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Pokémon Go is the augmented reality game that continues to hold the attention of iPhone and Android users everywhere, deeply confusing any parent who’s ever uttered the phrase, “Stop playing video games and go outside.” But the game had a dark side: logging in with your Google account gave the game’s creators Niantic full access to your account. And that probably means what you think it does. Fortunately, yesterday the company released Pokémon Go version 1.0.1, properly addressing these privacy concerns.
How To Fix Your Privacy Settings
Step 1: Go to Google’s list of apps connected to your account and locate Pokémon Go.
Step 2: Revoke the Pokémon Go app’s privileges by clicking on the app and hitting the blue Remove button.
Step 3: Open up your Pokémon Go game, tap the Pokéball. Then, in the top right, hit Settings and scroll down to sign out (your save file won’t be affected). You’ll be taken to the log in screen of Pokémon Go.
Step 4: Log back in with your same Google credentials you used before.
Step 5: You’ll be prompted with a screen showing the updated privacy requirements when using your Google account with Pokémon Go. Instead of full access, you’ll grant the game knowledge of your name and the ability to see your email address.
Step 6: You’re done! You can go back to playing Pokémon Go with fewer worries.
Keep in mind that a game like Pokémon Go continues to track your location to let you find pocket monsters in the real world. And one of Niantic’s top investors is Google itself. Both companies have quite a bit of data on its users–even more so with a location tracking-heavy game like Pokémon Go. If you’re privacy paranoid, you may have a hard time being the very best on mobile. For a non-GPS, traditional Pokémon experience, we’d point you to the upcoming Pokémon Sun & Moon games on Nintendo’s handheld. But don’t get mad at us when you miss out on the high-CP ‘mons on your iPhone.
