Take a verification photo

Choose the correct store and collectible, then open the verification camera. You need camera permission and a usable current location near the selected store. The shutter fires right away; the app finds your location while it blurs faces. The reporting area is 250 meters from its pin; an inaccurate location fix can still prevent proximity verification.

Frame the products on the shelf, pegs or display, the line, a limit sign, or a qualifying receipt. For a sold-out or over update, photograph the empty shelf, pegs or display where those collectibles are normally sold. Use the camera’s zoom controls or pinch to zoom. Avoid extreme digital zoom if it makes text blurry; move closer when it is safe to do so.

Tap Send within a minute of taking the photo; the countdown shows the time left. You don’t have to wait for the upload: after Send, Sending your photo… keeps going in the background, even if your signal drops or you close the screen, for up to 15 minutes. If the minute runs out before you tap Send, retake the photo or remove it to send without one.

Verification pictures always come from the in-app camera. Photos from your camera roll or gallery can’t be used.

At a Pokémon vending machine, a clear photo of the machine’s own screen showing it sold out or in stock counts as evidence. A photo of a phone or another screen doesn’t, and screen photos only count at a machine.

The receipt shows Checking your photo, then the result: Photo verified, Photo not verified with the reason and what to try next time, or a result that didn’t match your report. Checks usually finish within a minute; if our photo check is temporarily unavailable, it keeps trying and settles within about two hours. If you leave first, you’ll get an alert in Alerts with the result, and it stays with the report in Profile → My reports. Older app versions show a shorter result.

A verified photo backs up your report so it counts for more on the map. It needs to show what the report is about: the drop happening, the stock, or the products. A photo of only a detail, such as a limit sign or the line, isn’t verified on its own. If it backs up your report but doesn’t show one detail you entered, such as a purchase limit or the line size, it still counts and only that detail isn’t counted from your report. If you edit what you reported within the five-minute window, the photo is checked again against your changes. Attaching a picture doesn’t guarantee verification or points.

No. Photos are optional for reports, quick stock updates, empty shelf checks and heads ups. A nearby report can count without a photo when your location supports being at the selected store. A checked photo adds evidence, but attaching an image alone does not make it verified. A report made away from the store remains a tip unless its accepted evidence says otherwise. If you sent a tip from away and reach the store later the same day, you can add a photo to it from My reports.