The ultimate guide to Pokemon Go auto catchers

There are dozens and dozens of reasons why players are motivated to maximise the number of Pokemon they can catch per day. The biggest reason alone for adding an auto catcher to your Pokemon Go repertoire is that catching Pokemon contributes massively to any player's overall progression in the game as it is a reliable, constant source of XP. Your auto catcher can also spin in-range Pokestops for you too, saving you those precious seconds as you play, which really do begin to add up.

The first thing to note right away about auto catchers before the name rings alarm bells, is that at least with the official products available, their use is officially supported by Niantic. And for those who aren't aware, using an auto catcher does not de-incentivise manually catching Pokemon, rather it helps you catch a few more on the side. These things do not play Pokemon Go for you, but as a result of what they do do for you, they provide a decent boost to your progress rate as you play, which is a must for any serious grinder.

Limitations of all auto catchers' two main features

As we now know, auto catchers don't auto-catch everything for you. In fact, they have some fairly significant limitations that are important to be aware of before you commit to purchasing one of the available products:

Limitations of an auto catcher attempting to catch a Pokemon

• When attempting to catch a Pokemon in range automatically, the catch is attempted with one red Pokeball and that's it. The usual catch chances are then applied, and if successful, the Pokemon is yours.
• If the catch attempt fails, then the Pokemon immediately flees and you cannot attempt to catch it again, even manually.

Official auto catchers available for Pokemon Go

With these two products, whichever one you use, you can rest assured with the piece of mind that you're using a device that Niantic has intended for use with Pokemon Go officially. You will not be breaking Niantic's Terms of Service and will not be at any risk of getting banned for cheating.

Downsides of the official products

There is one main downside to the two official products: neither of them are true 'auto-catchers' in the sense that spinning stops and catching Pokemon still requires you to push the button on the device when it vibrates notifying you of a nearby Pokestop or Pokemon. For many, this is a large inconvenience and a big barrier to the enjoyment and function of the products, especially when compared to the capabilities of third-party catchers which can perform actions without a button press being required.

This may make it sound tempting to immediately jump to a popular third-party option like the Gotcha, but third-party devices suffer with questionable adherence to Niantic's Terms of Service, therefore carry a risk when using them.

Pokemon Go Plus

This is Niantic's first official device, made for Pokemon Go exclusively. The device comes with a wristband and belt clip to help you carry the device however you please.

The LED button on the face of the Pokemon Go Plus is your main way of interacting with the device. Whilst playing Pokemon Go, the button will glow and the device will vibrate to indicate something is happening, then you can press the button to start the action.

If the button glows blue, you're in range of a Pokestop available to spin. Pressing the button spins the stop and you get the items in game, super simple!

If the button glows green, the Pokemon Go Plus has locked on to a nearby Pokemon ready to try and catch it. Pressing the button will start the catch attempt (under the conditions listed above) and if you're successful, the LED button will show a rainbow effect to indicate the successful catch. If it flashes red, the Pokemon was not caught and has now fled.

Pokeball Plus

This is the second of Niantic's official products compatible with Pokemon Go. Whilst originally designed to be used with the Nintendo Switch games Let's Go Eevee and Let's Go Pikachu, the Pokeball Plus also doubles as a auto catcher for Pokemon Go and is one of the top choices amongst players.

The device features a button on the top of the ball, which acts as the same button as the one of the Pokemon Go Plus. There is also a joystick on the device, which is only used with the Nintendo Switch games. However, the LED surrounding the joystick serves the same purpose as the LED on the Pokemon Go Plus.

Catching Pokemon and spinning Pokestops works in exactly the same way as the Pokemon Go Plus with the button plus LED and vibration feedback.

Unofficial Pokemon Go auto catchers

Like most official product markets, third-parties will jump at the opportunity to do a better job. The main reason a Pokemon Go player would choose a third-party auto catcher is to do two main things: to enjoy true 'auto' catching without button presses required, and to switch off the vibration that is *permanently switched on* on the two official alternatives, much to the chagrin of many of its users.

Risk of using unofficial third-party Pokemon Go auto catchers

There is one main risk regarding the use of third-party, unofficial Pokemon Go auto catchers: there is a raging debate around whether their use is considered compliant with the Niantic Terms of Service. The notable terms are the following (namely the section I have bolded):

3.1 Cheating

Niantic prohibits cheating, and we constantly take steps to improve our anti-cheat measures. Cheating includes any action that attempts to or actually alters or interferes with the normal behavior or rules of a Service. Cheating includes, but is not limited to, any of the following behavior, on your own behalf or on behalf of others:

• Accessing Services in an unauthorized manner (including using modified or unofficial third party software);
• Playing with multiple accounts for the same Service;
• Sharing accounts;
• Using any techniques to alter or falsify a device’s location (for example through GPS spoofing); and/or
• Selling or trading accounts.

Now, here is where the debate lies. It's easy to say that these devices are "hardware", not software, therefore leading to the belief this clause does not apply to the use of auto catchers. However, the third-party options do offer the ability to take actions without user interaction, and the method in which they are achieving this could indeed be through the software on the auto catcher. It could be as simple as 'faking' the button press with its own software, and Pokemon Go is none-the-wiser that the click wasn't real. Unfortunately, further clarification from Niantic has never been provided on whether these products comply.

That said, these third-party options are popular, and the general consensus amongst users is that they've never been banned for using these products and many have used them for many months or every years, with no bother from Niantic.

It's a classic risk-reward decision. As the player, you need to decide what product is right for you and understanding the risk of Niantic potentially banning these devices in the future is part of making that choice.

Gotcha

The Gotcha is by far the most popular third-party Pokemon Go auto catcher device. It has a small touch screen which also acts as the main button.

Its size is a hugely appealing feature, as it is extremely small compared to the official Niantic auto catchers and even the other third-party options. Of course, as a third-party auto catcher, it is a true auto-catcher and does not require button presses to catch Pokemon or spin Pokestops. That said, if you want to switch to manual mode, it is possible in the on-device settings to switch off the auto-action feature. Nice!

The device also features a step-counter which whilst a nice addition, isn't very accurate at all. I'd advise leaving your step counting to your Fitbit or your phone.

Gotcha Evolve

The Gotcha Evolve is the successor to the much-loved Gotcha device. It works in almost exactly the same way as the original Gotcha.

It features a much larger display and improved battery life over the original Gotcha. Exclusive also to the Evolve, is the companion app which allows you to alter the device settings from your phone, which is certainly easier than using the limited on-screen touch screen but doesn't offer a hugely compelling reason to upgrade if you already own an original Gotcha.

Utilising the larger display, the Gotcha Evolve can also act as a basic smartwatch with a time and date display, plus your step count.

Do auto catchers really speed up your progress?

Whilst the devices don't drastically increase the rate at which you can gain XP if you are playing intently, they remove the need to perform repetitive actions like spinning stops and catching trash Pokemon as you focus on other things in the game.

There are of course the downsides too. Ultimately, they are nice additions to the gameplay of a dedicated player, but the average player probably doesn't need to worry too much about spending the cash.