The latest Pokémon Go update appears to have erased the progress of a great many Pokétrainers, especially those who use iOS. However, it’s an easy problem to fix – here’s all you need to know and how to restore your progress.
The problem
The latest Pokémon Go update hasn’t exactly gone down a storm. It’s killed a couple of much-loved features without really adding anything of note and, worse still, appears to erase the progress made by committed Pokéheads all over the world.
Acknowledging the issue, the team behind Pokémon Go tweeted:
https://twitter.com/statuses/759840060132831232
The bug is apparently down to the new version of the game linking up with your Google account via Safari (Safari! Bloody SafarI!) for authentication purposes.
That means that if you’re logged into Google in Safari using a different email to the one you signed up for Pokémon Go with, you’re going to have a wee panic next time you fire up the game, because it’ll look like you’re starting from scratch and are back at level one.
Fortunately, you’re not alone and there’s an easy fix.
Related: Pokémon Go tips and tricks
The fix
As Niantic says, your Poké progress remains intact, so first thing’s first – stop crying.
Then, all you need to do to restore your progress is to first log out of your Pokémon Go account in the app – some users are reporting that this takes a couple of tries to complete successfully.
Now, head into Safari – you can find this by navigating to the fourth page of your Home screen in the ‘Useless Crap’ folder, nestled next to Tinder.
Get over how horrible an experience Safari is and make your way to your Google account. Log out of that, too. Now, log-in to Google again, using the same email you signed up to Pokémon Go with.
Exit Safari, go back to the Pokémon Go app, and log-in again. The problem should be resolved and you should have all of your progress back.
While the issue is primarily thought to be affecting iOS, Android users have also reported joy with this workaround when experiencing similar problems.
Related: 7 clever Pokémon Go hacks
Watch: What is Pokémon Go?
Did this fix work for you? Let us know and share any other solutions you’ve found in the comments below.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.