With tens of millions of players hitting the game, there are bound to be a few issues — particularly when the game relies on your phone's internet and GPS connections, as well as Niantic's servers.
Rather than have you track down things all over trying to fix issues, we've rounded up common Pokémon Go problems, and some solutions to fix them! Read on.
Pokémon Go not available in your country yet
Yes, this is perhaps the biggest issue with Pokémon Go ... it isn't available everywhere just yet! Niantic has been quickly adding more countries to the Play Store as it grows capacity, but for many the wait is quite frustrating.
Dedicated individuals have started to side-load the app in order to use it in other areas, though we really don't recommend that. There are malicious fake Pokémon Go apps out there, and installing one is bad news for your phone.
If you eventually decided to go the route of side-loading the app, it's very important to re-enable the "unknown sources" security check in your phone's settings so you aren't leaving your phone open to issues in the future.
More: Pokémon Go not available in your country? Here's what's going on
Pokémon Go not available on your phone or tablet
The demands to run Pokémon Go aren't all that high, but there are a few things you'll need to have in order to properly play. You'll need a phone running at least Android 4.4. KitKat, and you'll also need a mobile data connection as well as GPS services — this isn't an offline game in any way.
You can use Pokémon Go on a tablet, but if it's a Wi-Fi only device and you're trying to use it with a separate hotspot ... it isn't really worth your time. An LTE-enabled tablet will work just fine though! Devices with Intel processors also aren't supported, which is a bummer — but at least you know that going in.
More: Does Pokémon Go work on your phone or tablet?
GPS problems in Pokémon Go
Pokémon Go relies on mobile data and GPS to pinpoint you on a map so you can hit up PokéStops, catch Pokémon and battle at Gyms, so things kind of fall apart when your phone can't get an accurate GPS signal. If you keep receiving the "GPS signal not found" error, there are a few things you can do, including making sure that you haven't accidentally turned location services off, and if you have them on make sure they're set to "high accuracy" mode.
For all of the GPS troubleshooting steps, be sure to check out our dedicated guide below. And whatever you do, do not fake your location — bad things will happen if you do.
More: Fixing 'GPS signal not found' error in Pokémon Go
Pokémon Go draining your battery
No, it's not just you — Pokémon Go is a battery killer. Keeping your screen and processor ramped up playing the game, plus constant GPS and mobile network use, with a little camera thrown in, and your phone's battery is going to drain quickly. Thankfully, you can save some battery live by turning down your screen brightness and turning off the display intermittently while you're walking around.
Check out all of our battery-saving tips below, and if push comes to shove, consider getting yourself an external battery to keep your phone powered up for long Pokémon Go sessions.
- More: How to save your battery while playing Pokémon Go
- More: Best external battery packs for Pokémon Go
Pokémon Go data usage
Since Pokémon Go requires you to walk around outside to collect Pokémon and hit up PokéStops, you're going to be out of Wi-Fi range and using your mobile data. Everything is downloaded on the fly, to make sure you can keep current with the other players, and that means you'll definitely be using mobile data. Thing is, it doesn't actually turn out to use that much data when you're playing — maybe 20-30MB per hour you're walking around.
You can do a few things to keep data usage down, like latching onto open Wi-Fi networks in cities, but for the most part you should be cautious about how much mobile data you use in other apps while you're out playing Pokémon Go. Remember to pre-download music or podcasts you may be listening to, and turn off auto-downloading of app updates and disable auto-loading of media in apps like Instagram and Facebook. Every megabyte saved means another megabyte to use on Pokémon go!
More: How much data does Pokémon go use?
Understanding Pokémon Go privacy concerns
There were some initial scares about how Pokémon Go was handling your private information — particularly in the iOS version of the app — but there are more real things to be aware of beyond that.
Pokémon Go collects data on where you move and what you do in the game, and can share that data anonymously and in aggregate with third parties. (Of course this is pretty standard stuff for any game of this kind, but knowing is half the battle.) You can always delete your account at any time, if you wish, but Niantic may hold on the data for a reasonable amount of time after you do so. When in doubt, read the privacy policy and terms of service for the game.
More: Understand the data collected when you play Pokémon Go
Have some other issues you're trying to work out while playing Pokémon Go? Our forums are filled with tons of questions and answers that could hold the information you need!
