Being one of the most popular games for mobile devices, there are many reasons why you can receive a ban in Pokémon GO. This is because it has a massive community, and as in any community of this size, there are always cheaters or inappropriate players.

For this reason, the company has had to establish and update its terms of service, prohibiting a growing number of activities, behaviors or third-party apps. But as we have seen in many cases, players can also be banned by mistake or due to ignorance of the policies of Pokémon GO.

So that you can take better care of the bans, we bring you an article explaining the reasons why you could be suspended in Pokémon GO.

Reasons why you can be banned in Pokémon GO

There are many reasons that can lead to an account suspension in Pokémon GO. But don’t worry, if you play according to the basic rules and don’t use bots or third-party applications, you don’t have much to fear.

Suspensions are mainly applied to players who cheat. Whether it’s altering GPS location to find exclusive Pokémon, or taking advantage of having multiple accounts, Niantic has a type of ban prepared for each case. The greater the infraction, the greater the punishment, so remember that it is not allowed to share accounts, sell them, or abuse third-party apps.

Types of bans in Pokémon GO

Now that we know the reasons for a ban in Pokémon GOwe have to know the different types of bans or actions that Niantic can take to punish the account of the players who commit an offense.

Softban

A softban is a type of punishment that does not restrict a player’s access to their account, but does restrict their activity. When you get softbanned in Pokémon GO, you won’t be able to spin PokéStops, and Pokémon you encounter will run away immediately if you try to catch them.

This type of light ban lasts around 12 hours and is granted to those who modify their GPS location or share their accounts. In this way, the company combats bots and cheaters who perform GPS Spoofing. Although you will also be punished if you exceed the limit of 4,800 captures per day or travel very fast in a car while playing.

Shadowban

You may be more familiar with this type of ban. A Shadowban will allow you to hatch eggs, spin PokéStops, capture Pokémon, and participate in raids. However, you will not be able to find rare Pokémon.

There are many reasons why you can be shadowbanned, some of them not so clear. It mainly happens to those who use third-party apps that need access to your Pokémon GO account, especially IV Checker, management apps, or the like. It can also happen to those who use bots or modify their GPS location.

Baneo temporal

Unlike the previous ones, this type of ban will restrict access to your account for a limited time, usually between one and two months. You will know that you have been temporarily banned when trying to access Pokémon GO you receive a message similar to “Failed to get Game Data”.

permanent ban

As its name indicates, this type of ban implies that the account is permanently suspended. The player will not be able to access their data and will lose all their progress. It is the biggest punishment and is usually applied to bot or bot exploiting accounts.

Pokemon GO 3 Notice Policy

Fortunately, the company does not give the greatest possible punishment to the first to Pokémon GO. Niantic has a three-strike system in place that puts the trust that the player will change their behavior and abide by the terms of service. Each notice comes with different consequences that escalate to a permanent ban.

First warning: warning

The Pokémon GO app will notify you that it has detected cheating on your account. After this warning you may not be able to find rare Pokémon in the wild, and you may not be able to use EX Raid Passes.

Second notice: suspension

The Pokémon app will notify you that your account has been suspended and you will not be able to access it. The suspension will last approximately one month. It may be three notices, but this is really the last notice that really matters. You will be able to get your account back after a month, but you will be in danger of losing it if you cheat again.

Third notice: permanent suspension

This third notice will simply notify you that your account has been suspended forever.

One last thing you need to know about the reasons for banning in Pokémon GO, is that the game could ban your account unjustifiably, either because of the mobile you use or because of an error on the servers. In that case, you will have to appeal the suspension and be very patient while Niantic check your cases.