Pokémon GO’s April Fools’ Day event, “What’s That Poké Ball?”, ran on April 1, 2025, from midnight to 11:59 p.m. local time. Poké Balls appeared across the map: tapping one could award a Poké Ball item or reveal a Pokémon. A special Spotlight Hour took place inside that all-day event from 6 to 7 p.m. local time.
When did the April Fools’ Day event run?
The Pokémon Company International scheduled “What’s That Poké Ball?” for Tuesday, April 1, 2025, from 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. local time. The announcement gives no single worldwide UTC window, so the event began and ended according to each player’s local time. The date has passed; this is a guide to what the event offered.
The 6:00–7:00 p.m. Spotlight Hour was a separate, one-hour window nested within the same day-long event—not a second event on another date.
What happened when you tapped a Poké Ball on the map?
Poké Balls cluttered the map as interactive objects. According to Leek Duck’s event listing, tapping one could lead to an item pickup or a Pokémon encounter. The listed item outcomes were Poké Balls, Great Balls, and Ultra Balls; a map Poké Ball could instead reveal one of the event’s featured Pokémon.
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The featured Pokémon were Voltorb, Hisuian Voltorb, Electrode, Hisuian Electrode, Foongus, Amoonguss, and Galarian Stunfisk. The key distinction was that the Poké Ball was the visible map object, while an encounter was one possible result of interacting with it.
What was different about the April 1 Spotlight Hour?
Niantic generally describes Spotlight Hour as a one-hour feature for a particular Pokémon, with that Pokémon appearing more often in the wild. April 1’s special hour used the Poké Ball map objects as its unusual focus, with event Pokémon appearing as reveals; it should not be mistaken for a standard single-species Spotlight Hour.
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The official announcement confirms the special hour’s 6:00–7:00 p.m. local-time schedule. Leek Duck additionally reports a 2× catch Candy bonus for that hour. That bonus is listed by the specialist source and is not mentioned in the official announcement.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What preparation did Niantic recommend for Spotlight Hour?
Niantic’s general Spotlight Hour guidance recommends having Poké Balls and other catching supplies ready and using Incense or Lure Modules to attract Pokémon. This is general advice for Spotlight Hour, not a statement that those items were required to participate in the April 1 event.
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Sources
- The Pokémon Company International: “What’s That Poké Ball? Poké Balls abound…but where are all the Pokémon?”
- Niantic Support: Spotlight Hour
- Leek Duck: Poké Ball Spotlight Hour (event listing; Leek Duck states it is not officially affiliated with Pokémon GO).
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