Pokemon Go is now available for iOS and Android. (Niantic)
Pokemon Go trainers everywhere have been frantically refreshing their web browsers all week, as a brand new update is expected to launch any minute now. Most people thought it would be out on Monday or Tuesday, and although it’s taking longer than expected to hit the app stores, it should hopefully be out by the end of the week. So how can you get notified the second the update goes live?
The most obvious way is to just keep checking the “updates” section of the app store, hoping that Pokemon Go will appear in there. The only problem with this is that when the update launches, it will likely not hit the app store for everyone simultaneously. In the past, Pokemon Go updates have typically rolled out to some users before others, most notably with the new “nearby” feature, which launched in parts of California a few weeks ago but still isn’t out for most players.
As soon as the buddy update launches anywhere, though, it’s likely that Niantic Labs will tweet an announcement. That’s why a helpful way to keep up with the news is to follow the official Pokemon Go Twitter account. You can even set things up so you get a notification to your phone any time they tweet, which can function as a news alert for yourself. To do this, open up the default Twitter mobile app, go to @PokemonGoApp, and click on the settings icon. Then, there will be a menu with the option “turn on notifications” at the top. Choose this option, and now, you’ll receive a push notification every time this account tweets. You may want to turn that off in a few days, but for now, it’s a nice way of getting informed the precise moment the update hits.
In case Niantic doesn’t tweet about the update right away, you could always set up notifications for a few other Pokemon Go news accounts like @PokemonGoNews or @CatchEmAlI.
Finally, you can also keep a watchful eye on some active Pokemon Go online communities like the official subreddit. Filter posts by “new” over there, and then as soon as the update launches, you can bet that the entire page will be flooded with posts about it. We’ll also update this very article as soon as the update goes online.
This week’s update is particularly anticipated because it will feature the roll-out of the new “buddy” feature. This will give players the ability to select one of their Pokemon as a buddy, and that creature will then walk with them throughout the game. Aside from it just being a cool way to form a bond with one of your favorite Pokemon, the feature will also give players candy as a reward for walking certain distances, similar to how eggs are hatched when you walk a specific amount of kilometers. To see a glimpse at the buddy system, check out some of the official screenshots released by Niantic: