Pokemon Go players claim Shiny Pokemon are disappearing from their accounts

Brent Koepp

A wave of Pokemon Go players are claiming rare Shiny ‘mon have been disappearing from their accounts. Is a glitch? Or is something else going on?

Reports of Pokemon randomly vanishing from Go accounts is nothing new. Since the game has launched, there have been tales of ‘mon no longer showing up in Trainers’ accounts.

Now, players are claiming their Shiny monsters have been vanishing into thin air. Fans are furious over Niantic’s response as their characters remain missing.

Screenshot of Shiny Cubone in Pokemon Lets Go Pikachu.
Pokemon Go players are claiming Shinies are disappearing from their games.

Are Shiny Pokemon disappearing from Go?

A Go Trainer made waves online after their tweet on February 14 claimed their Shiny Gyarados had disappeared. According to the player, their regular version of Gyarados was also missing.

“I worked so hard to get them both,” the Trainer wrote. After being shared on Facebook, many players sympathized with the fan and began to report they had experienced it as well.

Oddly, comments alleged that it wasn’t just new monsters caught either. Some had Pokemon they had captured years ago that no longer showed up for some reason.

Screenshot of Pokemon fan claiming their Shiny Gyrados disappeared.

“This happened to me with Mudkip,” a fellow player commented. Another replied, “A couple months ago my shiny machop disappeared.” One fan even claimed their Pokedex registration was reversed: “Same here, I had Pokemon now they are gone. I had Articuno and a Slaking and they disappeared even on my Dex, they weren’t registered.”

Screenshot of Pokemon Go players claiming 'mon disappeared.

According to Niantic customer support, Pokemon disappearing is the result of an accidental transfer or trade. Examples given were players leaving their phone open in their pocket while walking, or a second party having access to the account’s login. However, not every Trainer was buying it.

“I’ve had shiny and multiple disappear. Niantic just said I’m a dumba*s and probably transferred it. I mean really?” a fan vented on the social media post.

Frustrated Pokemon Go player vents about vanishing monsters from account.

It’s unclear whether there is actually a widespread bug flying under Niantic’s radar. However, reports from players have also started to show up on forums such as Reddit.

If nothing else, this is a cautionary tale to look over your most important ‘mon and to favorite them. If you have a Shiny, you can even take a screenshot of it being locked just to be extra safe.