How to Get Pokémon GO on Android and Even if it’s Not Available in Your Country

          I recently heard the awesome news from my friends that after 20 years of waiting,Pokémon GO game is now available to play! And from the initial reviews, it felt like a game which was worth the 20 years of wait. However, when I opened the Play Store page for Pokemon GO, the INSTALL button was missing and the dreaded message Is Not Available in Your Country Yet showed up.

     Well, this is not the first time a publisher has restricted an app to just a few countries, but this time, it was personal. Nothing could keep me from waiting to try my hands on the love of my childhood, the show which was the reason I came running home after school. So if you aren’t in the mood to wait for the official release of Pokémon GO in your country, here’s how you can get it.

For Android Users

Things are pretty easy and straightforward for Android users as always.

Sideloading the App

As Pokémon GO does not have any server-side authentication to check the country from where you are playing, this is the easiest method to get the game on your Android. Since malware infection is a concern while sideloading, you can download the app APK file from APK Mirror and then install it on your Android.

This way you will get instant access to Pokémon GO, however, you will have to manually check for updates of the game and then install the updated version manually. If you don’t want do that, you will have to install it from Play Store directly using the VPN trick we will discuss next.

Downloading from Play Store

Step 1: Download a VPN app on your phone. Since we only need a VPN connection to download Pokémon GO from the Play Store and not while playing the game, Tunnel Bear VPN with a free account will be safe and reliable option to go with. You will get 500 MB of free VPN usage which is more than enough for the task. After you have installed the app, launch and connect the VPN to a US server.

Step 2: Having done that, turn off the GPS on your phone and look for Google Play Store in Settings –> Downloaded Apps.

Step 3: Tap on it and then select the option Clear data and Clear cache. Repeat the same with Google Play Services. This will clear all the previous data on your phone’s Play Store locally and will not affect anything on the server.

Step 4: Ensuring you are still connected to the VPN through Tunnel Bear, launch the Play Store, and this time it will connect from the US. You can now search for Pokémon GO and download the game

Conclusion

So that was how you can download Pokémon GO and start playing it. I have already started my journey to become the best Pokémon Master and will share a few tips about the game shortly. So stay tuned for our next update on the phenomenon that is Pokémon GO.