A Pokémon GO Player Found an Explorer Gadget That Works While the Game Is Closed

The in-game screen shows two 0/50 counters, says the feature can be used once per day, and does not confirm a new physical accessory.

Bojan Kicevski20 minutes ago

0 5 1 minute read

A Pokémon GO Player Found an Explorer Gadget That Works While the Game Is Closed

A Pokémon GO player logged in for a second session and found an unfamiliar item called Explorer Gadget. The screen describes it as an in-game tool that can automatically throw Poké Balls and spin PokéStops while Pokémon GO is closed.

Pokémon GO Explorer Gadget screen showing automatic Poké Ball throws and PokéStop spins

The interface shows two counters at 0/50: one for catching and one for spinning. A green USE button sits below the description, so the gadget appears to be activated from inside the app. The panel also says Explorer Gadget can be used once per day.

That gives the Explorer Gadget a purpose similar to Pokémon GO Plus, since both are designed to handle basic catching and PokéStop actions without constant manual input. However, the screenshot does not show a price, product listing, pairing prompt, or hardware name. It cannot confirm that this is a newly announced physical device.

For now, the safest read is that Explorer Gadget is a game-side Go Plus-style function with a 50-action display for each category. The screenshot does not show whether the counters reset, which Poké Balls the gadget chooses, what rewards the gadget provides, or how players unlock it. Separate account sightings in the US and UK, plus a German account with the feature in its Bag, suggest availability may be account-specific rather than part of a confirmed wider rollout.

Have you seen Explorer Gadget in Pokémon GO, and what happened after pressing USE? Share your thoughts in the comments, and find more updates on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.

Pokémon Go is an augmented reality mobile game that uses GPS to let players locate, capture, train, and battle Pokémon in real-world locations. Players explore their physical surroundings to find PokéStops for items, battle at Gyms for team control, participate in Raid Battles cooperatively, and compete in the Go Battle League's player-versus-player format. The game is free-to-play with in-app purchases and features Pokémon from across multiple generations of the franchise.