How to fix Pokemon Go Incense not working bug in 2022

Pokemon Go incense bugNiantic / The Pokemon Company

Is your Incense not working in Pokemon Go? This important item can help you get rare spawns, but it doesn’t always function properly thanks to a frustrating bug.

Incense is one of the most popular items in Pokemon Go, as it helps players find even more Pokemon in the wild. During special events, you’ll even be able to find Pokemon that only spawn when Incense is active.

These items can only be unlocked by completing tasks, leveling up, or purchasing them from the Shop, so it’s frustrating when they don’t work properly, especially if it’s a limited-time Orange Incense.

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Fortunately, if you’re experiencing issues with your Incense not working as planned, we’ve got a fix that you can try to help you get back on track – as well as an explanation of the recent changes in 2022.

Pokemon Go IncenseNiantic
Turns out Pokemon Go’s incense has been attracting some bugs recently…

Why is Pokemon Go Incense not working in 2022?

Before we get into the fixes for Incense not working in Pokemon Go, it’s worth pointing out that Niantic made changes to Incense in March 2022 which has left some players assuming their Incense is broken.

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While the duration of Incense has been boosted from 60 minutes to 90 minutes, players who remain stationary will now only get one Pokemon spawn every five minutes instead of one every 90 seconds.

Players who are walking around outside will be unaffected by this change, but those who are playing from home or who simply can’t get around that easily will now find that Incense is pretty much useless.

It’s easy to understand why these changes have left some players confused, especially as Niantic didn’t explain it very clearly. It was only briefly mentioned in a blog post that didn’t include specific details.

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If you’re still having problems with Incense and there are no spawns at all, though, we’ve listed potential fixes for iPhone and Android users below that might help.

How to fix Pokemon Go Incense bug on iPhone

If you’re having issues with Incense in Pokemon Go, it might be related to the time settings on the device that you’re playing on. You must ensure that your device is on “automatic” time.

Here’s how to change that on an iPhone:

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  1. Open “Settings.”
  2. Select “General.”
  3. Scroll down to “Date & Time” and tap it.
  4. Make sure that “Set Automatically” is marked as green.
Pokemon Go Incense bug fixApple
You need to make sure that “set automatically” is green.

How to fix Pokemon Go Incense bug on Android

The steps to solving this Incense issue on Android are pretty similar:

  1. Open “System.”
  2. Select “Date & Time.”
  3. Ensure that “Automatic Date & Time” and “Automatic Time Zone” are marked as blue.

We hope that’s helped you fix Incense in Pokemon Go and you can now get back to catching all of those elusive Pokemon in the wild.


While you’re here, check out some of our other Pokemon Go guides below:

Type chart | How to catch a Ditto in Pokemon Go | Best Eeveelutions | Field research rewards and tasks | Pokemon Go promo codes for free items | How to get Pinap Berries | Spotlight Hour schedule | How to defeat Giovanni | Rarest Pokemon | Best Mega Evolutions | Community Day schedule | How to get free Remote Raid Passes | Team Go Rocket Grunt guide | Sierra counters | Arlo counters | Cliff counters

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