Unless you’ve been living under aGeodude, you’ve undoubtedly heard aboutPokémon Go. The augmented-reality game, the product of a partnership between Niantic Labs and The Pokémon Company, launched on July 7, and it has since gone on gain some pretty serious momentum —according to SurveyMonkey, it’s leapfroggedCandy CrushandDraw Somethingto become the most popular mobile game in history. Unsurprisingly, everyone and their mother is attempting to cash in its blockbuster success, andYelp is the latest to do so shamelessly. On Friday, the crowdsourced business finder launched a new search filter that lets players identify nearby sources in-game items.
Yelp’s “Pokéstop Nearby” filter, which joins the listing app’s many other granular search tags and categories (e.g., “burgers,” “tacos,” “cocktails,” “restaurants,” and “bars”), lets users identify businesses within an arm’s throw of “Pokéstops” — Pokémon Go terminology for caches of Pokéballs, health potions, and other level-boosting goodies. Using the new tool is relatively straightforward: when pursuing, say, brunch or breakfast nooks within walking distance, tap the “Pokéstop Nearby” button and you’ll get a list of Pokémon-friendly businesses.
The caveat? Rather than tapping into Pokémon Go directly for Pokéstop data, Yelp is relying on user submissions to populate the filter with locations. That means, of course, there’s nothing to prevent an unscrupulous restaurant owner from submitting a beneficial location or two, but Yelp said its verification system should weed out most inaccuracies. “To identify a business that’s in the vicinity of a Pokéstop, [users must] check-in to that location on Yelp and answer a quick question,” it said in a blog post. “Yelpers have already identified thousands of Pokéstops.”
The feature first went live in the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand. On July 22Pokémon Goplayers in the U.K., Spain, Italy, and Germany using Yelp could also search for and add Pokéstops. The feature is accessible via Yelp’s apps for iOS and Android, andthrough Yelp’s website.
Pokémon Go’spopularity continues to astound. The app has accumulatedmore than 65 million usersin the United States,beat out Tinder and Twitter last weekin terms of weekly traffic, and now generatesan estimated $1.6 million dailyfrom microtransactions. In addition, it’sdestroyed relationships,cost jobs,caused car crashes, andled distracted tourists off the edges of cliffs.
But it’s also been used as a tool for sociopolitical good, too. U.S. presidential candidateHillary Clinton’s campaign has organized aPokémon Gorally in Ohio, and there’s evidence of health benefits fromimproved mental statetophysical fitness.
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Updated on 05-06-2025 by Andy Boxall: Added in news of Yelp’s Pokéstop feature’s continued international release.
