To refresh game data in Pokémon GO, tap the Poké Ball (the Main Menu button), tap Settings, tap Advanced Settings, and then tap Refresh Game Data. Your Pokémon, items, and progress are not deleted, because they are stored online with your account.
The steps are the same on iPhone and Android and appear in Niantic’s Pokémon GO troubleshooting guide for iOS. Refreshing may turn off Adventure Sync, so check that setting afterward.
Before you start
- You need to be signed in and able to reach the map. Refresh Game Data lives inside the in-game Settings menu. If the game will not open at all, skip to the troubleshooting section below.
- Use a steady internet connection. The game has to load its data again, so Wi-Fi or a strong cellular signal helps.
- Update the app first if you can. Niantic lists updating Pokémon GO as the first troubleshooting step, before the refresh.
- Know how you sign in. You should not be signed out by a refresh, but it is sensible to know your login method (Google, Apple, Facebook, Pokémon Trainer Club, or another option) before changing anything.
How to refresh game data in Pokémon GO
- Open Pokémon GO and wait for the map to load.
- Tap the Poké Ball at the bottom center of the map. Niantic calls this the Main Menu button.
- Tap Settings at the top right of the menu.
- Scroll down and tap Advanced Settings.
- Tap Refresh Game Data. If the game asks you to confirm, tap Yes.
- Wait while the game reloads. Do not force the app closed in the middle. On a slow connection this can take a little while.
Niantic lists this step in its iOS troubleshooting guide and Android troubleshooting guide. Both guides give the same path: Settings, then Advanced Settings, then Refresh Game Data.
What refreshing game data does (and does not do)
Niantic describes the feature in one line: refreshing your game data can resolve a variety of gameplay issues. It does not publish a technical breakdown of what is reloaded, so treat it as a general reset of the game data on your phone, not a targeted fix for one bug.
- It does not delete your account progress. Niantic states that all game progress is stored online, which is why even uninstalling the app does not erase it.
- It is not the same as reinstalling. The app stays on your phone. Reinstalling is a later, bigger step in Niantic’s list.
- It is not the same as Download All Assets. That is a separate option in the same menu, covered below.
- It may change settings. Adventure Sync is the only one Niantic names. Some players report other preferences, such as AR options, changing too, so look over your settings afterward.
Check Adventure Sync afterward
If you use Adventure Sync, confirm it is still on, or your steps will stop counting toward Eggs and Buddy Candy while the app is closed.
- Tap the Poké Ball, then tap Settings.
- Tap General.
- Look at Adventure Sync. If it is unchecked, tap it to turn it back on, and approve any prompt to connect Apple Health or Google Fit.
Niantic’s Adventure Sync help page notes the feature is only available at Trainer Level 5 and above, and that it needs location permission set to always allow. For the full walkthrough, read about turning Adventure Sync on or off.
When to refresh game data
Refreshing is worth trying when the game opens but something inside it misbehaves. Typical cases:
- Items, Pokémon, or menus look wrong or do not load.
- The game shows errors or odd visuals after an update.
- A feature keeps freezing, but the map still works.
- You already updated the app and checked your connection, and the problem is still there.
It is less likely to help with problems that start outside the game, such as a weak signal, poor GPS, a sign-in failure, or an outage on the game’s servers. For those, use the matching step in the troubleshooting section below.
How to tell if it worked, and whether you can undo it
There is no success message to look for. Go back to the screen or feature that was failing and try it again. If it now behaves, the refresh did its job.
A refresh cannot be undone, and it does not need to be. Nothing on your account is removed. The only cleanup is turning Adventure Sync back on and re-checking any other settings you rely on. If Battery Saver is one of them, here is what the Battery Saver setting does in Pokémon GO.
Transfers are different: a Pokémon sent to Professor Willow is gone for good, so check how to transfer multiple Legendary Pokémon safely before a big cleanup.
Refresh Game Data vs. Download All Assets
These two options sit in the same Advanced Settings menu and are easy to mix up. Refresh Game Data is a troubleshooting step. Download All Assets downloads all available game assets to your phone at once instead of gradually as you play. Niantic says it is off by default, and that downloading on Wi-Fi reduces the mobile data you use later while exploring.
To use it, open Advanced Settings, scroll to Download All Assets, and tap it. You can tap it again at any time to download the assets again. Niantic’s Download All Assets page suggests revisiting it regularly, because the assets change as in-game content changes, and before big events. If mobile data is your concern, see how much data Pokémon GO uses on an iPhone.
If refreshing does not help
Niantic asks you to work through its troubleshooting steps in order. Here are the others, with the iPhone and Android versions kept separate.
On both iPhone and Android
- Update Pokémon GO. The game works best on the newest version. Update it from the App Store or the Google Play Store.
- Switch networks. Try Wi-Fi if cellular is unreliable, or cellular if Wi-Fi is the problem.
- Uninstall and reinstall. Delete the app and install the latest official version from your app store. Niantic says your game progress will not be lost, because it is stored online. Make sure you know your sign-in method first, since you will need to log in again. On an iPhone, here’s how to delete Pokémon GO without losing progress.
On iPhone
- Set the date and time automatically. Go to Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically.
- Clear Safari data. Pokémon GO uses Safari to sign in, so Niantic suggests clearing it for connection problems. Go to Settings > Apps > Safari > Advanced > Website Data and tap Remove All Website Data. On iOS 17 and earlier, start at Settings > Safari. This affects all of your Safari browsing, not just the game, and can sign you out of websites.
On Android
- Use automatic system time. In the Settings app, under Date & Time, turn on Automatic date & time and Automatic time zone.
- Clear the app cache. Niantic’s steps are Settings > Storage > Games > Pokémon GO > Clear cache. The exact path varies by phone maker.
- Check background data. Make sure your phone is not restricting background data for Google Play Services and the Google Play Store.
If the game will not open at all, try the fixes for Pokémon GO stuck on the loading screen. If nothing works, the problem may be a known bug. You can reach Niantic from inside the game: open Settings and tap the Help button at the top right. The How to Contact Support page explains the options.
Other Pokémon GO settings worth checking
- Camera permission for Pokémon GO
- Turn off AR mode
- Sign out of your account
- Turn off music and sound effects in Pokémon GO
Frequently asked questions
Will refreshing game data delete my Pokémon?
No. Your Pokémon, items, and progress are stored online with your game account, not only on your phone. Refreshing game data reloads the game’s data on the device and leaves the account alone.
Does refreshing game data sign me out?
Niantic’s troubleshooting guides do not say that it does. Still, keep your login details handy, because later steps such as reinstalling the app do require you to sign in again.
Does refreshing game data free up storage?
Not reliably. It reloads data and is not described by Niantic as a storage cleanup tool. To see how much space the game uses, check how much storage Pokémon GO needs.
Why can’t I find Refresh Game Data?
It is inside Advanced Settings, which is near the bottom of the main Settings list, so you have to scroll. Menu names and positions can shift a little between game updates. If you still do not see it, update the app and look again. The same menu holds the option to turn on Native Refresh Rate in Pokémon GO, which makes the game look smoother on high refresh rate screens.
How often should I refresh game data?
Only when something is wrong. Niantic presents it as a troubleshooting step, not routine maintenance, and each refresh means checking Adventure Sync again.
Is refreshing game data the same as clearing the cache?
No. Refresh Game Data is a button inside the game. Clearing the cache is done in your Android phone’s Settings app, and Niantic lists it as a separate step. iPhones do not have a matching per-app cache button, so Niantic’s iOS guide suggests clearing Safari data or reinstalling instead.
Next step
Refresh the game data, then open Settings > General and confirm Adventure Sync is still checked. If the glitch remains, update the app and move down Niantic’s list one step at a time.
If you play other games on iPhone, here’s how to add friends on Game Center so you can compare achievements.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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