Device not Compatible with Pokemon Go? Here's a Quick Fix

So you heard Pokemon Go was finally rolled out in the Philippines since Saturday. You have been waiting for this and was so excited to finally try it out on your smartphone, but when you went to Google Play and searched for Pokemon Go, either the game wasn't showing up or was saying "You device isn't compatible with this version.". YOU... ARE... DOOMED! No, actually not. There is still hope, there is still a quick workaround for this. Please read on.

I am not sure for any other devices but I am a member of a Facebook group of Asus Zenfone users. And many of us there were surprised to realize that not every Zenfone smartphone we have is supported or able to download Pokemon Go directly from Google Play.

Some of these users have Zenfone Max, Zenfone Selfie, Zenfone 2 Laser, and previous Zenfone 5 and 6 devices.

I don't know yet if it has to do with these phones' specs or particular features but according to Niantic Labs (the game developer), devices with at least Android 4.4 and 2GB RAM should be able to download and play the game. And all of the mentioned devices above met these key requirements, and that is surprising. I was thinking, maybe it has to do with the initial roll out to avoid over capacity issues of the local servers and eventually we will all have access to the Pokemon Go through Google Play. Whatever the reason is, we will find out in the coming days or weeks.

But worry and be sad no more, as I mentioned above, there is still a way for our "unsupported devices" to download and play the much talked about and most anticipated Pokemon Go mobile game without the need to buy a new phone. You download an APK version! : )

This may sound a little no-brainer for some but there is still more to know than just downloading this version to your device.

Disclaimer: Downloading an APK version of an app from sources and sites other than Google Play might cause damage to your device as this is not officially approved by Google and not really recommended by anyone. Note that I will not be responsible in case your phone gets damaged upon installing this version of Pokemon Go. So download at your own risk. However, I did this to my Zenfone Max on the same hour the game was locally launched and so far everything is fine and is working normally!

I downloaded my Pokemon Go apk through this link and selected the most recent version which is 0.31.0. Check out screenshot images below for guide.

You should scroll down to this section of the landing page after clicking the link above. Select the most recent version, usually it is the one at the top.

On the next screen, go down until you see the selection below. Then click on the variant or version you want to download.

And then finally click on the Download APK button (as seen below).

You are almost there actually. Two more steps to do before you are able to begin playing the Pokemon Go game.

In order for you to successfully install the APK version you just downloaded, you first need to activate or turn on the "Unknown Sources" feature in the Settings section of your device. See screenshot below. Once you have ticked that on, go to the folder where your downloads are saved, look for the file that's named "com.nianticlabs.pokemongo.apk" or similar naming. Click on it and follow onscreen steps to complete install. 

After successful installation, make sure you turn the Unknown Sources back off and activate your GPS or Location feature under the Settings section again of your device. Launch the Pokemon Go app and start playing. Hope this helps you a lot. : )

You might also want to check my "Pokemon Go Beginners Guide: Philippine Edition".