The game launched in Germany today, July 13, and is technically available worldwide if you exploit a loophole and change the settings on your phone.
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Android users can find the Pokemon Go app at this link into Google Play.
Meanwhile cases of armed robberies and injuries involving Pokemon Go players have also been reported.
Following the successful release of Pokémon Go, the game has crept to other regions of the world – even to some areas where it has not been yet officially released. Imagine a social media in AR, or an AR gym app that needs you to exercise to progress in the game.
Niantic quickly responded, claiming the move was unintentional, reassuring users that it was not collecting any exceptional data. But “the Pokemon Go account creation process on iOS erroneously requests full access”. Twenty-one million people! For context, the U.S. as a whole has a population of around 319 million, meaning that within a week of launch, one in about every 15 people anywhere in the country has signed up for this game.
iPhone users will have to wait for an official release. Currently, Pokemon Go is available in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and now Germany. Such news is music to Nintendo which did not expect that a 90s game revival could be so successful. In addition to most of Europe, the game is also not available in Japan, where the Pokemon franchise remains popular. The app only accesses a player’s User ID and email address, the company said. Download it for free in the UK App Store here.
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Both Nintendo and Niantic, which developed the game in tandem with Pokemon Co, declined to comment. It is estimated that there are more than 20 million Americans playing “Pokemon Go” every day, according to a Survey Monkey report.
