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Niantic introduces permanent account bans for hardcore Pokemon Go cheaters

Published Aug 12th, 2016 11:55AM EDT
Pokemon Go Cheats
Image: Lifehacker

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We sometimes talk about hacks or cheats that will help you improve your Pokemon Go experience inside the game. Some of the more in-depth ones will even let you catch Pokemon anywhere in the world without leaving your house, while other simpler ones are just meant to help you locate Pokemon around you while Niantic fixes the built-in tracker that should provide this feature.

However, Niantic doesn’t appreciate any form of cheating when it comes to Pokemon Go, and it might resort to drastic measures if it catches you: A permanent account ban.

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We’ve  heard about temporary bans before, but Niantic sin’t going to stop there.

“Your account was permanently terminated for violations of the Pokémon GO Terms of Service,” Niantic wrote in the game’s FAQ section. “This includes, but is not limited to: falsifying your location, using emulators, modified or unofficial software and/or accessing Pokémon GO clients or backends in an unauthorized manner including through the use of third party software.”

The developer continued, “Our goal is to provide a fair, fun and legitimate game experience for everyone. We will continue to work with all of you to improve the quality of the gameplay, including ongoing optimization and fine tuning of our anti-cheat system. If you believe your account has been terminated in error incorrectly, you can appeal that termination through this form. For privacy reasons, please do not post appeals on social media.”

As you can see, if you get banned for life you can still submit an appeal, although there’s no telling whether or not your appeal will lead to the ban being lifted or how long it will take Niantic to even consider your appeal. Or you could simply create a new account and continue cheating your way into catching them all, at least until Niantic fixes all the bugs that can cripple gameplay.

If you’re looking to cheat at Pokemon Go, this iPhone hack will let you do it reasonably safely, as it includes various tricks to prevent Niantic from catching you.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.