Hi Wayfarer team and community,
I’m writing with the hope of getting advice or support regarding a permanent suspension I received in Pokémon GO. I’ve been playing since 2016 and have always loved being part of the Niantic community, participating in events, and contributing to Wayfarer.
A few weeks ago, my Pokémon GO account was permanently banned due to using a third-party app that altered my location. I accept full responsibility for this mistake, and I truly regret it. However, I never received any warning or prior strike under the Three Strikes Policy, which made the permanent ban feel sudden and final.
I submitted an appeal, but the case was closed quickly with a generic response and no further opportunity to explain. I respect Niantic’s policies and decisions, but I’m sincerely asking for a second chance, even a temporary suspension would have allowed me to learn from my mistake.
What makes this even more painful is that my access to Wayfarer has also been suspended for 10 years, even though I never broke any rules within Wayfarer itself, nor in other games like Ingress or Pikmin Bloom, which I still play. This means I can no longer review or nominate, despite being an active and rule-abiding player in those other games.
I’m reaching out to ask:
- Is there any way to request a second review of my Pokémon GO suspension?
- Is it possible to separate the Wayfarer ban from the original offense, given that it affects my experience across other games?
Any advice, support, or redirection would be deeply appreciated. I want to return to the community I’ve loved being a part of and prove that I can follow the rules going forward.
Thank you so much for your time and understanding 
– Adrivil
Hello and welcome @Adrivil
It is good to hear that you are taking responsibility and acknowledging that you broke the terms of service in Pokémon Go.
It is the case that if you break the ToS in one part of Niantic any sanctions apply across all of Niantic. This applies as you have found out for offences committed in Pokémon Go applying to Wayfarer and also in the reverse direction if an offence is committed in wayfarer. In order to gain access to Wayfarer you would need to successfully appeal your suspension inPokémon Go, and have a clean record across Niantic games.
I appreciate that you are having a frustrating experience trying to do that but it sounds as though there is nothing the wayfarer team can help with if it wasn’t an offence in wayfarer.
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Hi, welcome! Echoing everything @elijustrying said, no one here will be able to address a Pokémon GO ban as this is a Wayfarer forum.
Just to add to that regarding warnings, the Pokémon GO team tells us on their abuse page that they are well within their right to issue a ban immediately, as detailed here. Gameplay Fairness Policy — Pokémon GO Help Center So I don’t think it’s worth using “I didn’t get a first strike” as your appeal strategy.
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Thank you both very much, @elijustrying and @Xenopus, for taking the time to reply so clearly and respectfully.
I completely understand that Wayfarer can’t intervene in bans from Pokémon GO, and I now also see that the strike system is not always guaranteed depending on the severity of the violation.
I’m really just hoping for a second chance, and I’m trying to find a way to reach someone who might be willing to review the case one more time. If either of you happens to know a point of contact, or a channel where I could respectfully ask for that opportunity (even just to be heard), I’d be incredibly grateful.
I’ve been part of the Niantic community since 2016, and I’d love the chance to continue contributing — this time, fully committed to staying within the rules.
Thanks again for all that you do here.
@Adrivil any luck? I have noticed niantic support for game termination are automatic AI replies… getting same reply
Hello and welcome,
The replies for warnings/bans are not AI, nor are they necessarily automatic. Staff do complete a thorough investigation, and if they do find that a warning/ban is warranted, emails will be sent out. Some part of the emails have already been written up, so staff just have to make sure that the reason for the warning/ban is correctly listed, and if this has to do with a nomination/edit, make sure that is mentioned as well.
The appeals form also goes to staff, and they do fully look into what is noted, as well as what their investigation has told them. They also have many already written replies that they may be able to use, usually written by staff on a writing team, and these are commonly used in a good deal of email custoemr support.
It’s possible that nothing new was provided with the appeal or the user didn’t explain why they believe they didn’t commit the offense listed. Not everyone that gets a warning/ban will provide a thorough appeal, so if they are unable to convince, the warning/ban may stay in place.
This isn’t even a Wayfarer issue, so there’s not much anyone can help with here.
Could we have this closed since it isn’t Wayfarer related?
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It’s not wayfarer issue but everything is connected. Suspension in one affects in another. People post here because niantic employee on wayfarer are more in touch with people & they can discuss such issues with their colleagues who handles game. Or may be there could be some reshuffle. Anyways we know so many people who cheat & their account never gets strikes …so it’s matter of luck. And sir you defended people who do ban appeals so i replied. U could have first only said wayfarer is different & no point in discussing here. You wanted to give justification to defend niantic employee who do ban apeal. Once we gave our justification or opinions you say it’s not related..
Wayfarer and PoGo have different staff. Wayfarer staff is unable to assist, which the OP was informed of.
Thanks everyone for the discussion.
As this issue relates to a Pokémon GO ban and not a Wayfarer-specific concern, it’s outside the scope of this forum. Please direct any further questions or appeals through official Pokémon GO support channels.
Closing this thread as off-topic. Thanks for understanding.
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Update: I’ve removed a few comments that were spreading misinformation or making unverified claims. If you notice any additional comments that may have been missed, please feel free to flag them for review.
As a general reminder, please avoid sharing speculation or assumptions as fact. Let’s keep discussions accurate and constructive.
Thanks for your understanding.
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