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.