Pokemon GO reportedly blocks players using Android custom recovery or backup methods
Pokémon GO, a popular AR mobile game made by Niantic, has become notorious for measures that scan for customization-related software. This activity may result in a player receiving a ban, and may be intended to prevent in-app cheating. However, some users view it as ineffectual, as well as an abuse of the permission granted in order to access a device's external storage.
The latest potential ill effect of this "anti-cheating" code allegedly targets TWRP recoveries, and may prevent their users opening the app. This is reportedly done through the detection of folders with its name in a device's file-system. In addition, one Redditor claims that the use of a second alternative recovery, OrangeFox, has resulted in the same. Furthermore, the app Titanium Backup, which helps a user restore their apps following a complete wipe of their phone's storage, also now reportedly triggers Pokémon GO's blocking response.
Most seriously, the Android developer Kieron Quinn asserts that the game can enact this even if its 'storage' permission has been revoked. The Niantic app has also reportedly assigned bans to users of the root app Magisk in the past, although its developer has addressed this by causing its folders to take on names that Pokémon GO cannot recognize. Therefore, users may be able to apply the same solution to issues newly related to the presence of TWRP.
