on the altered aspect ratio. It’s certainly not an issue of capability, too, as the game is fully compatible with non-foldable counterparts to these devices such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Pixel 8 Pro. It’s a strange and, from the point of view of foldable owners, frustrating decision, and one we certainly hope will change.