Can you merge Niantic accounts?
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Niantic accounts, which are used for popular games like Pokémon GO, cannot be merged, meaning that game profiles with different email addresses and login providers share no connection and therefore, they cannot be unified and managed under the same Niantic ID. This is a crucial piece of information for players who have multiple accounts and are looking to streamline their gaming experience, as Niantic has a strict policy against cheating and multi-accounting.
Understanding Niantic Accounts
To provide more clarity on Niantic accounts and their policies, we have compiled a list of frequently asked questions that gamers often have.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can you merge accounts in Pokémon GO?
Sadly, Niantic is unable to merge gameplay progress made on one Pokémon GO account to another account, which means players will have to choose which account to prioritize.
2. Can I transfer my Pokémon GO account to another account?
Yes, in Pokémon GO, you can choose what Pokémon HOME account you’ll transfer Pokémon to by linking to a Nintendo Account that is also linked to the desired Pokémon HOME account.
3. What happens if you link 2 Pokémon GO accounts?
Niantic lists using multiple accounts as a TOS violation and a form of cheating, however, bans have been limited to players who hack the client or use programs that access the backend of the client, or players who spoof their locations.
4. Can I transfer my Pokémon GO account to another email?
If you’re using a Pokemon Trainer’s Club account, then you can simply change the email associated with an account in the account settings, otherwise, you’ll need to first link your account to Facebook.
5. Can you get banned for having 2 Pokémon GO accounts?
Niantic specifically says one account per person, there just isn’t much of a way to enforce it, but one person can have multiple accounts for whatever reason, and one account per person is not in their Terms of Service.
6. Can you get banned for having multiple Pokémon GO accounts on Reddit?
Under the Niantic TOS using multiple accounts is classified as cheating, and while it’s rare for players to get banned for this, it’s still a risk that players take when deciding to have multiple accounts.
7. Are Pokémon GO alts allowed?
Alt accounts are not allowed based on Niantic’s Terms of Service, however, in many non-official games-based communities, they are tolerated or even encouraged.
8. How many Pokémon GO accounts can you link to Switch?
There’s no limit to the number of Pokémon GO accounts that can be tied to a single save file in Pokémon: Let’s Go, that means you’re not limited to connecting with just your own Pokémon GO account.
9. Can you use the same Pokémon GO account on two phones at the same time?
It can be moved to a compatible new smartphone, but it cannot work with multiple smartphones at the same time, and attempting to do so may result in account bans or other penalties.
10. How does Niantic detect multiple accounts?
The only mechanism Niantic could have for detecting multi-accounting is reports from other players, and there have been few instances of them warning or banning someone for doing this.
11. Can you have two Pokémon accounts on one Switch?
No, each Pokémon HOME account can be linked to one Nintendo Account at a time, however, the same Nintendo Account can be linked to one account in the Nintendo Switch and mobile versions of Pokémon HOME, which will sync the information between the two versions.
12. Why won’t my Pokémon GO account connect to my Switch?
Verify that Airplane Mode is turned off on your Nintendo Switch system, turn off or unpair any other Bluetooth devices connected to your smart device, pair the Nintendo Switch game to the Pokémon GO app, and follow the pairing steps for Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu!/Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee!.
13. Why do people have 2 Pokémon Go accounts?
One could argue it helps to defeat Raids if you have multiple accounts/phones, and that is true, that is the main pro, the main con, other than being against the Terms, is that you spread your focus on different accounts, other than having one amazing account.
14. Are you allowed to sell Pokémon Go accounts?
Selling accounts in the United States isn’t illegal, but often violates the terms of service of game developers and marketplaces, and it also annoys some gamers, who find the practice dishonorable, users’ typical punishment for doing so is usually a ban.
15. How does Pokémon Go know if you are spoofing?
When you spoof, only gps coordinate is changed, your ip address is not, using geo location ip lookup, it’s very easy to detect that, and Niantic takes spoofing very seriously, with punishments ranging from soft bans to permanent bans.