Hi everyone,

It's been a busy summer and, in addition to battling bots and fixing bugs, we’ve also been busy working on some new features for our Pokémon GO Trainers. As you know, we recently released the new Pokémon Appraisal feature, which helps Trainers identify which Pokémon has the most potential for battle. Today we wanted to let you know about a new feature for the game that is just around the corner.

The next addition to Pokémon GO will be Buddy Pokémon. You will be able to pick your favorite Pokémon from your collection to become your buddy, opening up unique in-game rewards and experiences. Buddy Pokémon will appear alongside your Trainer avatar on your profile screen, adding helpful bonuses such as awarding Candy for walking together. You’ll also have the ability to change your Buddy Pokémon at any time.

We’ve got a lot more in the works this fall. Stay tuned here for all the details.

Thanks,
The Pokémon GO Development Team

It’s almost here! Nintendo and The Pokémon Company just announced that Pokémon GO Plus will be available in much of the world next week, on Sept. 16.

Pokémon GO Plus is a companion device that connects to your phone over Bluetooth^® Smart (the Bluetooth low energy connection designed for health and fitness applications), allowing you to keep your phone in your pocket and go about your day-to-day activities while still being able to collect valuable resources and capture even the most elusive Pokémon. We’ve been testing it here at Niantic and we love the way it allows you to blend Pokémon GO even more seamlessly into family and fitness activities. Now you’ll be able to play and enjoy your walk, run, hike, park trips or visits to the library without having to look at your screen all the time.

As you pass by a PokéStop, Pokémon GO Plus will vibrate and light up and alert you to the location. You’ll even be able to collect new items just by clicking the Pokémon GO Plus. If the...

Trainers,

We just revealed how we’re bringing Pokémon GO to Apple Watch on stage at the Apple event at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.

As you know, Pokémon GO is about blending gameplay and imagination with getting exercise and exploring the real world around you. Apple Watch will add a seamless way to interact with the game through easy trackers, haptic notifications and quick taps to keep playing. Additionally, the Pokémon GO app for Apple Watch encourages workouts with summaries of your activity, which fits in nicely both with Niantic’s mission to get you moving as well as with the way many people already use their Apple Watch. Pokémon GO will come to Apple Watch later in the year so stay tuned.

In other news, we have also revealed a cool milestone for Pokémon GO. In the last eight weeks, Pokémon GO surpassed 500 million downloads around the world and players have collectively walked 4.6 billion kilometers, which is the distance from Earth to Pluto....

Trainers,

Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.37.0 for Android and 1.7.0 for iOS devices. Below are some release notes and comments from our development team.

• Implemented Buddy Pokémon: Trainers will now be able to choose one of their Pokémon to be their buddy. A Trainer can earn Candy for their Buddy Pokémon by walking a certain distance.

• Made it easier to select smaller Pokémon on the screen.

• Fixed an issue where Eggs would sometimes hatch without displaying the animation.

• Improved performance reliability when a device switches networks to no longer cause the application to hang or stop updating.

• Pokémon GO Plus support

• Minor text fixes.

We continue to focus on eliminating bots and scrapers from Pokémon GO. Rooted or jailbroken devices are not supported by Pokémon GO. Remember to download Pokémon GO from the official Google Play Store or iTunes App Store only.

The Pokémon GO team

The Pokémon GO Plus accessory is now available in limited quantities around the world.

The Pokémon GO Plus accessory is a companion device for the Pokémon GO application that connects to your phone over Bluetooth® Smart (the Bluetooth low energy connection designed for health and fitness applications), allowing you to keep your phone in your pocket and go about your day-to-day activities while still being able to collect valuable resources and capture even the most elusive Pokémon. Now you’ll be able to play and enjoy your walk, run, hike, park trips or visits to the library without having to look at your screen all the time.

Trainers,

Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.39.0 for Android and 1.9.0 for iOS devices. Below are some release notes and comments from our development team.

• Capture location: The location where a Pokémon was caught will now be displayed on their information screen.

• Pokémon GO Plus and Incense: Trainers can attempt to capture Pokémon they encounter from using Incense with the Pokémon GO Plus accessory.

• Minor bug fixes

We appreciate your continued support and have some exciting features and changes coming soon.

The Pokémon GO team

Get ready to GO! Trainers in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macau, Macedonia, and Serbia can now download Pokémon GO from Google Play or iTunes!

Explore the world with your Buddy Pokémon! Trainers in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia can download Pokémon GO from Google Play or iTunes!

Trainers in Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, Seychelles, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Chad, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, Egypt, Morocco, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania, Niger, Sierra Leone, Togo, fill your backpack and get ready for a hike! Pokémon GO is available to download from Google Play and iTunes!

Trainers,

We want to give you a sneak peek of a feature coming soon to Pokémon GO. We are adding a new feature which grants a catch bonus when you earn medals based on catching certain types of Pokémon (Kindler, Psychic, Gardener, etc.). These new bonuses will give you a better chance of capturing Pokémon with a related type. For example, as you reach a higher tier for the Kindler Medal, your bonus to catch Fire-type Pokémon such as Charmander, Vulpix and Ponyta increases.

Trainers can work their way to a new tier by catching many Pokémon of the same type. If a Pokémon has multiple types, your bonus will be the average of your bonuses for each type. For example, Pidgey is both Normal and Flying type. Your bonus in this case would be the average of your Normal-type and Flying-type bonuses.

Look forward to this new feature coming soon!

The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

As we continue to make improvements to Pokémon GO, we have made an enhancement to the Gym experience for Trainers of all levels. In an upcoming version of Pokémon GO, when training at a friendly Gym, Trainers will be able to bring six Pokémon to battle instead of one. In addition, the CP of the Pokémon you are training against may be temporarily adjusted lower during your training session to generally match your Pokémon’s battle capabilities.

No matter what your level, you can now have an impact on your team's Gym. Walk with your Buddy Pokémon to that nearby landmark and show your Team Leader that you can battle with the best!

The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.41.2 for Android and 1.11.2 for iOS devices. Below are some release notes and comments from our development team.

• Catch Bonus: Trainers can earn a catch bonus for a Pokémon type as they catch more of a specific type.

• Updated Gym Training: Trainers can now bring six Pokémon to battle at friendly Gyms. The CP of the Pokémon you are battling may be temporarily adjusted lower for your training session.

• Egg & Incubator Screens: These will periodically update the distance walked without the Trainer needing to close and reopen the screen.

• Fixed several audio issues.

• Decreased the evolution animation time.

• Minor fixes

The Pokémon GO team

Trainers who search for Pokémon in the real world using the Pokémon GO Plus accessory can now select one of multiple notification modes. Scanning for both PokéStops or Pokémon simultaneously still remains the default setting if you want to try to catch as many Pokémon and collect as many Poké Balls as possible. However, you can also individually enable or disable each of these notifications based on your preference. In addition, when you are out with your Buddy Pokémon you can choose to not receive notifications, and just record the distance of your walks. Lastly, the Pokémon GO Plus accessory will remain paired with the Pokémon GO app if you choose to use the app while interacting with Pokémon or Gyms.

- The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.43.3 for Android and 1.13.3 for iOS devices. Below are some release notes and comments from our development team.

• Professor Willow discovered that Eggs have different patterns depending on the distance required to hatch them.

• Pokémon type icons have been added to the information screen for each Pokémon.

• Low battery indicator added for the Pokémon GO Plus.

• Minor text fixes

The Pokémon GO team

Trick-or-Treat, Trainers!

It’s Halloween season and we have a treat for you! From October 26th to November 1st, you’ll earn double the amount of Candy every time you catch, hatch and transfer Pokémon! Don’t forget your Buddy Pokémon, because they will help you earn Candy four times as fast.

If you encounter more spooky Pokémon than normal, don’t be startled, they want to enjoy the fun too! Scare up some friends, grab your buddy and enjoy this spooky, fun celebration with us!

Happy Halloween!

The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

We want to provide you a detailed look at a new feature coming soon to Pokémon GO - Daily bonuses! Trainers will soon be able to receive a bonus for certain daily activities, including catching a Pokémon or visiting a PokéStop once a day. You’ll earn a larger bonus if you do this seven days in a row!

Catching a Pokémon every day will earn the following bonus:

• 500 XP
  
• 600 Stardust

Catching a Pokémon every day for 7 days straight will earn the following larger bonus:

• 2,000 XP
• 2,400 Stardust

Visiting a PokéStop and spinning the Photo Disc every day will earn the following bonus:

• 500 XP
• A number of additional items

Visiting a PokéStop every day for 7 days straight will earn the following larger bonus:

• 2,000 XP
• A greater number of additional items

If you catch a Pokémon at any time on Tuesday local time, you’ll be eligible for the next daily bonus on Wednesday at 12 AM local time.

The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

As you might be aware, we’re currently testing a variation of the Nearby Pokémon feature in San Francisco, California. Starting today, we will be expanding the ability for Trainers in parts of Arizona, the Seattle area of Washington state, and the rest of the San Francisco Bay area to test this version of the feature. We will continue to review community feedback, make changes if necessary, and roll this feature out to more regions.

The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.45.0 for Android and 1.15.0 for iOS devices. Below are some release notes and comments from our development team.

• You’ll earn bonuses for the first Pokémon catch and PokéStop visit each day. You’ll receive a larger bonus when you do this seven days in a row.

• When you defeat the Gym Leader at a rival Gym, there will be a brief period of time where only you will be able to place a Pokémon in the open Gym.

• The amount of Prestige a rival Gym loses when you defeat a regular Gym member has increased. The amount of Prestige gained by training at a friendly Gym has been lowered.

• Minor text fixes

The Pokémon GO team

Trainers,

We are excited to let you know that the new daily bonus feature is rolling out right now. The daily bonuses reward you with XP and Stardust for your first catch of the day, and XP and extra items for your first Photo Disc spin of the day at a PokéStop. You’ll get an even bigger bonus if you complete these actions seven days in a row!

To celebrate this feature, from November 7th to November 11th, you’ll find more Pokémon out in the world. Moreover, PokéStops will grant more items! Yes — this means more Great Balls, and for Trainers that are level 20 and above — more Ultra Balls!

Take advantage of it while you can and explore your neighborhoods with Pokémon GO!

The Pokémon GO team

Trainers in Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates, start stretching your legs! You can now discover Pokémon in the real world with Pokémon GO from Google Play and iTunes!