People can't even enjoy sleep anymore — Pokèmon Sleep littered with cheaters as popular sleep tracking app's developer calls for players to ‘enjoy the app according to the rules’

Pokemon Sleep: Snorlax stuffed animal with Pokemon Sleep app.

Snorlax stuffed animal with Pokémon Sleep app. (Image credit: Rebecca Spear / iMore)

The Pokèmon Company may just hold the esteemed award of having the first game where players are faking the quality of sleep they get each night. Things have gotten so bad that the developer has had to respond.

Pokèmon Sleep is an app that measures the amount of sleep you get and the quality of your sleep by using the microphone and accelerometer of your best iPhone and charting it. Then, you are given a score based on this sleep that captures Pokèmon in the app. These Pokèmon can be recorded in a ‘Sleep-Style Dex’, and can then be recruited to gather berries, ingredients, and more. The better you sleep, the quicker you can find and collect new types of Pokèmon.

On the Pokèmon Sleep website, a new post has been penned, entitled “Response to Inappropriate Conduct.” In it, the development team announced it “will be strengthening our response to inappropriate conduct so players can play the game will full peace of mind.” It cites “unauthorized tools or programs” as the problem and claims users are conducting much more sleep research sessions than otherwise possible. That news post says players should “enjoy the app according to the rules laid out in the Terms of Use.” Not only will players who cheat be punished with a potential account suspension, but any accounts that have exploited cheats in the past can also be caught and suspended. The development team will “periodically observe app use and continually respond to inappropriate conduct within the app”.

Why would players cheat in Pokèmon Sleep?

For the most part, Pokèmon Sleep is a standalone experience. It only has a little crossover with Pokèmon Go, one of the best free iPhone games, by giving berries and aesthetic changes. Players who are cheating in the game only really fill the Pokèdex and see more of the game’s content faster.

Though it seems a bit strange to cheat, it also doesn’t affect other players online. However, it’s worth noting that players can make their way through the game quicker by feeding their Snorlax (The sleeping Pokèmon). You can buy food, incense, pillows, and so much more with real-life currency. Players caught cheating are not only seeing the game quicker than intended but entirely skipping past Pokèmon Sleep’s business model. The developer will want these cheaters to pay actual money to see the game that quickly.

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James is a staff writer and general Jack of all trades at iMore. With news, features, reviews, and guides under his belt, he has always liked Apple for its unique branding and distinctive style. Originally buying a Macbook for music and video production, he has since gone on to join the Apple ecosystem with as many devices as he can fit on his person.

With a degree in Law and Media and being a little too young to move onto the next step of his law career, James started writing from his bedroom about games, movies, tech, and anything else he could think of. Within months, this turned into a fully-fledged career as a freelance journalist. Before joining iMore, he was a staff writer at Gfinity and saw himself published at sites like TechRadar, NME, and Eurogamer.

As his extensive portfolio implies, James was predominantly a games journalist before joining iMore and brings with him a unique perspective on Apple itself. When not working, he is trying to catch up with the movies and albums of the year, as well as finally finishing the Yakuza series. If you like Midwest emo music or pretentious indie games that will make you cry, he’ll talk your ear off.