Pokemon GO not compatible: How to play on old smartphones

Everyone is talking about Pokemon Go at the moment. However, there are also players whose cell phones are not compatible with the app. We'll show you how you can still enjoy the game.

Pokemon GO not compatible? 1.Root + Custom Rom

An Android device with at least Android version 4.4 KitKat is required to play "Pokemon Go". However, many manufacturers, especially older devices, discontinued device support years ago, so that such an update was never available.

• Fortunately, there are hobby developers who offer the latest Android versions in the form of so-called custom Roms for download.
• One of the most prominent, productive and probably also the best of these custom Roms is the CyanogenMod. It relies on pure vanilla Android, which is expanded by some useful functions.
• However, the prerequisite for installation is the establishment of root rights and custom recovery. Warning: If you root your device, you will lose the warranty in most cases. With many older devices, however, these should already have expired. Another practical tip tells you how to root your smartphone.
• After successful rooting, you need to install a custom recovery.
• You then took all precautions to install CyanogenMod or another Custom-Rom on your device. Attention: With the installation of CyanogenMod all data on your device will be lost. You should definitely save them beforehand.
• With the installation of CyanogenMod you have now upgraded to a higher Android version, so the installation of "Pokemon Go" via the Google Play Store should no longer be a problem.

Pokemon GO not compatible? 2. Install the APK file

If an installation does not work despite a sufficient Android version, the corresponding APK file of the game must be installed manually on the smartphone.

• In our download portal you will find a safe download of the Pokemon GO APK. We strongly advise against using alternative links, because various apparent download offers of the app have been buzzing through the net for days, but subsequently turned out to be malicious viruses.
• You can read here how to install the APK file in Android afterwards. The procedure is also explained in the video above.
• Now "Pokemon Go" should also run on your smartphone.
• Practical: Even owners of Amazon Fire devices get the opportunity to play "Pokemon Go".

3. "Pokemon Go" on BlackBerry devices

BlackBerry owners can also play "Pokemon Go" on their devices as follows:

• Our practical tip shows you how to install an Android app on your BlackBerry smartphone.

4. "Pokemon Go" on Windows Mobile 10 devices

As is so often the case, cell phone owners with Windows Mobile 10 look into the tube. The Pokemon Go app does not exist for this platform and there is not much hope that this will change in the foreseeable future. But be careful not to download any apparent offsets of the app for your Windows smartphone from the Internet. Often, criminals are behind the downloads, which in the worst case can completely shut down your device.

Exclusive CHIP special: Pokemon Go - tips, tricks & secrets

If you want to learn more about the game hit Pokemon Go: In the CHIP kiosk you will find the exclusive guide, which explains everything you need to know about the hype app on 36 pages.

• In addition to tips and tricks for beginners and professionals, you will find a lot of information on how to make a better figure in the arena, how to improve the use of the app and also reduce the immense data consumption.
• In the CHIP kiosk you can download the CHIP guide as a PDF.

Our next practical tip shows you where you can find which Pokemon in "Pokemon Go" and thereby achieve quicker successes in the game.