How to install and play Pokemon Go in South Africa

I suspect you've heard about this phenomenon called Pokemon Go...  It makes the inside dwellers go outside and the already active become even more so.

If you are unfamiliar with the term Pokemon Go, it is an app/game for your smartphone where you attempt to "Catch 'em all!", meaning the Pokemon.  Here is a quick overview of how the game works and, how to install it in South Africa.  

As it is not yet released here, and no known date of release have been revealed yet, you have to go around the system. Tap on the “Security” option.

While the worldwide release for Pokemon GO isn’t exactly “worldwide’, there is a workaround which allows users outside of Australia and New Zealand, like us South Africans, to experience the world of Pokemon for ourselves. To run it in your region simply download the APK File online and transfer it to your device – you can simply email the APK link to yourself and download it onto your phone. All phones are factory set to block unofficial APK files so you will need to turn this setting off before you can install it. Go to Settings on your phone and switch to the “general” tab, if needed.

1. Tick the checkbox next to the “Unknown Sources” option.
2. Confirm the warning message by tapping on “OK”

Play Pokémon Go on iOS

The first of the two mobile operating systems we will cover will be Apple’s iOS 9, which is the current stable release, and also the easier one of the two to obtain and play Pokémon Go.

1. The first thing you have to do is get that extra email address. If you are having a hard time finding one, you can go on over to Google’s Gmail or Microsoft’s Outlook, and create a new one with no strings attached (I recommend Google, as Pokemon integrates with Google quite nicely).
2. Once you have your new email address, simply open the App Store on your iOS device. Once the main page has loaded, scroll down all the way to the bottom. Tap on your Apple ID and tap ‘Sign Out’.
3. After you have signed out, simply go on over to any free app, and attempt to download it. It should now ask you to either ‘Use an Existing Apple ID’, or to ‘Create New Apple ID’. Here, you need to create a brand new Apple ID in one of the countries where the game is currently available. In my case, I chose the United States.
4. During the creation process, be sure to select “none” on the Billing screen. Then scroll down and add a public address situated in the country you chose earlier. The best solution here is to use an address for a hotel which is publicly available and can be found using Google.
5. After you have done this, the App Store should switch over to the country that you chose during the creation process. Simply search for Pokemon Go, and you are set.
6. Remember to sign out with this new account and sign in again with your real Apple ID after you have downloaded Pokemon Go, in order to ensure that your Apple App store switches back to South Africa.

Play Pokémon Go on Android

On Android, the process can be a little bit trickier, or easier, depending on your level of expertise with the mobile operating system. This method has been tested on Android 4.4 Kitkat, which is the oldest version of Android that supports the game.

1. First, you will have to give your Android device the ability to install and run third-party, and unsigned applications from websites outside of the Google Play Store. You will have to be cautious when enabling this, as you will now be able to install unsafe and unreliable apps which can put your phone and information at risk. Proceed with caution.
2. To do this, head on over to the Security page in your device’s settings app, scroll down and turn on Unknown Sources.
3. Now, you will have to download the Pokemon Go APK from a reputable website. A quick Google Search will give you the link to the Pokemon Go 0.29.0 APK (I have used APKpure in the past). This is the file that will install the app onto your device once it is downloaded. As with any third-party downloads, only click on the download button, do not click on anything else, as this may pose a risk to your device.
4. Click on “OK” and allow the download to finish up. Once that is done, select the file from your Notifications Menu and allow it to install on your device.
5. When this is done, you can safely turn the “Unknown Sources” setting back off, launch the game using your Google mail address, and strive to be the best there ever was… by catching them all!

Once that is done, you can go into your phone’s file browser and it will allow the APK to be run. The application will now take you to an installation screen, featuring the Pokemon GO logo and its background music. Once that is complete you will be taken to a date of birth screen.  You can now proceed to set up and play the game.

For more information on how to play Pokemon Go:  ‘Pokémon Go’ Tips and Tricks to Make You the Very Best, Like No One Ever Was You can also join the Facebook group:  Pokemon GO South Africa Adapted and Sourced from :  www.telkomgaming.co.za www.vamers.com