Pokémon Go

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on Pokémon Go:

How to fake your GPS location for Pokémon Go and other fun stuff

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Fake It Till You Make It
This free, open-source app makes it easy to fake your GPS location.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

You can use a free Mac app called LocationSimulator to spoof GPS in Pokémon Go or to hide your real location on your iPhone. After setting it up, you just plug your phone into a Mac and tell it where you want to “be.” You don’t need to jailbreak and you don’t need to install anything on your iPhone.

Every app on your phone will use it as your GPS location. It’s useful for maintaining privacy — for instance, if you’re posting screenshots online, it’ll mask your real home address. Developers can use it, too, for testing location features in their apps.

Best of all, you just need a Mac. LocationSimulator is free and open-source.

Pokémon Go turns 5, rakes in $5 billion in player spending

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birthday
The world's most popular AR geolocation game turns five!
Photo: Niantic

Augmented-reality game Pokémon Go earned more than $5 billion from player spending in the five years it’s been around, says a new report from app analytics platform Sensor Tower Store Intelligence. Of this, App Store revenue from iOS users accounts for $2.4 billion — or approximately 47%.

Niantic launched Pokémon Go in July 2016. That means the game generated an average of $1 billion per year, making it by far the highest-earning geolocation AR app in the world. In the first half of 2021 alone, Pokémon Go raked in a massive $641.6 million across both Android and iOS.

Dr. Fone – Virtual Location (iOS) lets AR gamers and others ‘teleport’

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Dr. Fone - Virtual Location (iOS) lets you easily spoof your iPhone GPS.
Dr. Fone - Virtual Location (iOS) lets you easily spoof your iPhone GPS location.
Photo: Wondershare

This iOS GPS spoofing post is presented by Wondershare, maker of Dr. Fone – Virtual Location (iOS).

People have been tricking their smartphone apps into thinking they’re somewhere else for a long time. That’s called global positioning system (GPS) spoofing. And while there are surely illegal reasons to do it, there are also plenty of legal ones.

Anyone addicted to Pokémon Go who just sprained their ankle or got snowed in knows what I’m talking about. You still gotta play. And when the game depends upon GPS — as a huge number of location-based augmented reality games do — you need your iPhone to indicate you actually got off the couch.

And the great thing is, whatever your reason for faking your GPS location with an iPhone, Dr. Fone – Virtual Location (iOS) now makes it easy to do, with no jailbreaking required. Alth0ugh Apple does not support GPS spoofing, location changing certainly isn’t just for Android smartphones anymore.

These 5 mobile games pulled in more than $1 billion each in 2020

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Who needs ‘Fortnite’ when ‘PUBG Mobile’ is an out to get a significant upgrade?
PUBG Mobile was the year's big winner.
Photo: Tencent Mobile

The world may have struggled in 2020, but life’s been good on the App Store — and especially if you’re the makers of PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings, Pokémon GO, Coin Master, and Roblox.

Those five mobile games all broke $1 billion in takings in 2020, across both iOS and Android. The first two, both made by Tencent, managed to break through the $2 billion barrier, claims a report from app analytics platform Sensor Tower.

These are Apple’s picks for the best apps of 2020

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Best of 2020 app award
For the first time, Apple created a physical award to hand out to winners.
Photo: Apple

As 2020 thankfully sputters to its conclusion, Apple has released its list of the year’s best 15 apps and games “notable for their positive cultural impact, helpfulness, and importance.”

The App Store Best of 2020 winners cover a multitude of areas — from the Zoom app that more or less defined the year of lockdown to streaming service Disney+ to a nifty sleep app.

Evergreen smash hit Pokémon Go rakes in $1 billion this year alone

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birthday
Still raking in the cash more than four years later.
Photo: Niantic

When it comes to people’s spare dollars, Pokémon Go really is taking that “gotta catch ’em all” mantra seriously!

According to a new report by app analytics firm Sensor Tower, Niantic’s still-ultra-popular AR game, which launched in July 2016, has raked in $1 billion in the first 10 months of 2020 alone. Lifetime spending, meanwhile, hit $4.2 billion globally.

Pokémon Go turns 4 today, passes $3.6 billion in player spending

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birthday
Happy birthday, folks!
Photo: Niantic

Pokémon Go turns 4 today and, while it might not be the shiny new toy of the App Store anymore, it’s not showing signs of slowing down, either.

The AR Poké-spotting game just passed $3.6 billion in global player spending, according to leading app analytics platform Sensor Tower. Of that, almost $1.7 billion — or 46.4% of the total revenue — came from the App Store.

Pokémon Go‘s heartwarming Buddy feature will get even better with Reality Blending

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Pokemon GO
This game is determined to be the very best. Like no game ever was.
Photo: Niantic

Pokémon Go‘s Buddy feature gives you a, well, Poké buddy to go on adventures with, much like Pikachu was to Ash in the animated series.

Now, thanks to a new feature called Reality Blending, the experience is going to get even better — and a lot more glitch-free. If you haven’t seen it, check out the (weirdly tear-jerking) ad for the Buddy Adventure feature below, as well as details about how it’s been improved.

Pokémon Go’s Remote Raid Pass lets you keep playing from home

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Pokemon GO
Coming later this month.
Photo: Niantic

Pokémon Go developer Niantic has been making changes to its game in an effort to ensure fans can continue playing while they’re stuck at home. Its latest is a brand-new Remote Raid Pass that lets you raid without leaving the couch.

It’s one of the biggest changes to Pokémon Go that we’ve seen so far. Here’s how it works.

Pokémon Home for iPhone and iPad finally gets a release date

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pokemon-home
Get ready to catch 'em all.
Photo: The Pokemon Company

Pokémon catching is about to go to an all-new level with the new Pokemon Home app that’s finally set to launch on iPhone and iPad in February 2020.

Fresh details about the Pokémon Home experience were revealed by the Pokémon Company this morning showing how players will soon be able to store and manage Pokémon from games on the Nintendo Switch and 3DS and transfer them to new games.

Student loses 140 pounds in a year playing Pokémon Go

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After losing 140 pounds playing Pokémon Go, Tommy Monkhouse is healthier and happier.
Tommy Monkhouse is healthier and happier, thanks to Pokémon Go.
Photo: Niantic

The world views video gamers as couch potatoes who spend countless hours in front of the TV, and that may be true, for the most part. But there are some spectacular exceptions to the rule.

Tommy Monkhouse credits Pokémon Go for changing his life in a big way by helping him lose a whopping 140 pounds in just one year simply by walking.

Pokémon Go’s best year yet shows novelty doesn’t have to wear off

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Pokémon GO’s best year yet shows novelty doesn't have to wear off
"You mean, people are still playing it?"
Photo: The Pokémon Company

No game dominated the summer of 2016 quite like the augmented reality blockbuster Pokémon Go. Raking in massive bucks and plenty of virtual column inches that summer, the game became a massive smash hit — before fading from view.

At least, that’s the perspective of people who wonder if anyone still plays Pokémon GOIn fact, not only do people still play it; the game just had its best year to date. What’s the secret to its longevity? And why is that a good thing for gamers?

Mario Kart Tour has the second best debut month ever on mobile

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Mario Kart Tour has the second best debut month ever on mobile
Mario Kart Tour lags only behind Pokémon GO.
Photo: Nintendo

Mario Kart Tour, Nintendo’s long-awaited Mario Kart game for iOS, enjoyed the second-biggest mobile game launch month in history. (And Nintendo’s biggest.) Across both Android and iOS, the game racked up 123.9 million unique downloads in its first four weeks.

That’s more than 5x the downloads that Super Mario Run‘s 21.8 million downloads.

Team Rocket hot air balloon signals Pokémon Go arrival

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Pokémon GO’s best year yet shows novelty doesn't have to wear off
Pokémon GO’s best year yet shows novelty doesn't have to wear off
Photo: The Pokémon Company

A Team Rocket hot air balloon flown over Dortmund, Germany, this week all but confirms the evil gang’s imminent arrival in Pokémon Go.

Emblazoned with a Team Rocket logo, the balloon appeared on day one of Europe’s first ever Pokémon Go Fest. It’s the latest in a number of teasers Niantic has put out to signal Team Rocket’s introduction.

But what will it mean for Pokémon Go?

Everyone’s a wizard in upcoming Harry Potter AR game

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The first AR Harry Potter game promises spell casting in the real world
The first AR Harry Potter game promises spell casting in the real world
Photo: Niantic and WB Games

In Harry Potter: Wizards Unite,  players must seek out creatures, objects and people that have made their way into the muggle world through the magic of augmented reality. 

The developers have revealed a first look at this upcoming game that has quite a bit in common with Pokémon Go.

Take the fight to other trainers in Pokémon Go battles

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Pokémon Go trainer battles
Can you be the very best?
Photo: Niantic

Pokémon Go has finally added Trainer Battles, giving players the opportunity to fight against their friends.

Developer Niantic first made battles available to level 40 players, but they are now accessible to those as low as level 10. Here’s everything you need to know about battling your friends.

Pokémon Go player-vs.-player battles teased again

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A major missing feature from Pokémon GO will be added soon.
A major missing feature from Pokémon Go will be added soon.
Photo: Niantic

Every version of Pokémon is about players using pocket monsters to battle other trainers. Well, every version except Pokémon Go, which conspicuously lacks the capability to let you go head-to-head with another player.

Game developer Niantic promised this feature would arrive before the end of the year. The company suggested today that the wait is almost over.

Next Harry Potter game will be Pokémon Go for wizards

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A teaser trailer reveals the theme of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
A teaser trailer reveals the theme of Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
Photo: Niantic

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite will use augmented reality to let players seemingly cast spells in the real world, while encountering characters and creatures from the Wizarding World.

It had been scheduled to be released before the end of this year. Instead, all we’re getting is a teaser trailer and a promise that this AR game will be out in 2019.

70-year-old man uses 11-phone rig to dominate Pokémon Go

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Pokemon go guy
Chen San-yuan is training to be the very best.
Photo: Muumi5x15/Twitter

Turns out the world’s most dedicated Pokémon Go player probably isn’t a pimple-faced teen ditching school but is actually a 70-year-old grandpa in Taiwan.

Chen San-yuan recently became an online sensation for his love for Pokémon Go, which led him to create an insane rig of 11 phones mounted to his bike or waist. You know your Pokémon Go addiction is bad when you’re spending $1,000 a month on new phones and lures.

Take a look at his impressive rig:

New Pokémon Go feature makes exercise enticing

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Pokémon GO is blasting off again with new GO Battle League
Pokémon GO Adventure Sync rewards you for exercising with the Candy needed to Power Up and evolve your pocket monster.
Photo: Niantic

Playing Pokémon GO requires you to get off the couch and explore the world. The game now takes that idea and runs with it (pun intended) by rewarding you for exercising even when not hunting virtual monsters.

Pokémon Go could finally get player battles this year

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Pokémon Go
Battling is the feature every Pokémon fan has been waiting for.
Photo: Niantic

You will finally get the chance to battle against other trainers in Pokémon Go, developer Niantic has confirmed.

The feature could be added into the game before the end of 2018. It will follow the introduction of friends lists, trading, and gifting — and should give players a big reason to keep playing.