Never in their wildest dream did Nintendo and Niantic ever imagined that Pokémon Go would turn out to be such a popular mobile game. In less than two weeks since its launch, the game is being played by more than 30 million people over the world, and it has already surpassed the likes of Angry Birds and Candy Crush to become the most popular smartphone game ever.

The game’s release has also doubled Nintendo’s market share, and it has managed to achieve all this without even being available in the majority of Asian countries and Japan — Nintendo’s own home.

If you have also been affected by the Pokémon fever and want to become the best Pokémon trainer out there, we have some hacks and tips for you to help you achieve your dream. Now, being hacks, they will give you an unfair advantage over other players, but I guess, nothing is right or wrong when one wants to become the best Pokémon trainer out there. Right?

Note: Some of the hacks/tips mentioned below require your Android device to be rooted with Xposed framework installed.

Pokémon Go Joystick Xposed module

One of the key reasons behind the wild success of Pokémon Go is how beautifully AR has been integrated into the game. To catch Pokémons, you have to visit actually move around in the real world to make your character in the game move around as well. Now, this can obviously get a bit tiresome, especially if you spend your whole day catch Pokémons or are just lazy. Thankfully, a an Xposed module called Pokémon Go Joystick lets you move around in Pokémon Go without having to move around in real life. The Xposed module overlays a virtual joystick in the game that you can use to move around anywhere in the map. This way you can move around and easily catch Pokémons without having to run around in real life.

Download: Pokémon Go Joystick

Pokémon Go Map visualisation

Android device not rooted or don’t want to try out such an ‘unethical’ hack? How about getting a visual representation of all the Pokémons that are available in your area that will help you in at least becoming the best Pokémon trainer in your area? The steps mentioned in this Reddit post don’t require you to do any kind of hackery on your Android device, but they do require you to get down and dirty with Python on your PC. The steps are not so simple but they are just a small roadblock in your way to become the Pokémon trainer in your neighborhood.

Save Battery Life

Pokémon Go is a very intensive game, not just resource-wise but also on the battery life of your device. Since the game requires a constant connection to the internet and your location, it can easily drain the battery life of your Android device in a few hours. While not exactly a hack, you should follow the tips we have mentioned in this article to extend the battery life of your Android device while playing Pokémon Go. The tips will especially be useful on older Android devices whose battery life have deteriorated due to use over the last year or two.

Read: How to Save Your Android Phone’s Battery Life While Playing Pokémon Go

Install Pokémon Go

In case your Pokémon journey is yet to begin because the game is not yet available in your region, you can always sideload the APK of the game from here and start playing it. This will give you an advantage over your friends who are presumably still waiting for the official release of the game.

What are some of your favorite hacks and tips for Pokémon Go for Android? Drop in a comment and share them with us.