Niantic has annnounced that Pokémon GO players that have devices that use Android 5, iOS 10, and iOS 11, as well as iPhone 5s and iPhone 6, will no longer be able to play the game after an update in October 2020.

Pokémon GO to discontinue support for Android 5, iOS 10, and iOS 11, as well as iPhone 5s and iPhone 6

Trainers, In an upcoming update to Pokémon GO in October, we will end support for Android 5, iOS 10, and iOS 11, as well as iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 devices. Only Trainers with devices running Android 5, iOS 10, or iOS 11, as well as Trainers with iPhone 5s or iPhone 6 devices, will be affected by this change. Trainers with devices or operating systems not specifically listed here will not be affected and don’t need to take any action.

If you're unsure whether your device falls in one of these categories, please check with your device manufacturer.

Trainers using affected devices will no longer be able to access Pokémon GO, including any accumulated PokeCoins or collected items on their accounts, when the version 0.189 update goes live in mid-October. We encourage Trainers using any of the listed devices to consider upgrading them if they wish to continue playing Pokémon GO. Be sure to have your account info and password saved somewhere so you can log back in on a new device!

Note: Even if you’re able to install and run Pokémon GO on such devices after the release of version 0.189, we’ll no longer be able to provide support if you run into any technical issues.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/ios10-ios11-android5-discontinued-support/

Niantic has announced that throughout September 2020, there will be three weeks of Mega Evolution–themed events for players to enjoy. Be sure to read here for more details on how Mega Evolution works in Pokémon GO.

Mega Evolve your Pokémon and get ready for a Mega September event!

Trainers, Our Mega September event is right around the corner! Throughout September, there will be three weeks of Mega Evolution–themed events for you to enjoy. Whether it’s taking down Mega Raid Bosses, facing off in battles against other Mega-Evolved Pokémon, or just enjoying its company as your buddy, there’s plenty to do with your Mega-Evolved Pokémon.

If you haven’t already, be sure to read here for more details on how Mega Evolution works in Pokémon GO.

Complete two million Mega Raids to unlock Mega Pidgeot
From Tuesday, September 1, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, September 7, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time, your goal will be to complete as many Mega Raids as you can! Gather Mega Energy to Mega Evolve your Pokémon and take down powerful Raid Bosses like never before! If Trainers win two million Mega Raids before the event ends globally, they’ll unlock Mega Pidgeot in Mega Raids!

Features

• There will be an increased number of Mega Raids.
• There will be an increased attack bonus from friends in raids.
• Event-exclusive Field Research focused on raid-related tasks will be available for a limited time
• You can receive Mega Energy for Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise by completing limited event-exclusive Field Research tasks.
• The following Pokémon will appear more frequently in the wild: Abra, Magnemite, Exeggcute, Rhyhorn, Tangela, Electabuzz, Omanyte, Aerodactyl, Murkrow, Treecko, Torchic, Lotad, and Roselia.
• If you’re lucky, you may even run into a Shiny Lotad!

Complete 275 million battles to unlock Mega Houndoom
From From Friday, September 11, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Thursday, September 17, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time, use your Mega-Evolved Pokémon in Gym battles, Team GO Rocket battles, and Trainer Battles (excluding GO Battle League battles). If Trainers win 275 million of these battles before the event ends globally, they’ll unlock Mega Houndoom in Mega Raids!

Features

• It’s all about Mega Beedrill! You can receive Beedrill Mega Energy by completing event-exclusive Field Research tasks. When you use Mega Beedrill in Gym battles, Team GO Rocket battles, and Trainer Battles (excluding GO Battle League battles) during the event period, it’ll receive a temporary CP boost!
• You can receive Mega Energy for Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise by completing limited event-exclusive Field Research tasks.
• The following Bug-type Pokémon will appear more frequently in the wild: Caterpie, Weedle, Paras, Venonat, Scyther, Pinsir, Ledyba, Spinarak, Wurmple, Kricketot, and Burmy.
• We're getting word that Team GO Rocket will be using different Shadow Pokemon during this event as well! Be sure to Mega Evolve Beedrill before you take on Team GO Rocket!
• Be on the lookout for raid and battle-focused Timed Research during this event!
• If you’re lucky, you might encounter a Shiny Ledyba!

Complete the Mega-Evolution themed Timed Research story to unlock an extra treat during Halloween
From From Tuesday, September 22, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Monday, September 28, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time, become buddies with your Mega-Evolved Pokémon and spend time with it! Be sure to take snapshots with your buddy and share them with us on social media using #GOsnapshot. During this time, Pokémon that are large in size will be appearing more often in the wild and in raids. Mega Evolve your buddy and give it a treat to have them appear on the map for comparison! Can you guess which one is taller: Furret or Mega Charizard X? We will also be releasing Timed Research at the end of September to usher in the spooky season.

Features

• Spend more time with your Mega-Evolved buddy! Mega-Evolved Pokémon will stay in their Mega-Evolved form for three times longer, increasing from four hours to 12 hours.
• Poffin duration will double during the event.
• Pokémon that are large in size will be appearing more frequently in the wild, including Doduo, Alolan Exeggutor, Pinsir, Lapras, Snorlax, Furret, Wobbuffet, Mantine, Skarmory.
• If you’re lucky, you might encounter Shiny Doduo!
• Find Pokémon that are large in size in raids throughout the event!
• There will be an increase in Beedrill Mega Energy received from Field Research.
• You can receive Mega Energy for Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise by completing limited event-exclusive Field Research tasks.
• Be sure to take a #GOsnapshot with your Mega-Evolved buddy! You might even have a surprise encounter with a Pokémon of the same species!
• Complete the Timed Research during this event for a chance to unlock an exclusive Timed Research during this year's Halloween Event that features Mega Gengar for the first time in Pokemon GO!

Mega Bracelet avatar items available now!
Avatar items inspired by Mega Bracelets are now available in the shop! It’s said that their design is based on special accessories that Trainers from distant lands once used to help Mega Evolve their Pokémon... Luckily, all we need is Mega Energy!

Mega Evolution–themed Special Research is available
What else can we discover about Mega Evolution? Be sure to open the app to access the new Mega Evolution–themed Special Research, A Mega Discovery, and join Professor Willow as he learns about Mega Evolution. Plus, if you complete the Special Research, you’ll receive Beedrill Mega Energy, which can help Beedrill Mega Evolve!

Are you ready for a Mega September, Trainers? Let’s GO! Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/mega-september-event/

Niantic has announced that a bundle featuring Three Remote Raid Passes will be available in the Pokémon GO for 1 PokéCoin and will be available from September 1st, 2020 until Wednesday, September 30th, 2020.

Friends make Mega Raids more rewarding: Enjoy three Remote Raid Passes for 1 PokéCoin!

Trainers, Your Mega September is just getting started! To help you enjoy this three-week event, we are now offering you a new 1 PokéCoin bundle featuring three Remote Raid Passes. This bundle will be available in the shop until Wednesday, September 30, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7). Remember, you must have fewer than three Remote Raid Passes to purchase more.

With a Remote Raid Pass, you’ll be able to join any Raid Battle you can see in the RAID section of the Nearby screen or that you can tap on the map. Did you know that the faster you win a raid, the more rewards you’ll get? Be sure to battle in raids with your friends so you can win as fast as possible! No matter where your friends are, you can invite them to your raid lobby as long as they have a Remote Raid Pass.

Are you ready to battle in Mega Raids with friends? Pick up the bundle, and let’s GO do some Mega Raids!

Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/post/remoteraidmegas2020

Niantic has announced that Mega Evolution has made its way to the world of Pokémon GO as of August 27th, 2020.

Mega Evolution is here! Battle in raids against Mega Venusaur, Mega Charizard, Mega Blastoise, and more!

Trainers, It appears Mega Evolution has made its way to the world of Pokémon GO! It was observed in some regions, including the Kalos region, that certain Pokémon could reach an additional Evolutionary stage and gain incredible power for a limited time in battle. This became known as Mega Evolution. After some research, Professor Willow has documented some notable differences in how Mega Evolution works in the world of Pokémon GO.

What we know so far about Mega Evolution in Pokémon GO
Select Pokémon can Mega Evolve using a newly discovered resource called Mega Energy. You can collect this mysterious substance by completing Mega Raids, which are Raid Battles that feature Mega-Evolved Pokémon. It seems the faster you defeat a Raid Boss, the more Mega Energy you’ll receive for that Pokémon. You can Mega Evolve any of your Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, and Beedrill once you have enough of their corresponding Mega Energy! Some of these Pokémon are appearing in Mega Raids too. After you’ve Mega Evolved a Pokémon, the Mega Energy required to Mega Evolve that specific Pokémon will decrease from then onward. Please note that Shadow and Clone Pokémon cannot be Mega Evolved.

Keep in mind that you can have only one Mega-Evolved Pokémon at a time. If you Mega Evolve another Pokémon, it appears that the first Mega-Evolved Pokémon will revert back to its original form. To help you keep track of all of the Pokémon that can Mega Evolve and the ones that you’ve successfully Mega Evolved, you can check out the all-new Mega Pokédex. Check it out in your Pokédex!

Explore with your Mega-Evolved Pokémon
Mega-Evolved Pokémon in the world of Pokémon GO stay in their Mega-Evolved forms for a limited time—even outside of battle! While your Pokémon is Mega-Evolved, try doing the following with it.

• Battle in raids. All other Trainers’ Pokémon in the raid will receive an attack boost, and Pokémon whose attack types are the same type as any of the Mega-Evolved Pokémon’s types will receive an additional attack boost for those attacks. Please note that Pokémon can benefit from attack boosts from only one Mega-Evolved Pokémon at a time.
• Battle in Gyms. Note that Mega-Evolved Pokémon can’t defend Gyms.
• Battle Team GO Rocket.
• Battle your friends—Mega-Evolved Pokémon are extremely strong! Note that Mega-Evolved Pokémon currently cannot battle in the GO Battle League, but that might change in the future as we discover more about Mega Evolution!
• Make it your buddy to see it on the map, play with it, and feed it!
• Take a snapshot! Be sure to share snapshots of your Mega-Evolved Pokémon on social media using #GOsnapshot!

Mega Bracelet avatar items available now!
Avatar items inspired by Mega Bracelets are now available in the shop! Trainers in some regions wear Mega Bracelets to help their Pokémon Mega Evolve, but in the world of Pokémon GO, only Mega Energy is required. Feel free to wear one, but you don’t need to for your Pokémon to be able to Mega Evolve.

Mega Evolution–themed Special Research is available
What else can we discover about Mega Evolution? Be sure to open the app to access the new Mega Evolution–themed Special Research, A Mega Discovery. Join Professor Willow as he learns about Mega Evolution. Plus, if you complete the Special Research, you’ll be able to help Beedrill Mega Evolve by receiving Beedrill Mega Energy!

Mega Evolution–themed event coming in September
You can look forward to a Mega September event, Trainers! There will be three weeks of Mega Evolution–themed events and features for you to enjoy. Keep a lookout for more details soon, but here’s a look at what each week will be about.

• From Tuesday, September 1, 2020, to Monday, September 7, 2020, your goal will be to complete as many Mega Raids as you can! Gather Mega Energy to Mega Evolve your Pokémon and feel like a hero in your Raid Battles!
• From Friday, September 11, 2020, to Thursday, September 17, 2020, hone your battle skills with your Mega-Evolved Pokémon. Take part in Gym battles, Team GO Rocket battles, and Trainer Battles (excluding GO Battle League battles).
• From Tuesday, September 22, 2020, to Monday, September 28, 2020, become buddies with your Mega-Evolved Pokémon and spend time with it! Be sure to take snapshots and share them with us on social media using #GOsnapshot.

Now, let’s GO and discover Mega Evolution together, Trainers!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/megaevolution-launch/

With Mega Raids come mega changes to Raid Battles!

Trainers, With the introduction of Mega Raids, we have made the following updates to raids.

Changes to raid tiers Raid tiers have been updated to only include only one-star raids, three-star raids, five-star raids, and Mega Raids. One-star raids and three-star raids now include a greater variety of Pokémon. The difficulty for one-star and three-star raids will remain the same as before, but the rewards have been increased to what two-star and four-star raids awarded, respectively.

Changes to raid bonuses
In addition to the raid-tier changes, a speed bonus is replacing the team-contribution bonus for all raids moving forward. The faster you defeat the Raid Boss, the more rewards everyone participating in the raid will receive! The Gym defender bonus is staying, so teams will still have something to compete for before the raid begins.

• In one-star, three-star, and five-star raids, the speed bonus will reward you additional Premier Balls.
• In Mega Raids, the speed bonus will reward you additional Mega Energy.

Grab a Remote Raid Pass or two from the shop, kick off a Raid Battle, and try out these changes for yourselves. Let’s GO!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/raid-changes-2020/

YouTube Clip - Pokémon GO: Mega Evolution has arrived!

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXxSlpfvqs0

Niantic has announced that they have increased the size of their QA team over the past two months to help address many of the QA issues they've had and hope to reduce the number of bugs that have been affecting the GO Battle League.

A letter to the GO Battle League community

Trainers, We wanted to share an update with you about several issues affecting the GO Battle League. We have been closely monitoring the state of the GO Battle League as well as your feedback on a daily basis, and we’re sharing these details in pursuit of improved transparency. With this in mind, there are two areas of concern we’d like to address:

• The number of bugs
• The Known Issues page

The number of bugs
Pokémon GO’s battle logic is among our most complicated systems, so a bug fix related to the GO Battle League fundamentally has a higher chance of causing subsequent bugs than some of our other fixes. For example, a fix applied during June’s GO Battle League outage is the upstream cause of many of the current Charged Attack, desync, and switch bugs.

What are we doing about it?
Increasing quality-assurance (QA)testing is the best way to resolve issues with inherently complicated systems. As such, we have two improvements to our testing process underway.

• More testers: We’ve increased the size of our QA team over the past two months.
• Automated testing: Automated testing can handle simple, routine tasks so our QA teammates can spend more time on in-depth testing.

The Known Issues page
Our goal for the Known Issues page is for all Trainers to easily find information about common or high-impact bugs they might experience. It isn’t meant to be a comprehensive list of all issues we are aware of or are actively working to fix.

However, we have discussed a better way to share information about issues affecting the GO Battle League, as well as how we can improve transparency on bugs affecting other features. We actively listen in community channels and investigate reported bugs, including those affecting the GO Battle League.

What are we doing about it?
We’ll create and update a separate page for issues related to the GO Battle League. We’ll also reassess how we determine which issues appear on the general Known Issues page and the cadence at which we update that page.

In the meantime, we’ve updated the Known Issues page to include several bugs related to the GO Battle League, and we’ve ensured their status accurately reflects their current resolution state. We’re actively working on resolving those issues, and we’ll update you on the Known Issues page when we have new information to share on our progress.

Closing thoughts
We are dedicated to continuously improving the Pokémon GO gameplay experience and will do so by making changes to our internal processes (such as testing) and communication (such as the Known Issues page). We hope that these next steps will help address those issues.

We’ll continue to update the Known Issues page as we make progress on bug fixes for the GO Battle League. Hopefully, those fixes find their way into your hands soon.

Until then, we’ve got work to do.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/gobattleleague-response-2020/

Niantic has announced details for the events that will take place in Pokémon GO during September 2020. There will be different Legendary Raid Bosses each week and there will be a Victini Special Research.

Different Legendary Raid Bosses each week, Victini Special Research, and more in September!

Trainers, Victini Special Research is coming to Trainers worldwide! Plus, you can look forward to different Legendary Raid Bosses each week! Read on to learn about what’s happening in the world of Pokémon GO in September.

September Research Breakthrough encounter
From Tuesday, September 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Thursday, October 1, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Alolan Raichu, the Mouse Pokémon, will be available as a Research Breakthrough encounter. If you’re lucky, you might even encounter a Shiny one!

A month of different Legendary Raid Bosses!
Look forward to challenging a different Legendary Raid Boss during every week of September!

• From Friday, August 21, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Thursday, September 10, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Heatran will be available to challenge in five-star raids.
• From Thursday, September 10, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Friday, September 18, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Cresselia will be available to challenge in five-star raids.
• From Friday, September 18, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Friday, September 25, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Articuno will be available to challenge in five-star raids.
• From Friday, September 25, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. to Friday, October 2, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7), Zapdos will be available to challenge in five-star raids.

Each week in September, there’ll be a Raid Hour event on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. local time featuring that week’s Legendary Raid Boss in five-star raids.

Pokémon Spotlight Hours
In the month of September, Pokémon Spotlight Hour will take place every Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. local time, and each hour will spotlight a different Pokémon and special bonus!

• Tuesday, September 1, 2020: Eevee will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the XP for catching Pokémon.
• Tuesday, September 8, 2020: Houndour will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the Candy for catching Pokémon.
• Tuesday, September 15, 2020: Tentacool will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the Candy for transferring Pokémon.
• Tuesday, September 22, 2020: Spearow will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the XP for evolving Pokémon.
• Tuesday, September 29, 2020: Skitty will be in the spotlight, and you’ll earn twice the Stardust for catching Pokémon.

GO Battle Night
On Thursday, September 24, 2020, from 6:00 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. local time, you’ll receive twice the Stardust for winning battles, completing sets of battles, and ranking up in the GO Battle League. You’ll also be able to complete 20 sets of GO Battle League battles, up from the regular five sets, for a total of up to 100 battles.

Victini Special Research: Investigate a Mysterious Energy
At the end of September, you can look forward to helping Professor Willow uncover the mysteries of the Mythical Pokémon Victini, the Victory Pokémon, in a new Special Research story—Investigate a Mysterious Energy! If you accessed the exclusive Pokémon GO Fest 2020: Rocket Straight to Victory Special Research during Pokémon GO Fest 2020, completing this new Special Research will earn you Victini Candy.

Jessie and James might be blasting off soon!
Great job keeping Team GO Rocket’s balloons at bay, Trainers. We’re getting word that Jessie and James will no longer appear in Pokémon GO starting on September 30th, so if you haven’t battled them yet, keep an eye out for that Meowth balloon before they make their escape!

Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/post/sept-content-update/

Niantic has announced that more Gift Stickers will be added to Pokémon GO and will be available in the shop.

More Gift stickers coming to the Stickers section of the shop

Trainers, Ever feel like you need a wider variety of Gift stickers to express the sheer depths of the emotions you have for your friends? Well, worry no longer—new Gift stickers are coming! We’re excited to announce that you will soon be able to get more Gift stickers in the shop. Be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receiving push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated on when the new Gift stickers become available.

Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidance from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/giftstickers-update/

Niantic has announced that Heatran will be in raids in Pokémon GO from August 21st, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. PDT until September 10th, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. PDT.

Battle Heatran in raids from August 21, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. PDT to September 10, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7)

Trainers, The Fire- and Steel-type Lava Dome Pokémon, Heatran, will join Raid Battles across the world from August 21, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. PDT to September 10, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7)!

Be sure to assemble a team that includes Water-, Fighting-, and Ground-type Pokémon to take down this Legendary Pokémon before it overpowers your team with its massive strength!

Don’t miss this chance to catch this Legendary Pokémon before it returns to its mountain home! Stay safe, and happy exploring!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/legendary-heatran-2/

Niantic has announced the details for the Pokémon GO Fest 2020 makeup event for Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the Asia Pacific which will take place on Sunday, August 23rd, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time.

Pokémon GO Fest 2020: Upcoming makeup event in Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the Asia Pacific region for Trainers who purchased a ticket

Trainers in Australia, New Zealand, and other parts of the Asia Pacific region, We sincerely apologize for the technical issues that occurred for some of you during the Pokémon GO Fest makeup event on August 16.

On Sunday, August 23, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time, we are holding a makeup event for Trainers in the Asia Pacific region who were affected, specifically in the time zones from UTC+7 to UTC+14.

During this makeup event, some Pokémon featured during Pokémon GO Fest 2020 will be appearing more frequently in the wild. Note that this makeup event will be available only to players who purchased a Pokémon GO Fest 2020 ticket.

Features

• Pokémon featured during the Pokémon GO Fest 2020 Fire, Water, and Friendship habitat hours will be appearing in the wild. Incense will be more effective at attracting the featured Pokémon, and certain featured Pokémon will appear only when attracted by Incense, so be sure to use Incense to encounter all sorts of Pokémon.
• Incense activated during the event will last for one hour.
• Note that the other features of the previous makeup event—such as the special free box, Gifts containing Rare Candies, and other bonuses—will not be active.

Date + Time

• Sunday, August 23, 2020, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. local time for players who purchased a Pokémon GO Fest 2020 ticket. Three different habitats will be featured during this event, each lasting for one hour.
• 11:00 a.m.: Fire
• 12:00 p.m.: Water
• 1:00 p.m.: Friendship

Thank you for your understanding, and we appreciate your continued passion for Pokémon GO!

Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/pokemongofest2020-update2/

Niantic has announced that due to technical issues that occurred during Dragon Week, all Trainers will be able to access new Timed Research during the global makeup event from Friday, August 21st, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Wednesday, August 26th, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time.

Ultra Unlock Dragon Week: Makeup Timed Research event

Trainers, Due to technical issues that occurred during Dragon Week, we’re holding a global makeup event from Friday, August 21, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. to Wednesday, August 26, 2020, at 10:00 p.m. local time.

During this makeup event, all Trainers will be able to access new Timed Research. The rewards for this new Timed Research will be the same as those for the Dragon Week Timed Research, but the tasks will be slightly different. The other features of the Dragon Week event, such as the featured Pokémon appearing in the wild, will not be active during this event.

Thank you for your understanding, and we appreciate your continued passion for Pokémon GO!

Please be aware of your surroundings and follow guidelines from local health authorities when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/post/ultraunlock-dragonweek-make-up-event