How can I play Pokémon Go privately and without giving up full access to my main Google Account? By making a burner account!
Pokémon Go is a phenomenon, but there's a problem with it — it's also a huge security risk. That's no hyperbole or sensationalism either. The developer, Niantic, either couldn't or didn't limit the access they requested to your Google Account. As a result, as soon as you grant them access so you can play, they get everything. Everything. Including the ability to see, modify, and delete your email, documents, photos and more. And that's bad.
Niantic is already under enormous pressure to fix this by any means necessary, but in the meantime some people are deleting the app and revoking its permissions, or simply not signing up at all.
Update: You can simply revoke permissions and keep playing. Pokemon Go will try to re-authenticate at some point, and when it fails, you'll need to log back in and then revoke permissions again. And again.
So, what if you still want to play Pokémon Go, you just want to do it privately and securely, without giving Niantic access to your main Google account? Well, you can. You can do just that by making a new, empty Google account to do it with. Call it a secondary account, a dummy, a throw-away, a burner — whatever. Here's how to do it!
If you're already playing, this will reset your account and you'll have to start over. You'll need to decide if your more concerned with your security and privacy, or your in-game progress. That choice is entirely up to you!
How to create a dummy Google account
Make sure you're either signed out of Google or in a Private or Incognito browsing session.
- Go to Gmail.com.
- Click on Create account on the bottom.
- Fill in the requested information.
Once your new, throw-away account is created, you're ready to log back into Pokémon Go.
How to sign into Pokémon Go with your dummy Google account
If you've already signed into Pokémon Go with your main Google account, sign out first. If not, download and install Pokémon Go first
- Launch Pokémon Go from your Home screen.
- On the sign up screen, tap the Google icon.
- Enter your new, dummy Google username.
Enter your Google password.
Screw that — privacy now! — how do I burn it all down?
You should be perfectly safe using a dummy Google account, but if you simply want no part of Pokémon go, you can delete your account, salt the earth, and be done with it for all eternity. Ish.
Reader comments
Pokémon Go can be a huge security risk – here's how to play privately!
Okay, but if you already started a game is there a way to delete that game account, or revoke access?
I'm pretty sure you can revoke access through https://myaccount.google.com/security?utm_source=OGB&pli=1#connectedapps or something 'near' it...
Thanks - this is correct. My game is still working, even with access revoked, but I don't know if I will eventually encounter problems. Setting up a new game also to be safe.
As long as you don't force close the app in the app switcher menu it's been good. The only time I encountered a problem as when I force closed the app.
YMMV - first time I went back into the app after revoking access I couldn't get in. So I created a dummy account. Fortunately all I had was pikachu. Easy enough to get again tomorrow
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Is there any way to "transfer" your current Pokemon Go data to the new, burner account so you don't loose game progress?
Rene, I noticed that you didn't mention anything about the secondary login option, the use of a Pokemon Trainer Club account. I already had a Pokemon account that I had when I was buying some of the cards, so I used it. Is this safe?
That's probably because trying that method says try again in an hour. Over and over. And over. And they admit to too much demand
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Can you just revoke access in your Gmail account? I'd rather not delete and have to create an entirely new Google account but rather revoke access until the security measures are updated.
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"Everything. Including the ability to see, modify, and delete your email, documents, photos and more. And that's bad"
So scary.
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It's still a security risk in that a lot of folks have been robbed, raped or otherwise attacked because the bad guys know where you are going to turn up looking for your cartoon monster.
I'm surprised that there is this, in essence, way around Apple and it's security and permissions practice.
Want to see this get fixed fast? Apple pulls the app and disables the current version for all. Bet they fix that access in a matter of hours.
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Don't know why iSRS got downvoted when this is likely what has to happen as Niantic hasn't even issued a public statement that they are aware of the problem and going to fix it which is a very bad sign usually.
They tweeted about this IOS only issue. A fix is coming and they confirmed that all the scary stuff like your shopping list in Google wasn't taken. You can go back to playing with your toys now.
Oh, they have confirmed this have they? I'm cyncial enough to not trust what they say when they, out of the gate, gain full access to millions of users accounts. Add on top of that my next wondering of - why were the servers so slow? Because they were mining everyone's google accounts for the days up to when this store broke.
Bad news is I was dumb enough to fall for their trick and didn't even have a second though about signing up. I didn't even think I was granting them access - I thought it was just creating a login account. Shame on me for not noticing. Shame on them for not disclosing. Praise upon iMore for breaking this.
I fell for it too, though I'm used to seeing that second "Permissions page" where you can make an informed decision about the security risks before comfirming the signup. Niantic somehow managed to skip that warning, writing it off as a "bug." But that doesn't sound right, as then ANY developer could then make an app asking for a Google signin - and then go download everything from your account without ever asking for permission.
It's not just that Pokemon wants full access that's scary, it's also that they got it by circumvented the usual security prompt that would have scared many people from agreeing to it.
All true but there are probably dozens of apps doing the same that aren't being reported. Apple doesn't check everything on its store to that level of detail. Concerning that they wouldn't even validate one of the most anticipated and popular.