Flappy Bird might have been pulled from the app store but addicts can still play the game online on a computer, smartphone or tablet.
Multiple websites have seized upon the void left by Flappy Bird’s sudden removal from the Apple and Google app stores, providing free-to-play versions of Flappy Bird online.
Various websites have been quickly set up, riffing on the original Flappy Bird name, including FlappyBird.com, FlappyBirds.com, FlappyBird.io and many others, all allowing users to play the game in their browser for free.
“Flappy Bird was suddenly discontinued by its creator for both iOS and Android on February 9, 2014. For now you can play it here,†a notice said on FlappyBirds.com [1] .
Flappy Bird online on a smartphone
Other variants of the game allow Bird addicts to play Flappy Bird online via the browser on their smartphones and tablets using an HTML5 version of the game [2] .
Discerning Bird players may prefer the most authentic experience possible, however, given that the addictive qualities that made Flappy Bird so madly popular were down to the game’s precise control mechanism and difficulty.
Online gaming site Kongregate has a variant of the game called Flash Flappy Bird [3] , which is about as close of a clone of the game as is currently available.
Flappy malware
Not everyone attempting to take advantage of the void left by Flappy Bird is quite as desirable. Security firm Trend Micro discovered that a series of malware-filled fake Flappy Bird apps [4] have infiltrated Android app stores, which are especially rampant in Russia and Vietnam. It’s unclear whether any are on the UK Google Play store.
The fake versions send premium-rate text messages without the user’s knowledge, quickly racking up unwanted charges on victim’s phone bills. The apps hide alerts from the messages and stealthily use Google’s Cloud Messaging system to contact a remote server for instructions.
The malware apps also send personal information to a third party, including phone numbers and email addresses.
“We advise Android users (especially those who are keen to download the now ‘extinct’ Flappy Bird app) to be careful when installing apps,†said Veo Zhang [5] , a mobile threats an alyst with Trend Micro. “Cybercriminals are constantly cashing in on popular games (like Candy Crush, Angry Birds Space, Temple Run 2, and Bad Piggies) to unleash mobile threats.â€
• Enterprising users attempted to sell used smartphones pre-loaded with Flappy Birds on eBay with bids as much as $90,000 after the game was removed from sale by the developer
Links
- ^ notice said on FlappyBirds.com (www.flappybirds.com)
- ^ using an HTML5 version of the game (uralozden.com)
- ^ Flash Flappy Bird (www.kongregate.com)
- ^ series of malware-filled fake Flappy Bird apps (blog.trendmicro.com)
- ^ said Veo Zhang (blog.trendmicro.com)
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