• News
• Modojo @ Shacknews

Pokemon Go Soon To Drop Support For Older iOS Devices

Future updates spell bad news for iOS users incapable of upgrading to the latest software.

Kevin Tucker

January 11, 2018 1:00 PM

1

Pokemon Go continues to be a dominant title among mobile gaming fans, but a future update to the game is likely to remove essentially all usability for a number of its players. According to a tweet posted by Apple Insider, Pokemon Go is gearing up to evolve into an iOS 11-only form as of next month, meaning users who still haven't jumped into the latest version of Apple's operating system might soon find themselves completely unable to play the game.

.@Nianticlabs 'Pokemon Go' to go #iOS11-only in late February #ARKit https://t.co/J6D7o0xq0F pic.twitter.com/KTC1E8xx13

— AppleInsider (@appleinsider) January 10, 2018

At first it seemed like this news meant Pokemon Go would only be able to run on devices with iOS 11 currently installed, but in a tweeted response, developer Niantic Labs clarified that the game will still run on devices that are compatible with iOS 11.

Actually, Trainers will still be able to play the game using iOS 9 and above. The device must be compatible with iOS 11, but it doesn't need to be upgraded to iOS 11 at this point. For more information: https://t.co/1Xv2XOyf8d

— Niantic Support (@NianticHelp) January 10, 2018

Even though that definition slims down the number of users who will lose access to the game, according to Pokemon Go's official support page, the new updates to the game will specifically rule out iPhone 5 models as well as third- and fourth-generation iPads. Here's the list of devices that will soon become incompatible with Pokemon Go, straight from the Pokemon Go support website:

For now, players running iOS 9 or later should be okay — they won't have access to Pokemon Go's updated AR features, but the game should basically run fine otherwise. For all the users running the above-listed devices, particularly the iPhone or 5c or the first-generation iPad mini, the game will effectively go dark alongside the update that will release on February 28.

Kevin Tucker

Guides Editor

Kevin Tucker is a core component of Shacknews' powerful guide development team. For questions, concerns, tips, or to share constructive criticism, he can be reached on Twitter @dukeofgnar or through e-mail at kevin.tucker@shacknews.com.