PSA: Received First Strike - Warning for those on the iOS 26 Public Beta

Help Desk
1

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my frustrating experience from today and give a heads-up to other players. This afternoon, I opened Pokémon GO and was greeted with a 7-day strike (First Strike) for violating the terms of service, specifically for using modified client software.

I was completely shocked because I have never, ever used any third-party apps, cheated, or modified the game in any way. My account is 100% legit, and I play by the rules.

After the initial panic, I tried to figure out what could have possibly triggered this. The only thing different about my setup is that I recently installed the iOS 26 Public Beta on my iPhone.

A bit of searching online shows that this is, unfortunately, a common problem. It seems like every year, a new wave of players using the latest iOS beta gets incorrectly flagged by Niantic’s anti-cheat system. It happened with iOS 12, iOS 14, and other major updates. The general theory is that the system misinterprets the behavior of the beta OS as a jailbreak or a modified client, resulting in a false positive.
I’m in the process of sending a detailed and polite appeal to Niantic support.

Based on advice I’ve gathered, I know the first response from support is likely to be an automated denial, but I want to get my case on the record.

So, I’m putting this out there for two reasons:

• A warning: If you are playing on the iOS 26 beta, please be careful. The risk of getting a false positive seems very real right now. If you have another device on a stable OS, that might be the safest way to play.

• A question: Has anyone else on the iOS 26 beta received a strike or a warning in the last day or so? I’m curious to know if this is an isolated incident or the start of another wave.

Thanks for reading. It’s incredibly disheartening to be accused of cheating when you’re just trying to enjoy the game.

TL;DR: Got a 7-day strike for “cheating,” but I’m not. I’m almost certain it’s a false positive triggered by the iOS 26 Public Beta. Warning other beta users and asking if this is happening to anyone else.

1 Like
2

I wish you with all my heart that they will attend you.
I’m an Android player, so no way to help from my side, but maybe someone reads you here who can help.

1 Like
3

From what I can tell, it does not seem to be a big ban wave, so that unfortunately makes it a bit harder. Always contact support however, specifically through their support website. It may lead nowhere indeed, but it is probably the best way to get their attention.

2 Likes
4

Many cheaters will be very vigorous and persistent in denying their offense, and some who are innocent will rather endure an unjust suspension quietly, rather than spend hours trying to prove their innocence (which winds making more work out of recreation time).

1 Like