How to fix Pokemon GO's Incense Glitch (2022)

Official Artwork for the Incense item in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)
Official Artwork for the Incense item in Pokemon GO (Image via Niantic)

With the recent conclusion of March's Community Day event in Pokemon GO, players have noticed that their Incenses are not working. This can make participating in such events difficult for players who do not live near Pokestops, as it takes away the opportunity for these players to catch Pokemon.

The Incense item has been in Pokemon GO since its launch and is arguably one of the most important items for players to have a stockpile of. These items work by increasing the general spawn rate of Pokemon around the player. Players can collect these items from Pokestops or by purchasing them in the shop.

Sadly, Niantic is yet to fix this issue in the game as players are still reporting that their Incense items are non-functional. Luckily, a community of dedicated players have discovered some possible fixes for both iOS and Android devices. These changes are only a slight tweak to the device's time settings.


Steps for Fixing Pokemon GO's Incense Glitch

iOS/Apple Devices

Pokemon GO running on an iPhone (Image via MobileSyrup/Niantic)
Pokemon GO running on an iPhone (Image via MobileSyrup/Niantic)

There are various steps to fixing the Incense glitch on mobile devices, but they can all be completed with relative ease. Players will first need to close out of the Pokemon GO application. Afterward, players will need to navigate to the Settings app.

Next, players will need to find the General tab in the settings menu. This should be one of the first options on the list, so it won't be hard to find. Afterward, players will need to tap on their Date & Time settings. Once they find it, they will need to enable the "Set Automatically" option. This should fix the Incense issue.


Android Devices

Pokemon GO running on an assortment of Android devices (Image via iPhoneHacks/Niantic)
Pokemon GO running on an assortment of Android devices (Image via iPhoneHacks/Niantic)

Fixing the Incense glitch on Android operating systems has players fixing their time and date options much like on Apple devices. First, players need to close out of the app. Next, players need to find their Settings app. This should be easy to find as some Android devices sort apps alphabetically.

After entering the Settings, players will need to navigate to the app's Date & Time section. After finding this part of the settings menu, players will need to find the Automatic Time & Date and the Automatic Time Zone options. Once players find these options, they will need to turn these on and re-open the mobile game.

Hopefully, after following these steps, players will be able to use their Incense items. With all the players reporting this bug, it is likely that Niantic will fix this bug in the game's next update. Until then, players experiencing this glitch should only need to fix their device's Time and Date settings and enable its automation.

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