Pokémon GO is the biggest mobile game to ever launch in the U.S., with it having more active users than Twitter and more downloads than Tinder for Android.
And even though everyone is hooked on the extremely addicting augmented reality game, that doesn't mean that it is free from flaws. Arguably one of the most annoying problems is not being able to actually play the game thanks to the servers commonly crashing.
Since its July 6 launch in the U.S., the server for Pokémon GO has had a hard time keeping up with all the players. The more people playing the game at a single time, the more crowded the server becomes.
Now that the mobile game is launching in other countries, server issues continue to be problematic — it even caused the delay for its release in Japan, since the server capacity just isn't powerful enough there.
Here are some tips and tricks on what to do when you want to play Pokémon GO but can't.
What to do when the Pokémon GO servers are down.
Check The Server Status:
1. See Server Status
Hate to say it, but when the servers are down, players just need to be patient until they are back up to able to play again. While this is frustrating, the first thing to do when having issues is to check out the website that shows the server status for Pokémon GO.
Players will immediately see if the servers are online or not, and have the option of reporting if the server is up, unstable or down for them. Keep in mind that this site is not associated with either Niantic or The Pokémon Company, but is a great resource when trying to figure out if this is a widespread problem or not.
2. Follow This Twitter Account
Another important resource to check to the official Pokémon GO Twitter account that also announces when there are server issues and when they fixed.
The issues causing the server problems have been identified. Trainers should once again be able to search for Pokémon in the real world.
— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 17, 2016
Know When Servers Are Going Down (And When To Relaunch The App)
1. Predict A Server Crash
IsPokemonDownORNot is another site that just launched, this one by the New York-based startup Datadog, which allows users to see when the game is working smoothly or when it is on the brink of reaching overcapacity.
The site works by checking the time it takes login to Pokemon Go, giving users a warning level when the server is about to crash (login time of more than 15 seconds means servers are about to go down). If the servers are down, check the site to see what is the current login wait time, so you don't waste your time relaunching multiple times.
2. Look For The Loading Pokéball
If it's taking more than a few seconds for Pokémon GO to load, there's a good chance it's not going to. Similarly, once in the game, you can predict that you will about to run into delays when the Pokéball icon in the top left corner starts spinning. This is the sign that the game is loading. If this happens frequently, it's time to give it a rest.
Figure Out When To Play
It's safe to say that the servers are at a higher risk of being down during peak playing times when players are on their way home from work or have nothing to do on the weekends. That means avoiding the times when a lot of people might be playing, such as during early morning commutes. Wait until 10 a.m. instead of 8 a.m., 3 p.m. instead of lunchtime, or 9 p.m. instead of 5 p.m. to avoid the virtual crowds.
Update The App
Some players may have not updated the app since first installing it. Do so right now because for its UK launch, there were thousands of people playing on one network who installed the game early, but an update of the app helped fix server issues.
