Five months after its debut, Pokémon Go is all set to launch in India. Reliance Jio has partnered with The Pokemon Company to bring the game to India, with its retail stores across the country turning into PokéStops. Here's what you need to know about the game's debut in the country.
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When will it be available?
Pokémon Go will be available to download from the Indian App Store starting December 14. From Niantic CEO John Hanke:
We are delighted to partner with Jio to launch Pokémon GO in India. It's exciting to see Pokémon fans in India step out and explore their neighbourhoods in search of Pokémon and Jio's disruptive high speed 4G LTE Network will be an excellent way to experience the game.
What's the deal with Reliance Jio?
Reliance Jio is partnering with Niantic to turn thousands of Reliance Digital stores across the country into PokéStops. Jio is also rolling out an exclusive Pokémon Go channel on its messaging app Jio through which players across the country can collaborate, take part in contests, engage in events, and more. Oh, and Jio gets to tout its impressive new 4G network:
With over 500 million downloads globally, we are excited to launch Pokémon GO officially in India on the Reliance Jio network. Our partnership with Niantic not only brings access to the Pokémon GO app but also opens the door to more opportunities for our customers to enjoy content on Jio's one-of-a-kind mobile broadband network.
Also, Jio is offering free unlimited data to everyone until March 31, 2017, so you'll be able to play Pokémon Go without incurring any charges on the network. The caveat here is that free LTE data is limited to 1GB a day, but that should be more than enough for your daily adventures. That doesn't mean the game is exclusive to those on Jio. It'll be available for download from the App Store, and as long as you have an active internet connection, you'll be able to play it.
Should I switch back to the Indian App Store?
If you're like me and changed your App Store region to the U.S. to download Pokémon Go, you should consider switching back to the Indian version of the store. If nothing else, digital content is considerably more affordable in the Indian store, and Apple Music costs just ₹120 ($2) a month (₹60 if you're a student). In-app purchases also cost less, as do ringtones, iTunes tracks, and most everything else.
Here's how you can easily switch back to the Indian App Store.
Anything else?
That's it! Here's the part where you tell us how excited you are that Pokémon Go is finally in India.
