Niantic has announced that Pokémon GO will no longer support Apple Watch as of July 1, 2019. The smartwatch was officially tied to the game for almost three years after it was launched in December of 2016.
The move makes sense considering other developments in the game. The recent Adventure Sync feature allows players to use their smartphones, as they no longer need to use two devices to accomplish in-game goals.
The Apple Watch had a number of uses when synced with the Pokémon GO. For example, step-tracking was always on, which allowed players to obtain Buddy Candy more easily. There were also push notifications, which notified players when they were close to Pokémon or Pokéstops, which also allowed players to use their smartphones to catch the Pokémon or visit stops.
Because of this, players who also have an Apple Watch will surely be upset, as Adventure Sync only tracks steps for Buddy Candy and hatches eggs and does not provide other features. However, this does not mean that Pokémon GO will be leaving Apple Watch for good. Instead, it means that a few more steps will be needed to connect the hardware to the software. Since Adventure Sync is compatible with fitness apps, there might be some loopholes.
Meanwhile, the Pokémon GO Plus Plus will soon be available. On May 28, the Pokémon Company announced the development of Pokémon Sleep, which will track of sleep habits and reward players in-game. The upgraded version of the Pokémon GO Plus will track sleeping hours and, similar to the current version of the hardware, can be used to catch Pokémon within the Pokémon GO app without the use of a smartphone.
In other news, Pokémon Masters has also been announced, which is an upcoming mobile game being developed by DeNA. The game will allow players to fight alongside and against their favorite Pokémon trainers across the franchise.
Pokémon Go will no longer support Apple Watch on July 1, 2019. However, fans can rest easy knowing that the future of the franchise is alive and well.