Why Pokémon Go is NOT Safe?

‘Pokemonia’ is not dying anytime soon. If anything, it’s going to get another jumpstart when it’s officially released in Asia (the only Asian countries in which Pokémon is available are Indonesia and some parts of Korea) and elsewhere.

However, all’s not well with augmented reality game. And we are not giving you false alarms, in case you thought so. We’ve compiled a list of problems – real ones – that you might want to know about before you go Pokémon hunting, all guns blazing.

Data Security

Niantic Labs, the developers of the game have full access to your Google account if you are using it to log into the game from an iOS device. Niantic took responsibility for the flaw and has issues a statement informing that they are working on restricting the access drastically to ensure players aren’t sharing anything beyond User IDS and email addresses.

But for now Niantic has full access to all the data in your Google account. You’ve no way of knowing whether you have granted full access to a game/app if you’ve just downloaded and logged onto it with your Google account. You would have to go to the settings to figure out which apps have full access.

The only way you can ensure that Niantic isn’t becoming privy to your personal data is by uninstalling the app. Surprisingly, the Android version of the game doesn’t request full data access.

Server Issues

There have been reports about involuntary game stoppages. That in effect, meant players had to restart the game all over again. Annoying!

“I first encounter the problem after spotting and catching a Bulbasaur a block away from my office. Instead of a screen confirming the digital monster is mine, I get a white Poke ball-like icon in the top left-hand corner that spins and spins and spins,” wrote Roger Cheng in a CNET Article.

The spinning ball have kept players from claiming the Pokemon in spite of them having found the exotic monsters. Niantic failed to keep up with the demand the game garnered leading to the ‘hangs’. But Niantic is working on the problem and told Business Insider that they would not roll out the game globally unless the server issue is resolved.

Battery Life

Games are known to suck out your phone’s battery life. But Pokémon Go is little more aggressive than your average game.  You have to move around while playing it. Some users reported 10% battery loss in 20 mins while others reported a more conservative estimate of 10-20% in an hour. A lot depends on the phone that you are using though.

FYI, Pokémon Go has a battery saving mode and it’s pretty easy to turn on. Just follow these simple steps:

Step #1: Tap on the Pokeball at the bottom of the screen

Step #2: Tap on the Settings option at the top of the screen

Step #3: Tick the box beside the Battery Saver option

The battery saver won’t affect game play in any way.

Alternatively, you can use a battery life extending app to improve your overall gaming experience.

That’s more or less all the cons you need to know about Pokémon Go. We wish you safe game. Is that a Pidgey on your desk now?

P.S: All images sourced from Google.