12 "Pokemon Go" Hacks That Will

Definitely Help You Catch 'Em All

Lucia Peters

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Millennial in possession of a cool

piece of technology must be in want of some hacks. As such, it is utterly
unsurprising that "Pokemon Go" hacks, tricks, and secrets have been flooding
the internet this week. In the days since its release, users of the augmented
reality game have uncovered an impressive array of tips, techniques, and
Easter eggs guaranteed to help any would-be Pokemon trainer catch em all.
So lets take a look at a few of them, shall we? I mean, we all want to be the
very best, right?

If you have somehow managed to exist this week without encountering

"Pokemon Go" in any form, a) I applaud you, because that is quite a feat, and
b) heres a brief primer: "Pokemon Go" is an augmented reality game which
lets you catch Pokemon in the real world sort of. By using your phones
GPS and camera, the app ties together the physical world with the virtual one.
If you have it running while youre out and about, your phone will alert you
when theres a Pokemon nearby, and if you pull out your device and try to
catch said Pokemon, you do so by looking through your phones camera.
When the battle displays on the screen, it looks like the Pikachu youre trying
to catch is hanging out in your actual environment. Like so:

Caught Pikachu! #PokemonGo

Victor Ulloa (@ulloa_victor) 11>22 AM - 10 Jul 2016 Santana Row

Theres much more to it, of course, but thats the general gist. Naturally, the
internet has gone bonkers for the game. I assume its a combination of the
super cool technology and the fact that anything Pokemon hits all our
nostalgia buttons in all the right ways. But if youve been wondering whether
there are ways to make your "Pokemon Go" experience even better, guess
what? There are! Here are 12 of them to start. Its far from an exhaustive list,
but it should get you going. Have fun, kids.

1. Get Pikachu As Your Starter Pokemon

How To Pick Pikachu As Your Starter In Pokmon Go

"Pokemon Go" has three main starter Pokemon that spawn wherever you are
as soon as you start playing the game: Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle.
If, however, you ignore those three starters when they appear and keep
walking, then continue to ignore them enough times when they respawn,
theyll eventually appear with a fourth one in the mix: Pikachu. Here are
detailed instructions for how to get Pikachu as your starter Pokemon.

2. Hatch Eggs Faster (Sort Of)

If you want to hatch an egg faster, its unfortunately not as simple as hopping
in your car and driving somewhere. As Los Angeles Magazine notes,
Pokemon eggs hatch after being incubated for a specific distance, but theyre
immune to high speeds. In other words, youre not going to hatch a Pikachu
going 65 miles an hour. After all, this is a game that encourages physical
activity, not driving. (Also, please do not drive and play "Pokemon
Go." I mean it, you guys. That way lies disaster and car accidents.)

But, if you live in a place where traffic jams are common, you might be able to
use them to your advantage. Writes LA Mag: bumper-to-bumper speeds
simulate walking or biking, meaning those eggs have a good chance of
hatching. Or you could actually do that whole hopping-on-a-bike thing
youll cover more ground quickly, but at a speed slow enough to incubate your
egg. Voila: Slightly faster egg hatching for would-be Poke-parents.

3. Find More Pokemon

Pokemon are designed to spawn in areas with high cellphone traffic, so your
best bet for finding more of the little critters is to go somewhere thats home
to a lot of crowds monuments, tourist attractions, parks you get the idea.
Your odds are even better if you live in a highly-populated city.

4. Find Specific Types Of Pokemon

.@hugeinc Omggggg my office desk is a breeding ground for ghastly yassssssss!!!!
#PokemonGO

christina lu (@christlu) 8>52 PM - 12 Jul 2016 Huge

Pokemon tend to spawn near their in-universe natural habitats. Water types
can be found near lakes, oceans, and other bodies of water. Grass types
congregate near forests. Ghost types only come out at night. So on and so
forth. Try experimenting with going to different areas and exploring at
different times of day to widen the variety of Pokemon you encounter.

5. Make It Easier To Catch Pokemon

Turn off the augmented reality aspect of the app. I know, I know isnt that
what makes it fun? Well, yes, but its also a lot easier to keep the tamer
Pokemon in your view for longer, thereby preventing them from running
away before you can catch them, without the AR on.

After you level up, you can also feed Pokemon Razz Berries to make them
easier to catch, or use Ultra or Master Balls to up your chances of making a
successful capture.

6. Recover Missed Pokeballs

Source: GLENN CHAPMAN/AFP/Getty Images

According to IGNs "Pokemon Go" Wiki, you can pick up Pokeballs that
missed their target if youre fast enough. After youve launched a Pokeball at a
Pokemon while trying to capture it and miss, tap the ball while its still visible
on the ground. If you have terrible aim (like, uh, me), this trick will prevent
you from blowing through all your Pokeballs with nothing to show for it.

Update: Word on the street has it that this is no longer the case; it may
have been a glitch. Curses!
 6 Pokemon Go Hacks To Help You Catch 'Em All | Bustle Bite

7. Get More Pokecoins For Free With Google Opinion

Rewards

Alas, this one is Android-specific, so iOS users are out of luck. If youre an
Android user, though, download Google Opinion Rewards. Answering
surveys on it earns you credit in the Google Play store, which you can then
use to stock up on Pokecoins without having to shell out actual cash.

8. Get Better Gear From Pokestops

To do this, you have to visit the right kind of Pokestop. In general, they tend
to be public places where people might gather in the real world. As Bustles
Allie Gemmill commented, Places like churches, gyms, malls, and parks all
have the ability to be marked as Pokestops. But some Pokestops are, shall we
say, a little more special than others. The more well-known a Pokestop is
think a national landmark, rather than the bodega down the street the
better your chances of getting better gear, like potions and other goodies.

9. Find ALL The Pokestops

Want to know where all the Pokestops are? This map should help. Its user-
created, and anyone can add to it, so proceed with caution. But if you dont
feel like simply wandering around until you find a Pokestop (or a gym the
map has those too), its a good alternative.

10. Visit The Same Pokestop As Many Times As You Like

Oh cool, the weird Dog Statue at the Vet is a pokestop right across the street from my work
#PokemonGO

Poch Davis (@yogeh) 3>35 AM - 7 Jul 2016 Athens, GA

You might have noticed that after you visit a Pokestop, the icon turns purple
and youre unable to revisit it. What you may not have noticed, though, is that
youre only unable to revisit it for about five minutes or so. If you just stick
around and wait until it becomes accessible again, youll be able to stock up at
the same Pokestop over and over and over again. Theres no limit to how
many times a day you can hit up the same Pokestop except maybe the
limits imposed by time itself. (That is, if you revisit the same Pokestop every
five minutes for a complete 24-hour period, the maximum number of times
you can get new gear from it in one day is about 288.)

11. Trade Duplicate Pokemon In For More Candy

Not sure what to do with all your duplicate Pokemon? Trade the lower-level
ones over to Professor Willow. Hell give you candy in exchange, which will
help you evolve the Pokemon you choose to hang onto.

12. Save Your Battery

Some super sick photos released from #pokemon for Pokemon Go! My phone battery is gone
already #Pokemon20

RetroSpectacle (@RSpectacle) 11>07 PM - 24 Mar 2016

Like a lot of apps that make liberal use of GPS technology, "Pokemon Go" can
be a bit of a drain on your phone's battery. To make the most of what youve
got, turn on your battery saver mode by tapping on the Pokeball on the main
screen, then hitting the Settings gear in the upper right hand corner. After
youve toggled battery saver on, turn the phone upside down and its screen
will go blank. The app will still be on, and itll still track your movements and
send you notifications when Pokemon are near; it just wont display them on
the screen as you go

You can also save a little more juice by turning off augmented reality. Sure,
its not quite as fun to battle Pidgies in a cartoon landscape rather than in
your living room, but its a small price to pay to keep your phone running for
longer.

Images: Giphy (6)