2048 is only more popular due to being free and “easier”
My advice on your little issue is sideload the app from appdb.to
Wow haha, as someone who finally got 6144 a few years ago this game really is a true gem and one of the greatest phone games of all time. 12 years ago I bought it on a whim on a lunch break, and it is easily the most played game of all time for me at this point (coming from years of cod, halo, rocket league, etc).
You honestly made my day with this post, my friends know me as the friend who still plays the weird 2048 clone, but I got my son into it too. He finally hit 768 and I was so proud lol. I am still trying to achieve a “perfect” game but the algorithm definitely doesn’t like it. Technically in the top 100 on the leaderboards lol
Hey, not sure how old y’all are and such, but this can be a sign of dementia. This happened with my great grandma telling us things smelled of sulphur.