How to play Pokémon Go on a rooted Android device [VIDEO]

Developer Niantic stepped on more than a few toes this weekend, after they made the controversial decision to block rooted Android users (and jailbroken iOS users) from playing Pokemon Go. An effort to curb those who would use their root powers for evil (GPS spoofing, scraping, botting), the problem is not everyone with a rooted device cheats.

While the rooted community only accounts for a very small percentage of Pokemon Go players, it was a harsh move especially for those who have already spent some of their hard earned money inside the game. This has left rooted Pokemon Go fans with two hard choices: either unroot and lose out on all the perks that come with a rooted Android device, or simply quit the game cold turkey. But it seems there could be another way…

YouTuber Max Lee has taken it upon himself to keep the Pokemon Go dream alive for rooted users, with a helpful tool called Magisk. Once installed on your Android device, Magisk allows you to disable root at will, flipping it on or off like a light switch, something you could do before firing up a Pokemon Go session or when using other root-blocked apps like Android Pay.

You’ll basically need 3 files to get started — Magisk ZIP file, Magisk SuperSU ZIP file, and the Magisk Manager APK — and will probably want to back everything up beforehand. For the full step-by-step tutorial, check out Max’s video down below, or his post on HighonAndroid right here.

Thanks, Davey!