RATING AND CONTENT
Recommended for ages 13 and older
Quality: 3 out of 5
Ease of play: 5 out of 5
Violence: 1 out of 5
Sex: 0 out of 5
Language: 2 out of 5
Drinking, drugs, and smoking: 0 out of 5
Consumerism: 1 out of 5 (Are products/advertisements embedded? Is the title part of a broader marketing initiative/empire? Is the intent to sell things to kids?)
APP DETAILS
Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android
Price: Free
Release date: July 9, 2016
Category: Social Networking
Size: 26.30 MB
Publisher: Narvii Inc.
Minimum software requirements: iOS 7.0 or later; Android 4.0.3 and up
Parents need to know that Poke Amino for Pokémon Community is a popular social app where Pokémon fans meet to chat and share Pokémon-related strategies, stories, and artwork. Content within the app is 100 percent user-created and as such, could contain inappropriate content with cursing or references to drugs, drinking, smoking or sexual topics, but such content is not officially tolerated. Guidelines indicate that users who create such content or who engage in discriminatory behavior or bullying will be banned from using the app, and users can block each other. The app rates users, giving them a “reputation” rating based on their contributions and enables them to connect by chatting (both publicly and privately) and following one another’s profiles. Though a searchable members’ database shows the general location of members, it doesn’t provide specific details regarding member locations. Read the app’s privacy policy to find out about the types of information collected and shared.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Poke Amino for Pokémon Community is a popular sub-app of the social networking Amino app, made for and by Pokémon fans. In it, members can chat and browse posts containing things like “best-of” lists, fan art, and Pokémon GO strategies. Members can create their own sites within the app, start their own blogs, and gain their own followers. Blogs are rated by other members and those that receive enough “favorite” votes are featured on the app’s front pages. Members earn a reputation rating based on their contributions to the app and can be banned for inappropriate behavior.
IS IT ANY GOOD?
This social network is well-made and gives members all they need to create and share fun content with one another, but the content itself is often not that great. Poke Amino for Pokémon Community makes it easy to skim through, favorite and bookmark thousands of member-generated posts. Though the developer monitors incoming content, community administrators are also expected to keep things friendly and PG-rated, which was generally true during the time of review. However, as with any app or website dependent on user-generated content, the quality of what’s available varies widely. Since the release of Pokémon GO, this app has seen an upsurge in membership and a flood of new content, but it’s time-consuming extracting the worthwhile stuff from all the junk. Beyond that, it’s often difficult to find a chat room with anyone in it, or to find one where members are actually discussing Pokémon. While not perfect and not for younger kids, this is a viable option for teens to geek out about their collections and further the social elements of the game they love.
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Common Sense Media is an independent nonprofit organization offering unbiased ratings and trusted advice to help families make smart media and technology choices. Check out our ratings and recommendations at www.commonsense.org.
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