Pokemon trainers everywhere should probably double check their phone just to be sure you won’t lose access to Pokemon Go during an imminent update.
In a social media announcement yesterday, Pokemon Go developer Niantic confirmed that an incoming update to the hugely popular location-based pet battling game will cut off a range of older Android and iPhones from accessing the game. Android owners will find that anybody on Android 5, also known as Lollipop, will no longer be able to run Pokemon Go. iPhone owners are not immune to this change either. IOS versions 10 and 11, as well as iPhone 5s and 6 devices, will also suffer the same fate. Any trainers with phones newer than this should be absolutely fine.
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. Trainers with devices not specifically listed here will not be affected and don’t need to take any action.
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) August 31, 2020
All of these devices and OS variants are aging by this point, with Lollipop coming out in 2014, so we are hoping that this does not affect too many of you. The iPhone 6, equally, hit markets back in 2014 too. Whether this is more than just a push to ensure a decent quality of life for gamers and allow Niantic and the Pokemon Company to develop Pokemon Go using the sheer runt available in newer phones, we don’t know. We do know that if you have an older iPhone or Android device, you will need to check your OS variant.
Android Owners can find instructions on how to check their OS variant at the official Android support site, and iOS owners again can find details over at Apple support. This particular update doesn’t have a date as yet and while it is likely to be soon, I’d expect his to come after the Mega Evolution themed events running throughout this month. Once you’ve finished evolving that Bulba, maybe take a moment to make sure you won’t lose access to it and all your Pokemon Go loot that you’ve collected out in the wild too.
