Pokemon GO common issues, and how to fix them

Pokemon GO has taken the world by storm, with millions of trainers around the globe hitting the streets to find the rare and illusive Pokemon.

However, the game’s launch was not without its fair share of problems, with server issues plaguing the game’s first few days. A number of other issues are hurting the game’s playability, so we’ve put together a guide to help people get through some of Pokemon GO‘s most common issues.

This guide will take you through all common issues found to have hampered a person’s ability to play Pokemon GO on their smartphone. We will update this guide frequently, so if you come across any other issues, please post in the comments selection below and hopefully the community can help you out.

We also have a stack of other Pokemon GO guides to check out, including our Boosting And Grinding Guide, How To Find And Get Pikachu Guide, and more!

Check them out below.

Pokemon GO Guides

• Pokemon GO Discussion Forum 
• Pokemon GO XP Chart
• Pokemon GO facts that will blow your mind
• Pokemon GO – How To Get Pikachu guide
• Pokemon GO – Battery Saver tips
• Pokemon GO XP Boosting and Grinding Guide
• Pokemon GO Tips To Get You Started
• Pokemon GO Data usage: How much you’ll use, and how to limit it
• Pokemon Go How To Battle guide
• Pokemon Go – How To Find And Catch Pokemon

Pokemon GO AR Mode not working

A number of users have reported not being able to activate AR mode and that they keep getting the error message, “Cannot detect your phone’s orientation”.

Pokemon GO‘s augmented reality feature (AR) allows you to track and capture Pokemon in real time on the streets, making the Pokemon appear in real locations through your smartphone screen.

There are a few reasons why this might not work for you.

Android: A number of Sony Experia, HTC and Huawei phones don’t have a gyroscope, which is required for AR. Look in your phone’s manual to see if your phone support AR mode through gyroscope technology.

iOS: A number of players using iOS 10 beta 1/2 are reporting issues related to their phone not detecting orientation for AR mode. If possible, uninstall iOS 10 beta 2 and revert back to an older OS.

Pokemon GO black screen of death

A number of Galaxy, Nexus and Asus tablet users are reporting a “black screen of death” after the Pokemon GO loadscreen. Intel CPUs reportedly can’t run the game, so if your tablet or smartphone utilises that technology, you may either need to upgrade or miss out all together.

Pokemon GO camera not working

This is a similar issue to the “orientation” issue listed above, in that it’s generally related to your phone not supporting gyroscope technology. However, in some cases people are reporting that they still can’t access Pokemon GO‘s AR features even with gyroscope. This appears to be a not-so-common bug that is affecting older phones that support AR. For iPhone 6+ users, this could also be related to iOS 10 beta 2. It appears to be a bug and may be addressed in future updates.

Pokemon GO failed to detect location / Pokemon GO GPS signal not found

A number of people have reported being unable to find a location or GPS signal on their phone. The errors “GPS signal can’t be found” and “Failed to detect location” make it impossible to get the game started.

Some gamers are reporting to have found a fix.

1. Make sure your GPS is actually switched on (dah!)
2. Ensure your GPS is set to “High Accuracy”
3. Ensure your mobile data is switched on. For more details on how much data Pokemon GO uses, read this guide.

If these simple tips don’t work, you may need to access your phone’s developer options. On Android, go to “Settings”, then “System/About Phone”. Tap the build number seven times to initiate developer options. When you return to “Settings” and then “System”, you’ll see the “Developer Options” option. Open it, and ensure “Allow mock locations” is switched off. This appears to be a common fix for Android users struggling with the GPS signal for Pokemon GO.

Come across any Pokemon GO issues? Post them in the comments below and we’ll try to find a solution for you!