How is cooldown time calculated?

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How is cooldown time calculated?

I. Why understand cooldown time?

For spoofing players, cooldown time acts like an invisible rule that decides when you can safely catch Pokémon, spin PokéStops, or join raids.
Misjudging the timing may trigger a softban, making you miss Pokémon or raid rewards.


II. How cooldown works

Cooldown is one of Niantic’s key mechanisms to check whether player movement is reasonable.
The system calculates the required wait time based on the straight-line distance between your last valid interaction and your next interaction.


III. What counts as a “valid interaction”?

The following actions are considered valid interactions and are used for cooldown calculations:

  • Catching Pokémon (success or failure)

  • Spinning PokéStops (even if no items drop)

  • Gym interactions (placing, raiding, feeding)

  • Team Rocket battles

  • Certain PvP battles (especially with remote opponents)

Other situations that may also trigger cooldown checks include:

  • Opening a PokéStop without spinning

  • Viewing gym defender Pokémon

  • Entering the shop or redeeming items

  • Invitation-based PvP battles


IV. Distance-to-time relationship (based on player testing)

Distance (km) Cooldown Time
Within 1 km Almost none
5 km ~2 minutes
10 km ~5 minutes
30 km ~15 minutes
80 km ~30 minutes
250 km ~45 minutes
500 km ~60 minutes
8000+ km (intercontinental) 120 minutes

⭑ Note: Cooldown starts after your last valid interaction. If you interact again during cooldown, the timer resets.


V. Common misconceptions

  • Believing cooldown is always 2 hours: Actually, only intercontinental jumps require up to 120 minutes.

  • Ignoring “invisible interactions”: e.g., raid catch phase or Team Rocket battle conclusion.

  • Teleporting during cooldown: Resets the timer, wasting all prior waiting.

  • Using tools without cooldown reminders: Relying only on experience often leads to mistakes.


VI. FlyMon

FlyMon comes with a built-in cooldown timer that automatically calculates and counts down based on your teleport distance, helping you avoid misjudgments that lead to softbans.
While waiting, you can use the joystick walking feature to explore locally for Pokémon, or let auto-catching and auto PokéStop spinning continue accumulating resources.
If disconnected, the auto-reconnect function restores the connection instantly, ensuring your AFK session remains uninterrupted—allowing you to take action immediately once the cooldown ends.

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