How to Download Pokémon GO in the UAE

After its release in the USA, Australia and New Zealand, the new app Pokémon GO has been gleefully downloaded at a record rate as die-hard fans across each country have been reuniting with old favourites. But it's not everywhere, yet.

The official release date for users who have Apple accounts in the UAE has not been announced, however with meticulous steps, there is a way to bypass Apple's location settings so you can download the game anywhere worldwide.

If you don't mind a depleting battery and large consumption of data to keep the game and its in-game maps running, here's the steps you can take to download the popular app Pokémon GO while living in the UAE. 

If you live in the UAE but already have an existing iTunes account in any of the countries its already released in - as many expats and international Apple customers do - you can simply switch to that account and begin to download Pokémon GO now. But if not, here's what you can do...

For iPhone users:
Step 1: From your home screen, launch the App Store and sign out of your existing Apple account. 

Step 2: Launch settings from your home screen, tap General, tap Language & Region and change to United States. 

Step 3: Go to your App Store after completing steps 1 and 2, search for Pokémon GO and click on it. 

*If it says that the item isn't available in your current store. Just click Change Store.

Step 4: On the app listing, tap get, install and then create new Apple ID.

Step 5: While creating our new Apple ID, make sure you select United States. 

Step 6: Fill out the required information necessary to build your new account.

Step 7: Tap None for billing information. Pokémon GO is free to download. 

Step 8: Launch your Mail application to verify the email address you have just used for your new US account. 

Step 9: Go back to the Pokémon GO listing on the App Store, tap get, install and login to your new US iTunes account. 

Ta-daaa! The game should begin to download on your iPhone or iPad. 

SEE ALSO: Get up and go with Pokemon GO, review

Once downloaded, you can change your regional settings on your device back to your local country, and log back into your normal iTunes account. 

For Android users:
Android users may easily sideload the app, but must verify that they downloaded the app from a safe source, and that it does not ask for permissions not required by the original game. 

To find permissions, head to Settings - Apps - Pokémon GO - Permissions and you should have camera, contacts, location and storage selected. 

Sideloading an app is simply downloading or transferring an Android app installer (APK) to your device without using the Google Play store or any other app store. You must ensure that your phone settings allow the installation of apps not downloaded from the Play Store, first.