Good news Pokemon trainers! A big new update is coming for Pokemon GO. Bad news, it will discontinue support for older Apple devices. Mobile devices that are not able to upgrade to iOS 11 will no longer be compatible with the new update, so if you've been holding out on getting that new iPhone here's another reason to think about trading up.
In The Pokemon GO team's statement published on January 9th, they state the reason for changes as “...improvements to Pokemon GO that push the application beyond the capabilities of the operating systems on such devices.” While this is a logical reason for discontinuing support for older Apple phones and iPad's considering how battery intensive the game is, what exactly is included in the impending game update hasn't been revealed yet.
The change will take place on February, 28th of this year and will make iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, 1st generation iPad mini, iPad 2, and 3rd and 4th generation iPads incompatible with the popular mobile AR game. The most recent of these devices were released in 2013 so none of them are exactly new but for the thrifty few that use their smartphones until they're irreparable, this news may come as a disappointment. A list of affected devices with pictures and model numbers can be found on the game's help page.
If your device isn't on that list than you'll be fine when the update drops but if it is then there isn't anything you can do but log into your Pokemon GO account on a different and compatible device to play. Those that try to play on an old device after Feb. 28th may not be able to access their account or use PokeCoins and other items in their bags. So if you are one of the millions of mobile gamers still addicted to catching 'em all and you haven't let Apple's seemingly planned obsolescence model scare you away from using an older device it may be time for an upgrade or rehab. Hopefully, this new update to Pokemon GO is worth it.
