Pokemon Go Will End Support For Older iOS And Android Phones In October
Bad news for trainers still rocking older smartphones. Niantic announced Pokemon Go is dropping support for Android 5, iOS 10, iOS 11, plus iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 devices when October update rolls out. If your phone is on that list your Pokemon journey is hitting a wall.
Developer tweeted the announcement giving affected users roughly a months warning. Anyone with devices not specifically listed should be fine. But if youre hanging onto phone from 2014 or earlier its finally upgrade time or goodbye catching em all.
Why Niantic Did This
iPhone 5S and 6 have just 1GB of RAM which apparently isnt cutting it anymore. Niantic told The Verge they dont want to “hold back development and implementation of features for the vast majority of players who have more robust phones.”
Translation: older hardware is limiting what they can do with the game. Pokemon Go added increasingly demanding features like AR+ and Mega Evolutions. These push hardware requirements up. Maintaining compatibility with ancient phones constrains new development.
What Happens To Affected Users
Come October trainers on affected devices wont access Pokemon Go at all. This includes any PokeCoins or items accumulated – theyll be inaccessible until you log in from supported device. Account survives but you cant play.
If you somehow manage to get game running on unsupported device after update Niantic warns they wont provide technical support for any issues. Youre on your own.
Broader Pattern Here
This isnt Pokemon Gos first culling of older devices. Game dropped support for 32-bit Android phones earlier in 2020. Before that Apple Watch support ended. Trajectory is clear: as game evolves older hardware gets left behind.
Phones being dropped are five to seven years old at this point. In mobile computing terms thats ancient. Most users probably upgraded already. But for kids using hand-me-down devices or adults in regions where new phones are expensive this hurts.
Silver Lining I Guess
Pokemon Go has been remarkably successful even during pandemic generating over $250 million in Q2 2020 despite inherent challenge of game encouraging you to go outside. Niantic made game more playable from home which helped.
That success gives them confidence to make decisions that might alienate small percentage of users. If your phone makes the cut expect new features taking advantage of better hardware. If your phone doesnt make cut well. October is coming.
