Pokemon Go is now officially available in India to download. Reliance Jio is now an official partner of Pokémon GO in India.
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Reliance Jio has partnered with Niantic to bring the game to India where thousands of Reliance Digital Stores and some partner stores will appear as ‘PokéStops’ or ‘Gyms’ come December 14, when the game will be available to download via the Play Store.
The idea behind Jio partnering with Niantic for Pokemon Go is that you can play the game without incurring any data charges till March 2017, that is a huge bonus for players who are still to get into the game. Moreover, players will have exclusive access to the Pokemon Go channel on Jio Chat where they can share their experiences, come up with contests and collaborate on hunts.
What is Pokemon Go?
Pokemon Go is a game for smartphones based on Nintendo’s classic Pokemon games. It’s available for both Android and iOS. It uses your phone’s camera to show you cute monsters (Pokemon) you can collect for points. You can also train these Pokemon up and make them battle in ‘Gyms”. Less than a week after its release, Pokemon Go was already more popular than Tinder.
Nintendo did not make Pokemon Go
A common misconception is to confuse Pokemon with Nintendo. We can’t blame you for that considering that the Pokemon games have been available on Nintendo’s consoles for the longest time. Pokemon Go is developed by The Pokemon Company — the firm responsible for marketing and licensing the Pokemon franchise; and Niantic — which used to operate as a part of Google, and was later spun off as a separate company when Google became Alphabet.
You don’t need Reliance Jio to play Pokemon Go
Although Niantic has partnered with Reliance Jio to launch Pokemon Go in India, the game is playable on other operators such as Airtel and Vodafone too. Of course, with Jio’s ongoing free data services, you can use it to download and play Pokemon Go without incurring further costs.
Reliance Digital Stores and the company’s select partner premises in India will appear as PokeStops or Gyms within the game from Wednesday, but this won’t be restricted to these either. With Starbucks and McDonald’s being sponsored locations globally, you can expect others to come on board soon enough. And yes, there will be in-game advertising to boot.
A possible reason for India’s late Pokemon Go release date
In a post on Niantic’s website, the developer explained the reason for its delayed launch outside a few select markets.
“We have limited access by third-party services which were interfering with our ability to maintain quality of service for our users and to bring Pokemon Go to users around the world. The large number of users has made the roll-out of Pokemon Go around the world an… interesting… challenge,” admits the company, reiterating its desire to bring the game to other nations. “And we aren’t done yet! Yes, Brazil, we want to bring the game to you (and many other countries where it is not yet available).”
This could explain the delay in launching the game in India given that Pokemon Go is dependent on you being always online to play it.
Important things to know before playing Pokemon Go
Pokemon Go will possibly destroy your phone’s battery life and demands a good 3G connection at the very least.
Pokemon Go tips and tricks for beginners and pros
While Pokemon Go might be one of the biggest successes of the year, it isn’t the best explained. We’ve covered some necessary tips and tricks to help you be the best trainer around. If you’re an advanced player who understands the basics but needs help with some of the finer points, this guide may be of use.
You won’t burn through your data plan with Pokemon Go
Network analytics firm P3 Communications Inc. has discovered that the app only uses around five to 10 megabytes of data per hour. As a comparison, an hour of HD video weighs in at about 350 megabytes.
Pokemon Go is not on Windows 10 devices
Despite attempts from rabid Windows 10 users to get Pokemon Go onto their devices, Niantic has focussed all its attention on the iOS and Android versions of the game. A petition did surface, hitting 41,600 signatures in short time, and Microsoft Portugal did put out a statement that it would end up retracting soon after, but it is safe to say that you won’t be able get it on hardware running Microsoft’s OS anytime soon.
Catching Pikachu in Pokemon Go won’t be easy
The mascot of all things Pokemon isn’t simple to get. Don’t worry though, as we’ve found a few tricks to help you get the little guy if you want to. Here’s a guide to help you do just that.
Pokemon Go new features
Months after release, Niantic revealed a slew of updates. One of these made it easier to catch rare Pokemon, another allowed for daily bonuses and the Nearby feature, which was in need of a revamp to let you track Pokemon more accurately was done as well.
