The viral game everyone is talking about, Pokemon Go, is one of Nintendo’s first smartphone games. It released recently in Australia, New Zealand, and the US. The game is not yet officially launched in India but you can download here, install, and play Pokemon Go on your Android phone even if you don’t live in those regions.
I played the game for a few hours in Mangalore. India, and here’s what you need to know before you do the same. You need active Internet connection to play this game. You won’t be able to play the game offline or without Internet connection.
It drains your battery
If battery life is precious, there’s no way you’re going to want to play Pokemon Go. The game constantly needs both Internet and location access. Unless you carry a stack of power banks with you at all times, playing this game all the time is a bad idea. On my HTC Desire 820, the battery went from 88 to 60 percent after I played this game for just 30 minutes. I recommend playing this game with the battery saver mode enabled in the game’s settings.
But the game is a lot of fun
Walking around in the real world and catching wild Pokemon on your smartphone sounds like a terrible idea, but Nintendo’s execution is on point. I found taking detours to hit various Pokestops and to catch that wild Pokemon spotted across the road. These Pokemon are quite cute, and the design of the cards is well done. The game has been designed nicely, with the focus strongly being on exploration.
The social experience is everything in Pokémon Go. It’s the reason the game has blown up, and it’s the reason I’m interested in sticking with it.
Feel the fun by downloading the apk file here
How to get Pokémon Go from the U.S. App Store, even if you’re not in the U.S.
First you need to logout of your local App Store:
- Launch App Store from your Home screen.
- Tap on Apple ID: [your current email] at the very bottom.
- Tap on Sign Out.
Next you need to change the region on your iPhone or iPad: - Launch Settings from your Home screen.
- Tap on General.
- Tap on Language & Region near the bottom.
- Tap on Region
- Check off United States.
Now you need to create the new account in the U.S. Store:
- Go to the Pokémon Go listing on the App Store on your iPhone or iPad. (Tap that link!)
- (Tap Change Store if it stays stuck on your old region and says the item isn’t available in the current store.)
- Tap Get.
- Tap Install.
- Tap Create New Apple ID.
- Check United States if it isn’t already checked.
- Fill out the required information.
- Tap None for billing information. Pokémon Go is free, and you can always buy U.S. iTunes gift cards later if you want to purchase other content from the store.
- Launch Mail to verify the email address you used for the U.S. account
Finally, download Pokémon Go:
- Go to the Pokémon Go listing on the App Store on your iPhone or iPad. (Tap that link!)
- Tap Get.
- Tap Install.
- Login to your new U.S. iTunes Account if you aren’t already logged in.
- Repeat the Get and Install steps if you have to.