One of the most common issues Pokémon Go seems to encounter on the technical side seems to revolve around app login issues or dedicated servers experiencing multi-region outages. This results in a number of messages popping up when players try to access the game, which sometimes doesn’t have direct fixes.
Two of these prominent messages are the “Unable to Authenticate” and “Failed to Log In” pop-ups that occur when a player first tries to access the game. Most of the time this is tied to a wider server issue impacting aspects of Pokémon Go.
Even if this is typically a temporary issue that gets resolved quickly, occasionally it will take much longer for Niantic to pinpoint the problem and fix it. In that case, it can lead to thousands of players being left unable to play Pokémon Go until the servers are back up and running properly.
If you are having issues with the “Unable to Authenticate” and “Failed to Log In” messages in Pokémon Go, here are a few ways you can try to fix the problem.
How to fix the ‘Unable to Authenticate’ and ‘Failed to Log In’ errors in Pokémon Go
Check to see if the issue is widely acknowledged
Niantic tends to be quick to share wider, sever-related issues when it comes to Pokémon Go—especially if it is actively keeping players from playing in any capacity. This makes it so your first stop should be the official Pokémon Go Twitter or the Niantic Support Page.
If neither of those locations has acknowledged the issue, head to the Pokémon Go or SilphRoad Reddit, both of which are almost always talking about problems with the game.
Related: Is Pokémon Go down? Here’s how to check the server status
Resolving the problem yourself
While this is normally a server issue and not something Pokémon Go players can resolve on their own, Niantic does have a few recommended methods to try and bypass this problem if it isn’t a massive outage.
After checking to make sure you have a good connection to the internet, if you encounter an “Unable to authenticate” or “Failed to log in” message you should try restarting the app. Typically this won’t require you to force stop your app once you close it out, but if you do need to, here is where you can do that.
- Android: Settings to Apps to Pokémon Go to “Force Stop.”
- iOS: Double-click the Home button or swipe up from the bar at the bottom of the screen to see your most recently used apps, find the Pokémon Go app, and then swipe up to close the app.
If that doesn’t fix anything, you can try troubleshooting a bit more before giving up and waiting for Niantic to provide more info. This will mostly involve signing out of your account and signing back in or removing your email account from your device.
It is unlikely that this method will work, but you can check the official Niantic support website for those details based on your device.
