So fans playing the popular ARG Pokemon Go on Apple Watches are in for some bad news. They’re about to have to go through the same hurdles that those on unsupported platforms go through, asNiantic is dropping Apple Watch support for Pokemon Go.
This means that users on these devices will have to use some sneaky tricks to keep playing, or switch devices. Users on outdated Android and Apple devices have their workarounds, but WatchOS5 loves to throw wrenches into the works. The OS, released last year, infamously didn’t support older Apple Watches from the first generation, so it’s unclear if WatchOS 5 will even work with the new versions of Pokemon Go.
There are a couple of other options aside from switch devices or sideloading chicanery. With Adventure Sync, Pokemon Go players can upload their GPS tracking from both the Apple Health or Google Fit apps and gain credit for any steps and distance traveled. This won’t gain credit in the game for actually catching Pokemon or spinning Pokestops, but you can still get progress forhatching eggs and earning candies. This does require syncing with Apple Health, so it might be ideal for many players.
There is also the potential to use the Pokemon Go Plus when paired with another device. And with the announcement of the new Pokemon Go Plus+, Niantic will likely begin expanding their featureset for the popular mobile title to take advantage of the new tech. With the announcement of the Pokemon Sleep app, there’s some other potential as well for new experiences, although it’s pretty unlikely that this new app will come to Apple Watch anytime soon if at all.
And while the reasons for this dropping of support are pretty obvious, it’s still sad when it happens. Admittedly, the app for Apple Watch devices suffered from bugs and performance issues a lot, so I can’t imagine too many players being absolutely married to the idea as of now.
