The main function in Pokémon GO is catching monsters. However, trainers are currently complaining about a bug with Aerodactyl. We looked into what happened and show you how to still catch this Pokémon.
What is it about? In order to collect monsters in Pokémon GO or battle with them, you first need to catch them. However, there is currently a bug affecting this process. Reports from trainers on social networks are increasing regarding problems in catching Aerodactyl.
What kind of Pokémon is Aerodactyl? Aerodactyl is a Rock and Flying-type Pokémon. It is from the 1st generation and has neither a pre-evolution nor a subsequent evolution.
You get Aerodactyl as a reward in the field research of December 2021 or in its Shadow form after winning a Team GO Rocket battle. It also spawns primarily during windy and partly cloudy weather in the wild.
Why is Aerodactyl so difficult to catch?
If you want to catch Aerodactyl in Pokémon GO, you might be facing unexpected challenges. The reason is a bug in the catching interface. Some trainers are reporting issues with this monster on social networks.
On reddit, unscsnip3r explains that he cannot catch Aerodactyl with his Samsung A71 because the monster flies too high. Initially, he suspects that it is just a bug on Android and that this issue has already been fixed on iOS.
As can be seen in the image, Aerodactyl is indeed flying very high at the top of the screen. This makes curveball throws particularly difficult, as they often do not fly high enough. And even straight throws become a challenge.
Who’s affected? However, it quickly becomes clear in the comments that besides Android, iOS users are also affected by this issue. Many players have already had similar experiences and report about them on reddit (via reddit.com).
- Level-Particular-455: “As someone with an iPhone who just landed 1 out of 10 Pokéballs on an Aerodactyl, I can say: It hasn’t been fixed for iPhone users.”
- psycmed: “I agree. It’s barely possible to catch it with a straight ball, no chance with a curveball.”
- KingOfVegetables: “I use iOS and can confirm, it hasn’t been fixed; 40 balls missed and as soon as it worked, it fled immediately.”
- whatthedeuce1990: “I had this issue today on Sony. I’ve never had this problem before. Normally, Aerodactyl hovers slightly above the middle point.”
Trick to catch Aerodactyl
However, to ensure you don’t miss out on catching Aerodactyl, you can use a little trick. As several trainers explain in the comments on reddit, this bug apparently only occurs in the normal catching interface. If you switch to AR mode, Aerodactyl can be caught as usual (via reddit.com).
- batattron: “I had to switch to AR, only then could I hit it with a few balls.”
- Western_Activity_817: “Switch to AR mode. That’s the only way I could catch it.”
- protomex: “On the iPhone 12 it doesn’t work either; you have to switch to AR mode to even have a chance to catch it.”
And also under a post on Twitter, a trainer shows that Aerodactyl can be caught much more easily using this trick:
Why does the AR mode help? The reason catching works better in AR mode is that you don’t have a clear screen boundary as you do in the normal catching interface. The real environment is used as the catching background. So when you move your phone, the background changes accordingly.
If your monster is too far up, you just need to hold your smartphone a bit higher and you can catch it normally. In the regular catching interface, however, the background is fixed and cannot be moved up, down, or sideways.
Whether and when this catching problem will be fixed by Niantic is currently unknown. As soon as there is an official announcement from Pokémon GO, you will find it here on MeinMMO. Until then, catching Aerodactyl probably only leaves you the option to use AR mode.
Did you also have trouble catching Aerodactyl? Did you manage to do it by using the AR function? Feel free to share your opinions and experiences on this topic here on MeinMMO in the comments and exchange ideas with other trainers.
In the upcoming weeks, a lot is happening in Pokémon GO. We looked at which events are waiting for you in December and which are particularly worthwhile.
