'Pokémon Go' Servers Down: What to do if you get an unexpected error

Impact

You had that Charizard in your sights, but then the Pokémon Go servers went down. Now you keep getting an unexpected error message saying you can't log in again. Here's what you can do if Pokémon Go isn't working.

When stuff like this happens, chances are there's something wrong with the Pokémon Go servers. Luckily, we haven't seen anything like the rampant server outages that occurred within the first few weeks of the game's release, but the servers still go down occasionally. Thankfully, there's an easy way to find out if that's what's happening.

Pokémon Go Servers Down? Twitter is your friend

Social media is the way news travels fastest nowadays. So, if you think there's a problem with the Pokémon Go servers, you should hear about it quickly from one of several Twitter accounts.

The Pokémon Go Servers account on Twitter is, you guessed it, all about tracking Pokémon Go server status. Niantic's official Pokémon Go Twitter account should also deliver status updates if the servers go offline.

Pokémon Go News is another Twitter feed worth checking if you suspect Pokémon Go is having server issues. Last, but certainly not least, The Silph Road's Twitter feed is sure to have current information related to server status.

Pokémon Go Servers Down? Check the status on Facebook and Reddit

Niantic posts news to its official Facebook page — as do The Silph Road and Pokémon Go Hub — but Reddit may be the best place for up-to-the-minute server status reports.

You might see news regarding Pokémon Go server status on The Silph Road subreddit faster than you'll see it on social media. Early reports may be unsubstantiated, but if you're really anxious to make sure you're in touch with Pokémon Go server status, Reddit is a good place to check.

The Silph Road/Reddit

Pokémon Go Servers Down? How to tackle a malfunctioning server

With regards to what you can do when Pokémon Go servers are down, the answer is, unfortunately, not a whole lot.

Make sure your version of Pokémon Go is up-to-date. You can always find the number of the latest version by checking the patch notice on the official Pokémon Go website. If you don't have automatic updates enabled on your smartphone, check for a Pokémon Go update manually in the App Store or Google Play.

Sometimes Pokémon Go game patches take a while to work their way to all players, so it's also possible large groups of players in other regions may experience a crash fix earlier than you do. If so, be patient and wait for the update to hit your region.

More Pokémon Go guides, tips, tricks and updates

Check out Mic's Pokémon Go tips and tricks. Here are guides on how to get stardust, how to determine how long it will take you to reach Level 40, the kind of Pokémon you get from 10km eggs, how to create new PokéStops, how to maximize your chances of catching Pokémon and how PokéStops distribute Pokémon eggs. Also check out how to catch Gen 2 baby Pokémon, our analysis of post-balance update Chansey and Rhydon and everything you need to know about finding the long-awaited Pokémon Ditto.