Mini Hacks for Pokemon GO Players

Pokémon GO is a very fun game with lots to do and explore. But at the same time, there are things that can happen in the game that might not make it as enjoyable to you and make you discouraged from playing it. In case one of these common situations happens to you, here’s what you can do to resolve it.

A lot of mobile games have this problem and Pokémon GO, despite its popularity, is no different. There might be some times when you are ready to catch that Pokémon you’ve always dreamed of and the game freezes, or you’re in a heated battle with another monster and suddenly your attacks won’t work or the opposing Pokémon isn’t doing anything. Sometimes you might be playing the game and it’ll just restart without warning.

A main reason this might be happening is because of a poor cell phone or signal reception. Since you are getting the data to play Pokémon GO through your phone, your phone needs to have a strong connection to begin with. Try moving to a different area if you see your game lagging or if things are freezing. Another helpful tip would be to connect to a nearby Wi-fi network, but always get permission both from your guardian, parent or responsible adult and whoever is operating that Wi-fi network to play. A lot of businesses and restaurants, though, have been very friendly to Pokémon GO players and are willing to help them out. Still, make sure you have permission from both your adult and whoever is in charge of that Wi-fi.

You can also try closing out of the game for five to ten minutes, and then reopening it and your connection might be better. You can also try turning off your cell phone and turning it back on to open the game. You can also try deleting the app and reinstalling it on your phone; just make sure that you have your log-in information and password written down somewhere or that you have it remembered.

If your adult, parent, or guardian is ok with it, you can also go to their service provider, the company that gives them cell phone service, and see if they can give you information about where you might have a better connection playing Pokémon GO compared to other areas. You can also ask your adult, parent, or guardian permission to see if they can upgrade to a better data plan to help you have a stronger connection when playing the game. The sad truth is you’re not always going to have a perfect connection and things are going to freeze or go slowly in the game from time to time, but these are ways that you can try to make them happen less often.

Even though there is so much to do in Pokémon GO, you might find yourself not feeling challenged by it anymore. Maybe you’ve caught dozens of monsters and there aren’t that many left for you to catch. Maybe you are having difficulty battling other Pokémon, or maybe you’re so good at battling that it’s just too easy to play. This is understandable; we spend a lot of time at our houses, at school, or at work, and if we play Pokémon GO at those places, it’s not going to be as exciting as if we play in new areas.

This is why you should always be exploring new areas to find things in the game that you wouldn’t be able to if you’d just stuck around your own neighborhood all of the time. Here’s a map I still need to explore, even though I’m pretty well acquainted with this area.

If you’re doing so well in the game that you’re at a high level, have caught a lot of Pokémon, and won a lot of gym battles, try setting some personal challenges for yourself. See how many Pokémon you can catch in an hour, and then try to beat that time again. See how many battles you can win and how many gyms you can control in a day, and then try to beat that the next day. Setting personal challenges for yourself is a great way to get more out of the game than what’s immediately on the surface.

If you’re having trouble catching Pokémon, you probably need to practice your throwing skills a bit more and that can only be done by encountering lots of Pokémon in the wild. When you’re throwing, try to see if you can tell why a certain shot went the way it did. When you see why you got a good shot, try to repeat what you did there every time. If you didn’t have great aim or made a bad shot, pay attention to what you did while throwing and you can figure out why it may not be working. If there’s a Pokémon you really want to catch but haven’t been able to, ask your adult, parent, or guardian if they can help you search for where that Pokémon might be in your area. I’ve captured over 250 Pokémon, so its now up to me to make challenges for myself to make the game even more fun and interesting.

If battling is too hard, you might be going to too powerful of gyms, or your Pokémon may not be powered up enough. Try locating new gyms with lower levels of prestige and Pokémon who have CPs that are around the same levels or just a bit higher than your own Pokémon. You might even need to take a break from battling for a little bit to power up your Pokémon so they’ll be ready. If battling is too easy for you, you need to try and find harder gyms to contend at.

It can be hard sometimes to play the game and see how powerful some other trainer’s monsters are, or see how many of your peers have dozens or even hundreds of Pokémon while you just started. Whoever has this Dragonite not only put in a lot of time to get a Dragonite but also put in the time to make it really powerful. I’m not matched up for it yet, so I’ll have to power up my monsters and refine my battling skills if I want to defeat it.

But you have to remember that a lot of people have been putting a lot of time into playing this game and they all started from somewhere. If you’re ever playing Pokémon GO and feel discouraged by how advanced some other people might be, just look at them as goals and work to be as good at the game as they are. And when you get really good at Pokémon GO, you can also help out as other new players learn the ropes.