Apple says Pokémon Go is the most downloaded app in a first week ever

Tips And Tricks Every Pokemon Go Player Should Know

Apple has told TechCrunch that Pokémon Go has broken an impressive App Store record. While the game was only available in a few countries at the time, the app has attracted more downloads in the App Store during its first week than any other App Store app has in its first week, ever.

Pokémon Go initially launched in New Zealand, Australia and the U.S. Apple didn’t provide any hard number, but it’s clear that Pokémon Go became a massive phenomenon and an instant hit.

The Pokémon Company has continued rolling out the game in more countries over the past few weeks and the game just launched in Japan today. The Pokémania isn’t going to stop any time soon.

It’s interesting to see that more than eight years after the launch of the App Store, there are still some app phenomenons like Pokémon Go. Sure, the App Store novelty has worn off. But you would be crazy to say that apps are dead.

Instead, it looks like usage is shifting as people now know what they want to do with their phone. At first, it was a common thing to open the App Store to discover new apps and find new ways to use your phone.

Now, everybody knows that your phone is the most powerful tool you always have on you. When you’re stuck with something or when you want to do something, you’re still going to look for an app in the App Store. And that might be the reason why Apple is doing search ads in the App Store, because the App Store homepage isn’t useful for this kind of use cases.

POKEMON GO APP POKÉMON GO PLUS Google Maps

Pokemon Go: How to play and other tips and tricks

• Pokemon Go is a free iOS and Android game
• It’s quickly sweeping the world
• Comes from developer Niantic Labs
• Asks for full access to Google Account
• Does not require knowledge of Pokemore lore
• Leverages GPS and cameras to serve up AR experience
• Let’s you physically walk around and catch Pokemon
• Can also battle Pokemon with your friends

Nintendo teamed up with Niantic Labs to revitalise the title for 2016, and that includes creating an app that is very much mobile and equipped with fancy tech like GPS and augmented reality, all of which enables you – the player – to actually catch Pokemon in your real world.

The new app is Pokemon Go. It’s an iPhone and Android game that you’ve probably seen mentioned all over Facebook, Twitter, Reddit… heck, your coworkers are probably even playing it and talking about it in between meetings. So, here’s everything you need to know to catch ’em all.

What in the world is Pokemon Go?

Everyone has heard of Pokemon. It’s a franchise that involves fictional creatures called Pokemon, which humans – known as Pokemon Trainers – try to catch and battle each other for sport. The franchise started as a Nintendo-published video game for the original Game Boy and eventually spawned into trading card games, animated TV shows, movies, comic books, and toys. Now, via Pokemon Go, it’s an augmented-reality game.

You don’t need to know Pokemon lore or anything about the franchise to get started with Pokemon Go. That said, it is a lot like old Pokemon games: you catch Pokemon, battle in Poke Gyms, evolve your creatures, etc – only now you’re doing it all in the real world. You’re no longer using a D-pad to navigate an avatar around. You physically walk about now, and your virtual avatar follows your every movement. Technology, man.

Pokemon Go is exciting because you’re not only catching and battling Pokemon, you’re exploring the real world, discovering cool places and monuments in your town (which are dubbed Poke Stops or Poke Gyms in Pokemon Go), playing with friends on occasion, and getting a taste of augmented reality without having to don a massive or pricey headset, such as Microsoft’s Hololens.

All you need is a smartphone, the Pokemon Go app, and a good pair of trainers.

• What is Pokemon Go and why is everyone talking about it?

How do you get started with Pokemon Go?

Download Pokemon Go for iOS or Android. It’s free. Then, sign up for the game. You’ll need to use your Google account or create a Pokemon Trainer Club account. After signing up, you’ll customise your avatar. You can choose gender, eye colour, hair colour, clothes, and a backpack style.

After you’ve finished customising your avatar, you’ll get a starter Pokemon option. Three Pokemon will appear in front of you. You can choose from Bulbasaur, Charmander, or Squirtle. Once you capture one, the other two will disappear. However, if you walk away from the original trio about four times, you’ll get Pikachu as a fourth starter Pokemon option. Once you’ve done this, you’ll enter the Pokemon Go map.

The map is the main area of the game. It’s like Google Maps. You’ll see unmarked roads, your local landmarks (dubbed Poke Stops or Poke Gyms), and rustling leaves (which means wild Pokemon are around). As you navigate, your avatar will move. Also, you’ll see your player icon in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. You can tap this to view your information and achievements.

You’ll also see a Poke Ball icon next to your player icon. Tap this to access your Pokedex (has information on all the Pokemon species you’ve caught), Pokemon (a list of all the Pokemon you have), Items (this is your backpack; it stores all the items you picked up during your journey), and Shop (lets you buy special items to attract Pokemon; every 20 hours you can visit here to redeem coins).

And finally, you’ll see a Nearby Pokemon icon in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen. Tap it to see nearby Pokemon. Speaking of Pokemon, they might sometimes appear in the map, along with a tiny vibration. Whenever you see one, tap on it to try to catch it.

How do you catch Pokemon?

At the start of the game, you’ll capture your first Pokemon, then you can catch others. Just walk around. You’ll eventually find Pokemon. They appear most often near Poke Stops, so visit your local landmarks, tourist spots, populated areas, etc. As you walk around, your avatar will move on the map using GPS. And when a Pokemon is nearby, it’ll appear on your screen with a vibration.

You can then tap the Pokemon to try to catch it. Tapping will zero-in on your avatar and launch an AR experience in which the Pokemon hops around your environment. Once you’ve found a Pokemon, throw a Poke Ball to catch it (tap and hold on your Poke Ball, and when the glowing ring shrinks, flick your Poke Ball at the Pokemon to hit its head and then release your finger).

If you did that right, you’ll capture the Pokemon. Stronger Pokemon need a more powerful Poke Ball. If the ring surrounding the Pokemon is green, you can catch it. If it’s yellow, you have a chance. If it’s red, you’ll need many Poke Balls or more powerful Poke Balls. Pokemon might also try to escape the Poke Ball after a couple shakes, but just throw another Poke Ball and recapture it.

If you’re low on supplies, go away. Keep in mind other players can catch the same Pokemon. Your friend might see the same Pokemon, but you can both grab it. You can also use special items to lure Pokemon to your location. Incense, for instance, attracts Pokemon to you for 30 minutes. If you use Lure Patch at a Poke Stop though, every player there can catch it for up to 15 minutes.

Pokemon Go 101: Pokemon, PokeStops, and more

Pokemon

Okay, so you don’t need to know anything about Pokemon to get started with Pokemon Go. We’ll still cover the basics, however: At the start of Pokemon Go, you’ll be able to catch the original lineup of Pokemon. But Pokemon come in many types, shapes, and sizes (over 100 are available).

Pay attention to types as you play. You’ll see Fairy, Psychic, Electric, Grass, Water, Poison, Flying, Ghost, Bug, Rock, Ground, and Normal. Pokemon types are limited to certain areas. You might keep finding Pidgey in one area, but if you come across a local river, for instance, you might find Water Pokemon. Also, if you wait until night, you’re more likely to spot Fairy Pokemon.

PokeStops

PokeStops are landmarks in your area. They can be as inconsequential as public pools or as important as statues. PokeStops let you collect items, experience, Poke Eggs (they hatch into Pokemon when you use incubators), etc. You’ll see them as blue poles with cubes on your map. Tap them to see which landmark it is connected with, and then check in when you’re nearby.

The blue cube will turn into a disc when you’re close. Tap it to visit, and inside you’ll see a Poke Stop symbol and the location’s photo and details. Swipe on the disc to spin it, and you’ll get items in return (like Poke Eggs, Poke Balls, etc). As you increase in levels, you’ll unlock new items. And once you visit a Poke Stop, the pole will turn purple and can’t be visited for 10 minutes.

Poke Trainers

Pokemon Go isn’t just about Pokemon. It’s also about you – the Poke Trainer. You can gain levels as a trainer by catching Pokemon, walking to Poke Stops, and battling at Poke Gyms. When you reach higher levels (level five), you can fight in Poke Gyms, get stronger Poke Balls, help make your Pokemon more powerful – and the higher level you are, the better you can take over occupied Poke Gyms.

Poke Gyms

Once you get to level five, you can visit a Poke Gym, where you can join one of three coloured teams: Instinct (Yellow), Mystic (Blue), or Valor (Red). Unlike the original games, the team you choose has nothing to do with the Pokemon you find. After picking a team, you’ll join other players across the world, and each team works together in a group sport of sorts to reign supreme.

In teams, you can join up with your friends. Your team can take over and level up gyms. When you occupy a gym, you also get Poke Coins and Stardust – both of which help you to level up and evolve your Pokemon. Similar to Poke Stops, Poke Gyms are important things in your actual world, and all battles take places in Poke Gyms. Entering an occupied Poke Gym starts a battle.

Items

Items are necessary. You need Poke Balls to catch Pokemon, for instance, and incense to lure Pokemon, and potions to heal them after battles. You can buy items with real currency disguised as Poke Coins, or you can collect items by visiting Poke Stops, but you never know what you’ll find at a PokeStop. Most will help you catch new Pokemon or revive Pokemon.

You can also find Lucky Eggs, which give you double experience for 30 minutes. There’s Lure Patches too, which attract Pokemon to a PokeStop, and Razz Berries, which help you to catch more of the same species of Pokemon, and Poke Eggs, which hatch into new Pokemon.

Incubators

Speaking of Poke Eggs, they need to be placed into an incubator. You start the game with an incubator. You need more incubators if you want to hatch several eggs at once. Once the egg is incubated, you’ll need to walk around before it hatches. You might have to walk six miles before it hatches, and the app must be open the entire time to log your steps.

However, you can only carry nine eggs, so it’s worth loading up your incubator as soon as you can.

Candy and stardust

Now, evolution doesn’t work the same in Pokemon Go. Pokemon don’t evolve or level up after battles. Instead, you must catch many of the same Pokemon. That’ll drop Candy and Stardust. You can also send unwanted Pokemon to the Professor for a single candy, but you can never get that version back. Once you’ve caught enough of one Pokemon type, use the candies to evolve it.

Certain candies only work for certain Pokemon, though they can be used to level up any Pokemon in that evolutionary chain. You can use Candy that Charmander dropped to evolve a Chameleon. Doing this will give you the next evolutionary stage of a Pokemon, raising a Pokemon’s CP (how well a Pokemon can attack) and HP (how much heat a Pokemon can take).

Pokémon Go: 21 tips, tricks, and cheats to be the best trainer in the world!

https://www.imore.com/Pokemon-go-tips-tricks-cheats