The Pokémon GO Plus wristband is a Bluetooth device that connects to your phone. It was developed to work natively with the Pokémon GO app and it delivers some functionality that greatly improves the quality of life for people who play the game every day.
When you look at the major features of the wristwatch provides, it doesn’t really seem all that special. The greatest features of this device aren’t usually advertised or talked about. You might think why would I use this device when I like to play the game manually completely manually?
DATEL Pokemon GO Gotcha Wristband
Official Pokemon GO Plus Wristband
What Are The Features?
There are only 2 features that are actually advertised. But the device actually does more than meets the eye.
Catch Pokemon: When you are in range of any Pokemon, your device will buzz. This is used to prompt you to click the button on the device and it will attempt to catch the pokemon for you. This means you don’t need to have your phone open at all times. The catch rate isn’t very high, though. If you own the off-brand bluetooth device, this process is done automatically. No button clicking necessary!
Spin Pokestops: Similar to how the device tries to catch pokemon for you, it will also prompt you when you are actively sitting on top of a nearby pokestop. This will allow you to spin the pokestop, collect the experience points, items, and even the research task. The Gotcha wristband works the same way as it does for catching. It will accept the prompt automatically, as well.
Hatch Distance: Although there are more and more features being added to improve your movement data, nothing compares to how accurate the data is when using one of the devices. Since they are always interacting with the game’s servers, your location is being updated manually over and over. This means your hatching distance and walking distance gets much more frequent updates.
I would say the biggest feature of owning a Pokémon GO Plus or a Gotcha wristband is the fact that you can still play the game manually, while also using the wristband.
What does that mean?
This means you can still play the game manually while having the wristband catch Pokémon and spin PokéStops for you in the background. By owning one of these devices, you can effectively catch double or triple the amount of Pokémon in the time that you would be playing without one.
This is because the device is still working no matter what you’re doing in the game. You can be catching Pokémon or looking at your profile page or sending and receiving gifts.
How effective is the GO Plus at catching Pokémon?
This has always been an argument between players who are on the fence about buying a GO Plus. The catch rate is advertised at 50% chance, but the data that has been collected over the years may speak different. When it comes to catching large quantities of pokemon for you, there is no question that it is quite effective. There is a reason why so many players own these devices.
Will it catch Pokémon I’ve never caught before?
Yes, it will catch pokemon you’ve never caught before. If you use the Gotcha wristband, there is a setting in the app that allows you to disable this. Additionally, it will show a light collection of statistics for the pokemon it caught for you.
Can it catch shiny Pokémon?
Yes, absolutely. Many players who use the devices have reported that most of their shinies are caught by accident. A typical evening for a GO Plus player is sifting through their large inventory of newly caught pokemon and finding hundos or shinies sitting there waiting for them.
What kind of poke balls does it use?
The Pokemon GO Plus will only use regular Pokeballs. If you don’t have any regular pokeballs in your inventory, you will receive notifications about having no pokeballs left. It will still continue to try catching pokemon, but will fail because you don’t have any. One of the biggest concerns for players with a GO Plus is that they are constantly running out of regular pokeballs because of how much they’ve been catching in the background.
How long does the battery last?
This depends on which device you are using. The Pokemon GO Plus has a battery that you will need to replace every 2-4 weeks or so. The batteries are inexpensive and are usually sold in large quantities.
The Gotcha device has a battery that is recharged through as special USB cable that comes with device. This battery tends to last somewhere between 5-15 days depending on your settings and how much you use it. It is very quick to charge.
Is the battery rechargeable?
The battery is only rechargeable for the Gotcha wristband. There is a USB charger that is provided with the purchase of every Gotcha wristband. The charge will usually last around a week with regular play and takes about 20-30 minutes to recharge fully.
How much do new batteries cost?
Batteries for the GO Plus usually come in large quantities(usually 20 at a time) and will run you roughly $5-$10. The batteries can be bought here on Amazon.
How fast can I go before it stops working?
This has always been an issue for players whether they have a GO plus or not. There appears to be a maximum speed that you can be moving before the game stops allowing you from interacting with the world.
The sweet spot for speed appears to sit somewhere around “average biking speed”. Any faster than that, and you may not be eligible to interact with the environment.
Does it work while driving?
When you play Pokemon GO, the speed you are moving will directly affect how pokemon are spawning around you. Additionally, you won’t be able to catch or spin if you are moving too fast. There is usually a sweet spot for how fast you can go, and this tends to change between updates. An important thing to note is that the device appears to work better when your phone is actually turned off.
Does it work alongside spoofing apps?
The short answer is yes. If your phone is tricking the game to trick your position, you will be sending server sided location to the app. When you are in range of a pokemon or pokestop, you will trigger the event that allows your device to interact with the game.
What is the catch rate?
When it comes to how effective the Pokémon go plus is at catching Pokémon for you. The device is advertised as having a 50% chance of catching any Pokémon. A lot of data that has already been collected suggests that some of the more rare types of Pokémon may actually have a reduced catch rate chance.
Well, it may have less than 50% chance to catch a wild Snorlax for you. You may wonder why you would still want to use a go plus if it cannot guarantee that you would catch all the Pokémon that you would want.
The argument is that if you had no time to pull out your phone and check which Pokémon are spawning near you, then you wouldn’t have caught them anyway. This way, you can at least have a chance to catch some Pokémon.
How much more experience can I get?
The amount of experience that you will get will ultimately be determined by how often you get outside and visit all of the points of interest. Almost every action can earn you experience points. With the GO Plus wristband, you could potentially be earning experience points all throughout the day. Players who own one of these devices generally tend to earn far more experience points than players who do not have one.