'Pokemon Go' to end support for older iOS, Android phones in October

The smartphone or tablet running Android 5.0 'Lollipop' or iOS 10 or 11, will no longer be able to access 'Pokemon Go' when Niantic will be rolling out an update in mid-October.

The mobile game, 'Pokemon Go' shared on Twitter account and confirmed that two popular older phones also won't make the cut: the iPhone 5S and iPhone 6 are being left behind, despite the fact both phones can be upgraded to run iOS 12.

"iPhone 5S and 6 have just 1 GB of RAM, and we don't want to hold back development and implementation of features for the vast majority of players who have more robust phones," Niantic told The Verge.

The company told The Verge that 'Pokemon Go' is not as "demanding as some other titles, but it relies heavily on your phone's cameras, GPS tracking, and general chops to keep up with its 3D visuals, and can be quite a drain on an ageing phone battery." It also added that this will only affect a tiny percentage of daily active players.

Niantic further told The Verge that this change will only impact "a very small percentage of daily active players," however, the change is still going to be a loss for those around the globe who don't want to - or can't - upgrade their phones.

During this year's Pokemon Go Fest players caught nearly a billion Pokemon, making it the biggest Pokemon Go Fest to date. This was made possible by Niantic making it easy for players to capture Pokemon indoors, during the lockdown.

( With inputs from ANI )