How to Fix Pokemon Go Unable to Authenticate on Android and iOS
Pokemon Go is known as one of the most popular mobile games on earth, although its popularity has now begun to fade. But behind it all, Pokemon Go is also known as a game that has a lot of problems.
In addition to GPS Signal not Found and Failed to Detect Location, there is one more problem that is often experienced by players, namely Unable to Authenticate (aka you can't log in to the game).
For those of you who are experiencing this problem may ask, "why do I always receive a notification about Unable to Authenticate when logging into Pokemon Go?" What is the cause?
Here are some things you should know about this issue.
Pokemon Go: The Causes of the "Unable to Authenticate" Error
- Your account has been banned by Niantic
- Your device is not compatible
- You are using a rooted device
- The Pokemon Go server is down
- This is purely a normal error (easy to fix)
Let's discuss them one by one.
How to Fix Pokemon Go Unable to Authenticate Error
From the above causes, here are some solutions that you might be able to do to resolve them.
1. Your Account has been Banned by Niantic
You can get hit by the Pokemon Go Ban if you use third-party apps like Fake GPS and emulator Android for Windows like Nox. When this happens, there is a possibility you can't login to the game, you will get an "unable to authenticate" message.
But, not necessarily when you get that message your account was banned by Niantic. Therefore, if you are not sure that your account is banned or not, please try to login with another account or checking the email you used when first signing up for Pokemon Go.
If you get an email from Niantic that your account was banned, you can appeal to Niantic. Surely you must have a clear reason and evidence so that Niantic will accept your appeal.
Niantic does not always permanently ban all accounts, some are only sanctioned cannot log in for 3 days, 1 week, or maybe more, and shadowban. This can be seen from some accounts being forgiven and restored by Niantic.
2. Your Phone is Not Compatible
The most appropriate solution to solve an incompatible phone to play Pokemon Go is to buy a new phone. At least a phone that has a minimum specification of Android 4.4.2 (KitKat) and 1 GB of RAM.
But if you want to play Pokemon Go smoothly, the phones you buy at least have Lollipop OS and 1 GB of RAM or above.
If you do not want to buy a new phone, you can search on Google, the modified Pokemon Go app and support under Android KitKat. But maybe you will not be comfortable playing Pokemon Go that way.
Here are the supported devices according to Niantic support:
For Android
- Android 4.4 or above
- Rooted devices are not supported
- Preferred resolution of 720x1280 pixels (Not optimized for tablets)
- Strong internet connection (3G, 4G, or Wi-Fi)
- GPS and Location Services
For iOS
- iPhone 5s or above
- iOS 9 or above
- Strong internet connection (3G, 4G, or Wi-Fi)
- GPS and Location Services
Notes:
- Jailbroken devices are not supported
- Pokémon GO discontinued supporting Apple devices from 2013 and older. Trainers using these devices will no longer be able to access the game.
3. You are Using Rooted Devices
Maybe you already know that Niantic is already blocking rooted phone users to play Pokemon Go. Like I mentioned above, it will be considered jailbroken devices.
So if you do not want to get exposed to this problem, do not use the rooted phone. If your phone is already rooted, unroot or restore it to factory settings.
4. Pokemon Go Server is Down
You can't do anything about it. There is no other way to solve it, except just wait until the server is stable or recovered.
5. Normal Error
If you feel that none of the above causes are happening, maybe it's just an ordinary error. According to support.pokemongo.niantic, how to fix it is very easy, just by close and re-open the Pokemon Go app.
When you log in and Unable to Authenticate notification appear, go to Settings (Do not close Pokemon Go app), then tap the Apps, select Pokemon Go, and tap Force Stop. After that, try logging back into the game.
For iOS users:
Double-click the Home button to see your most recently used apps, find the Pokémon GO app, and then swipe up to close the app.
Other options:
Usually Unable to Authenticate message appears when you log in using a PTC account, so, use a Google account to log in first, then just try to re-login with the PTC account, and vice versa.
That's how to fix the can't login problem in Pokemon Go. If you have any other tips, let me know through the comment box below. I hope this article can help you. That's all and thank you.