Skip to main content

Clear your schedule — 'Pokémon Go' has come to the Apple Watch

Clear your schedule. Pokémon Go has made its Apple Watch debut.

Despite a fallacious claim that Niantic was no longer bringing Pokémon Go to the iEmpire’s wearable, the hugely popular game is now out and about on Apple Watch-wearing wrists. That means no more reaching into your pocket to pull out your phone to catch Pokémon. No — rather, you can just tap the app on your watch, and start catching ’em all. Better still, you can record the time you spend playing the game as a “workout.”

Recommended Videos

Indeed, the fitness aspect of the game may be what is most distinctly amplified by its new presence on the Apple Watch. Seeing as the wearable already serves as something of a fitness tracker, it’ll be a no-brainer to log your Pokémon-hunting sessions as part of your daily activity. Moreover, Apple Watch sessions can contribute to hatching your Pokémon eggs. Indeed, the game, which has been downloaded more than 600 million times, has encouraged a lot of walking about. Niantic noted that gamers have logged more than 8.7 billion kilometers, and have captured 88 billion Pokémon in the process. To put that in perspective, that’s about 200,000 trips around the globe.

Of course, outside of the fitness component, the Apple Watch integration comes with some other perks, too. For example, you’ll get push notifications on your wrist when there are Pokémon nearby, when you’re in the vicinity of a PokéStop, when your eggs hatch, and when medals are awarded.

That said, in order to actually catch a Pokémon, you’ll still need the help of your trusty iPhone.

Niantic has released a number of other updates to the app as of late, with hopes of keeping gamers interested as the initial excitement of the VR/AR experience wears off. Pokémon Go has also taken on partnerships with companies like Starbucks, bringing in these big names to act as Gym and PokéStop destinations.

So go ahead, Pokémon enthusiasts. Let your wrist be your guide.

Lulu Chang
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
Will my Apple Watch get watchOS 26? Here’s every supported model
We've got the full list of watchOS 26 supported devices - find out if you're getting the new Apple Watch update
watchOS 26 on a trio of Apple Watches

Apple announced watchOS 26 at WWDC 2025, and the new Watch update comes with a fresh new look and plenty of features. Apple has ensured there are plenty of watchOS 26 supported devices, so if you have a relatively new Watch you should get the update this year.

And no, you haven't missed a volley of updates since watchOS 11 in 2024. Apple has skipped a bunch of numbers, so instead of giving us watchOS 12 in 2025, we got watchOS 26 alongside iOS 26, macOS 26, iPadOS 26, tvOS 26 and visionOS 26.

Read more
Why you shouldn’t care what number Apple puts on your iPhone’s software
The Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max's screen.

One number may change to another number at an important industry event on June 9, and despite some of the headlines that have been circulating around the news, this succinct explanation of what may happen allows you to guage its real importance. Apparently, Apple may use the WWDC 2025 keynote presentation to announce a change from the expected iOS 19 software’s name to iOS 26, and here’s why you shouldn’t worry about it. 

Many people won’t even know

Read more
4 Whoop 5.0 features the Apple Watch Series 11 needs to steal
A person wearing the Whoop 5.0.

I’ve spent a few weeks with the Whoop 5.0, which is a return to the days when simple fitness bands ruled wearables, and distraction-free health tracking was the standard. Since then, smartwatches and smart rings have taken over, but is the change for the better? While the Whoop 5.0 has its quirks, and I personally get more value from the Apple Watch Series 10, I have identified several things Apple would be wise to imitate for the Apple Watch Series 11 and in WatchOS 12.

The Strain metric

Read more