‘Pokémon GO’ APK Download Guide For Android/iPhone Update: How To Beat The Release Date Delay For International Countries Like Japan
The Pokémon GO APK download for the Android is becoming increasingly popular in many countries not officially supported by Nintendo, which oddly enough includes Japan at this time. So far, the popular Ingress-style game is only available in a handful of countries throughout the world, but potential Pokémon trainers are clamoring for the Pokémon GO Android and iPhone app to be made available immediately. So, if you have a little bit of technical savvy, it is possible to download Pokémon GO manually and install it.
Oddly enough, even though Pokémon originated in Japan, the Pokémon GO release date for Nintendo’s home country was delayed behind several other major countries. This delay angered Japanese Pokémon fans, which caused Niantic Asia’s representative marketing manager, Kengo Suga, to apologize on Twitter.
“This is all of Niantic’s passion put into Pokemon Go. Apologies to the people in Japan for making you wait,” he said (statement was translated using Google Translate).
Niantic?Pokémon GO?????????
???????????????????????????????https://t.co/ojcOMpFtVV— ???? (@kentosuga) July 7, 2016
Japanese Pokémon GO fans were not pleased by this explanation. Some accused Niantic of purposefully delaying the Pokémon GO release date for international countries as part of a marketing scheme.
Last week, Niantic CEO John Hanke told Business Insider the Pokémon GO international rollout was being “paused until we’re comfortable” with the availability of the Pokémon GO server capacity. The company knew the game might be popular throughout the world, but they were surprised at the huge success it became.
“We thought the game would be popular, but it obviously struck a nerve,” Hanke said.
To give you an idea of the game’s popularity, searches for Pokémon GO now beat searches for the word “porn,” and Nintendo is raking in millions of dollars a day. The Pokémon GO UK rollout just occurred, but there remains many countries that are not officially launched, even including Japan, Brazil, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.
Pokémon GO Download Guide
First off, if you live within one of the officially supported countries, then it is best to download Pokémon GO using Google Play or the iPhone App Store. Many international Pokémon GO trainers have reported on social media that it’s possible to play Pokémon GO in countries that have not yet launched, but support is not guaranteed.
Unofficial reports indicate the best way to check for Pokémon GO support in your area is to see if the Niantic game, Ingress, already supports your country. For example, some social media users from Singapore report that the Pokémon GO APK installation worked, but there’s no way to play. But then, some users from countries like Sweden, Poland, and Mozambique (Africa) reported being able to play successfully.
Official Pokémon GO International List
- Australia
- Canada
- Dominican Republic
- Egypt
- Germany
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Portugal
- Russia
- Spain
- United Kingdom
Pokémon GO iPhone Guide
Downloading Pokémon GO on the iPhone is actually very easy. The Pokémon GO update will not be available on your local Apple App Store, but the simple trick is to switch to a United States-based iTunes account. Many international iPhone users have reported that this works. When the game asks for an address, many users are simply looking up an American address (including the White House) and plugging it in.
- Launch Apple App store from your Home Screen.
- Tap on Apple ID: Your Email Address at the bottom of the screen.
- Top “Sign Out”
- Open Settings from your Home Screen in order to change your Region.
- Go to General -> Language & Region -> Region and choose United States.
- Download Pokémon GO from the United States App Store while making certain it’s set for United States (you may need to create a New Apple ID)
- After logging in with a U.S. account, tap Get and then Install.
- After installing, log back into your original iPhone/iPad account.
Unfortunately, downloading the game via this method will not provide any automatic Pokémon GO updates. In order to check for Pokémon GO updates, you will need to log into your United States Apple ID account again and tap on the Updates tab at the bottom of the App Store.
Pokémon GO Android Guide
The Pokemon Go APK installation is a bit trickier. Potential trainers also need to be careful about where they download the Pokemon Go APK file from, since it is possible to pick up malware/viruses from some websites. As such, please download the Pokemon Go 0.29.2 update APK file from from APKPure.com or another reputable APK download site directly on your Android phone or a PC.
- Transfer the APK file to a Downloads folder on your phone. (If you downloaded to PC then please use a USB cable to transfer the file.)
- On your Android phone, go to Settings -> Security. Make sure “Unknown Sources” is checkmarked, since that’s the only way Android will all the APK file to be installed.
- Go to the Downloads folder and tap on the Pokemon Go APK file to install.
In order to update Pokémon GO, this process needs to be repeated with the latest version. Once the game officially launches in your country, it is recommended that you uninstall the Android Pokémon GO app and then re-download it from the Google Play store.
