Pokemon Go now uses Apple's ARKit tech for better augmented reality.
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Pokémon Go gets better augmented reality thanks to ARKit on iOS

  • Posted byby Dean Takahashi
  • Updated
  • 4 min

Niantic has had crude augmented reality for its Pokémon Go mobile game from the outset. But soon it will launch an enhanced AR experience on iOS 11 smartphones using Apple’s new ARKit technology.

The company implemented AR in a way that wasn’t just a gimmick for an app that has been downloaded more than 800 million times. The enhanced AR improves the gameplay experience in tangible ways, such as depicting each Pokémon creature in full 3D. That way, you can sneak up behind a creature or move close to it in a stealthy way, allowing you to capture it more easily. If you rush toward a Pokémon, it may just flee. That sort of AR could help the game stand out further in the $50 billion mobile game market. The update will roll out within a matter of days.

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Written by

Dean Takahashi

Dean Takahashi is editorial director for GamesBeat. He has been a tech journalist since 1988, and he has covered games as a beat since 1996. He was lead writer for GamesBeat at VentureBeat from 2008 to April 2025. Prior to that, he wrote for the San Jose Mercury News, the Red Herring, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, and the Dallas Times-Herald. He is the author of two books, "Opening the Xbox" and "The Xbox 360 Uncloaked." He organizes the annual GamesBeat Next, GamesBeat Summit and GamesBeat Insider Series: Hollywood and Games conferences and is a frequent speaker at gaming and tech events. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.