You Can‘t Use 2 Pokémon Go Accounts on 1 Phone – Here‘s Why
I‘ve had quite a few fellow Pokémon Go fans ask me recently: "Hey, can I use 2 accounts on my iPhone? I want to try catching shinies and trading with myself."
The short answer? No way! Niantic forbids and actively bans all kinds of multi-accounting cheating. I‘ll break down exactly why in this complete guide.
See, I love everything Pokémon too and have logged over 500km traveled in Go. So I totally get the temptation! But violating the rules hurts legit players and risks losing your hard work. As a passionate PoGo gamer, I wanna help the community understand the serious consequences at stake here.
Niantic‘s Stance Against Multi-Accounting
Let‘s peek at what exactly Niantic‘s Terms of Service (ToS) say:
"Playing with multiple accounts for the same Service or cheating, spoofing, accessing Services in unauthorized ways, using third-party software, and or other activities that intentionally exploit or subvert Game systems or content are prohibited."
Yeah, no ambiguity there! Using multiple accounts for one person on any device clearly breaks the ToS.
But why forbid it in the first place? Well according to Niantic:
- It allows unfair gameplay advantages over others through manipulating gyms, trades etc.
- Drastically harms adventure and exercise incentives rewarding true exploration.
- Enables account pilfering or reselling since many devices use the accounts.
So for fairness and safety, the rules stay strict. Makes sense to me!
Just How Does Niantic Catch Multi-Account Cheaters?
You might wonder how exactly Niantic enforces the rules against crafty cheaters? Well their anti-fraud and security teams employ some advanced tactics:
User Reports: Encourages legit players to report suspicious account activity. If you look closely, Niantic reviews and acts on these judiciously.
Behavior Analysis: Algorithms crunch usage patterns, locations, trades etc. to detect anomalies suggesting manipulation. Repeated unlikely odds can raise flags for manual review.
Device Fingerprinting: Your device specs, OS version, IP address and other fingerprints get checked across accounts. Using the same phone for 2 accounts is basically begging to get banned!
And the anti-cheating tech keeps evolving thanks to machine learning and crowdsourced data. Tricking the systems is getting much harder nowadays.
| Type of Multi-Accounting | Chance of Getting Caught |
|---|---|
| Sharing device | Almost Certain |
| Trading heavily | High |
| Spoofing locations | Medium |
| Subtle manipulation | Low |
So while veterans can sneak around old-school, rookie cheaters beware!
The Consequences of Catching These Hands
Okay, getting caught seems likely. But is it really that bad?
Yes – the penalties handed out are no joke. Once the systems flag you, the multi-accounting consequences escalate quickly:
1st Offense: Just a warning but gameplay hampered for 7 days by restrictions on encounters, trades etc. Basically taste of what‘s to come!
2nd Offense: 30 days temporary account suspension. Say bye-bye to your precious monsters for a while!
3rd Strike: Permanent termination for all linked accounts. Hundreds or even thousands of hours of effort – gone for good. All your event Pokémon, battle parties..even paid content wiped out completely!
Plus apparently sharing accounts itself can lead straight to permaban skipping warnings based on recent banwave feedback. So lending your account to a buddy is also too risky in my opinion.
And not just your accounts…with the escalating penalties Niantic can straight up blacklist the device itself after repeat account offenses! You‘ll be permanently hardware banned from ever playing Pokémon GO again.
That punishment sounds almost criminal for a passionate GO lover like me! But I definitely understand Niantic taking harsh measures to protect 99% legit players from the minority cheating.
So in summary – getting caught likely ends horribly for fans deeply invested in the game. The risk-reward simply never makes sense to me.
You Still Have Great Single-Account Options!
I get the thinking behind wanting multiple accounts. Catching extra Pokémon, better IVs, farming gifts, guaranteeing raid groups etc. seems awfully tempting!
But trust me – focusing on one account with smart play rewards more than enough for satisfying gameplay. And leaves your credentials totally secure.
Here are some single-account suggestions from my 500km of expertise:
Master Excellent Curved Throws: Better catch rates let you grind that perfect IV and shiny. I hit 90% now after months of practice!
Coordinate Raid Groups: Get enough friends to beat any boss without fake accounts. Share these battles together out in the real world.
Adventure Far and Wide: Uncovering new pokestops and biomes made me appreciate GO as an augmented reality journey rather than fixed meta-game.
At the end of the day, GO connects us to communities, nature, and fond nostalgia safely thanks to Niantic‘s competitive integrity protections. I choose to respect the spirit of those rather than chasing questionable shortcuts.
So trainers, go hunt your favorite mon with one honest account! And catch me @PoGoProTips for more insights. Time to grab my Gotcha and head on a PoGO walk!
