Latest Pokémon GO update means older phones won't be able to support popular game from October

Bad news for Pokémon GO fans with older phone models
The Pokémon Company
Jack Webb @JackWebb922 September 2020

Pokémon GO is going to end support on older phone models and operating systems when a new update goes live in October.

Anyone who currently plays Pokémon GO on an Andriod 5, iOS 10, and iOS 11 operating systems, as well as iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 devices will be affected by this update.

If you use a device or operating system not specifically listed here, you will not be affected and will be able to continue playing the game no problem.

For those of you who will be affected by this, it means that your current phone or operating system will either be outright unable to play the latest version of Pokémon GO, or at the very least run it extremely poorly.

Further to that, any PokéCoins (in-game currency) collected on your account will also be removed when update version 0.189 goes live in mid-October.

It seems likely that the update is boxing out older phone models because the company is trying to optimise for a specific operating system, which can do more than older versions and make the game more enjoyable for those who have more powerful devices.

You can play just like normal until the update goes live, but once it does the game will no longer be supported officially.

The official Pokémon GO website is saying to customers using any of the listed devices to "consider upgrading them if they wish to continue playing Pokémon GO".

If you do decide to get a new device to continue playing GO, The Pokémon Company has assured people that they will be able to log back into their normal accounts to have all their progress saved on a new device.

After the update, there is every chance that your phone will be able to run and install Pokémon GO, but it means that there will be no support, bug fixes or optimisation, in theory rendering the game unplayable.

You can see a more comprehensive list of affected devices and learn more by visiting the help centre on the official Pokémon GO website.