PokéStop

A PokéStop (Japanese: ポケストップ PokéStop) is a feature found at fixed real-world locations in Pokémon GO where the player can obtain. Since June 20, 2017, players can also obtain items at s like at PokéStops.

In the Map View, PokéStops are marked as blue floating cubes by default. When the player is within range of a PokéStop, the cube will turn into a Poké Ball symbol. If the player has used a PokéStop recently, it will be purple instead of blue; when it nears the time when it can be used again, it will begin to change shades back to blue. If the player is a certain distance away from a PokéStop, it will only appear as a floating blue cube, regardless of whether it has never been visited or recently been visited.

PokéStops that the player has never visited are surrounded by a white ring. This functionality was added on June 21, 2017, and does not account for whether a PokéStop was visited prior to the update.

The Nearby Pokémon listing will show Pokémon that are by nearby PokéStops.

Using PokéStops
PokéStops can be visible in Pokémon GO from long distances, well outside the range the player must be in to be able to use it. If the player taps on a visible PokéStop, they will be able to see its Photo Disc (with a partial photo of the real world location). Above the Photo Disc is a module slot and the PokéStop's name. Tapping the PokéStop's name will show a larger photo of the real-world location and the full description of the location (if any).

If the player comes into sufficient proximity to the PokéStop (marked by the ring that expands from the player's position in-game), they will be able to be able to spin the Photo Disc. This will grant the player 3 to 5 items, occasionally including a Pokémon Egg, and 50 XP (250 XP the first time the player uses a PokéStop, as tracked from June 21, 2017). The player can also earn bonus items and XP.

The items earned by spinning a Photo Disc appear in bubbles that the player can tap, but doing so is not required to collect them. Once a Photo Disc has been spun, it cannot be spun again for five minutes.

Obtainable items
The items that searching a PokéStop can yield are dependent on the player's level, with certain items not being unlocked until later levels. Multiple of the same item can be obtained from a single search.

* : first made available February 16, 2017. Nanab Berry's minimum level was originally 14, but this was changed to level 4 on June 22, 2017.

Bonuses
If the player searches 10 different PokéStops in a row, upon spinning the tenth PokéStop they will receive a large number of items and an. If the player visits any PokéStop twice within a chain, the chain is broken.

The first time the player spins a Photo Disc at a PokéStop or a each day (based on local time), they also earn a bonus 500 XP and extra items. If the player has spun a Photo Disc every day for 7 days in a row, they will instead receive 2,500 XP and more items for the seventh day's bonus (after which the player's streak resets). The seventh day bonus will also include one Evolution item (Dragon Scale, King's Rock, Metal Coat, Sun Stone, or Up-Grade).

The daily bonuses were added to Pokémon GO in version 0.45.0 (labelled 1.15.0 in the ), released on November 7, 2016. The guaranteed Evolution item in the seventh day bonus was added on March 21, 2017.

PokéStop modules
While within range of a PokéStop, the player can place a PokéStop module in its module slot, adding a temporary effect to the PokéStop for all players. A PokéStop can only have one PokéStop module at a time, meaning that a new PokéStop module cannot be placed until the old one runs out. PokéStop modules cannot be removed after being placed. Any player viewing a PokéStop can see the username of the player who added the PokéStop module. Currently, there is only one type of PokéStop module: the Lure Module.

A Lure Module placed in a PokéStop's module slot will remain active for 30 minutes. While active, it increases the frequency that wild Pokémon appear near the PokéStop. A PokéStop with an active Lure Module will have pink petals falling around it in the Map View.

Niantic has expressed interest in releasing other kinds of PokéStop modules.

PokéStop placement
PokéStops are generally found in public locations, including (but not limited to) public artwork or murals, places of worship, libraries, famous landmarks, police stations, fire stations, and public parks.

PokéStops are based on a selection of portals from the Niantic game. Until 2015, Ingress players could submit proposals for portals which subsequently had to be approved by Niantic. Since 2017, portal submissions have returned for Level 10 players, with a new feature called Operation Portal Recon opened up for Level 12 players. In Ingress Prime, portal submissions are only available in Brazil, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, and are expected to roll out for other nations later on.

If for some reason a physical location is unsuitable as a PokéStop, players may send a request to Niantic via the Pokémon GO website or Niantic Support official Twitter account to remove it from the game. This could be due to safety concerns or if there is an error related to the PokéStop (the landmark no longer exists, never existed in the first place, or has been converted to a different use such as a private residence).

Since September 2018, Level 40 players have been able to submit stops in a limited number of countries.