How to Download & Play Pokemon Go in India?
The viral game everyone is talking about, Pokemon Go, is one of Nintendo’s first smartphone games. It released recently in Australia, New Zealand, and the US.
If you have an Android device, you don’t have to wait for the official release date of Pokemon Go in your region. The game is out now in the US in addition to Australia and New Zealand. But if you don’t live in these countries, the game’s APK file is available for download, and it works on Android devices outside of the territories the game is available officially in right now.
“The game is unavailable in my region Brazil, but I could download it with apk pure, just set the region to Australia,” claimed one Reddit user.
(Also see: Pokemon Go Has Full Access to Your Google Account, Here’s How you can Fix)
“I got it working in Canada on a Galaxy S6! I too caught a Bulbasaur in my living room,” said another.
In order to this you’ll need to:
- Download the game’s APK from here.
- If you’re on a PC, attach your phone via USB and copy the file to the Downloads folder.
- On your phone go to Settings, Security and allow for the installation of apps from unknown sources.
- Now simply go to the Downloads folder on your phone and install it.
Keep in mind that Pokemon Go won’t work on Android N just yet and sports some in-app purchases as reported earlier.
Initially the game was discovered on Australia and New Zealand app stores. Usually, most developers use these markets to test out certain aspects of the game such as microtransaction prices and certain design elements. We’ve seen that with titles from other big name publishers like Rovio and EA. Chances are, the same applies here. The US launch seems like a knee-jerk reaction. With an event slated for sometime next month, called Pokemon Outbreak we won’t be surprised to see a formal announcement around that time if not earlier.
Nonetheless, we’ve got the game working, look out for our impressions shortly.
To Play Game
You need to go outside
At first we tried to play the game in our office but we found only one Pokemon and the game just wouldn’t work properly no matter how stable the Internet connection or how many floors we climbed. Head outside, plug in your headphones, look at the phone and you will start seeing Pokemon Gyms, Poke Stops, and of course wild Pokemon.
Don’t play it on Indian roads
If you’ve ever walked on any Indian road, you know how dangerous it is for pedestrians. Most vehicles disregard basic rules such as stopping at traffic lights, one-way streets, flashing indicator lights, etc. Pokemon Go requires you to keep looking at your phone for signs of Pokemon and other in-game landmarks. This is quite dangerous on Indian roads. We found ourselves narrowly avoiding vehicles on crowded roads and stopped playing until we reached quiet streets near our home. The game warns you to always stay aware of your surroundings. We suggest you heed its warning, especially in India.
No Internet? No game
If you’re on 2G, you will not be able to play. Even if you’re on 3G, the game takes time to load if the signal is weak. Since the game requires to walk outside, you’re unlikely to have Wi-Fi coverage either.
It drains your battery
If battery life is precious, there’s no way you’re going to want to play Pokemon Go. The game constantly needs both Internet and location access. Unless you carry a stack of power banks with you at all times, playing this game all the time is a bad idea. On a brand new OnePlus 3, the battery went from 51 to 20 percent after we played this game for just one hour. We recommend playing this game with the battery saver mode enabled in the game’s settings.
But the game is a lot of fun
Walking around in the real world and catching wild Pokemon on your smartphone sounds like a terrible idea, but Nintendo’s execution is on point. We found ourselves taking detours to hit various Pokestops and to catch that wild Pokemon spotted across the road. These Pokemon are quite cute, and the design of the cards is well done. The game has been designed nicely, with the focus strongly being on exploration.
There are no cluttered menus and the settings menu is minimal too – with options just for music, vibrations, and saving battery. Tapping the Pokeball on screen lets you see your Pokedex and personalise your Pokemon. Overall the interface works well for this game. It’s hard to explain the game’s appeal to those who haven’t played it, but you’ll find out if you play the game.
Arjun is a Full-stack developer, who is fond of the web. Lives in Chikmagalur, Karnataka, India
