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.”
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.
