Originally released on December 25, 2013, Pokemon Bank is a very popular service that most Pokemon players use. However, the paid passes for Pokemon Bank are no longer available for purchase as the service is currently available to users for free due to the 3DS eShop’s discontinuation. It was shocking news for many 3DS fans, but the writing was already on the wall for some years. While Bank is still usable for users who downloaded the app before the eShop discontinuation and will still be available after the Nintendo 3DS online service discontinuation in April 2024, many are currently encountering certain issues with it.
We don’t really know what’s causing the Pokemon Bank to not work properly, but the issues are severe enough to warrant a fix. Some believe it to be server-related, while others are of the opinion that it’s something entirely different. Nevertheless, a fix is needed. Anyway, we have shared a bunch of potential workarounds that might help you get rid of the issue if you are encountering it as well.
Pokemon Bank not working: How to fix it
Players can follow the workarounds mentioned below to deal with this issue. Try not to skip any unless you have already tried one before.
Restart –
First of all, try restarting the app and the console. Now we can’t really say if this will fix the issue, but hey, there’s no harm in trying it once. If it works, then great. However, if it doesn’t, you can try out this next fix.
Check your internet connection –
As stated earlier, Pokemon Bank is an online application, so you need to be connected to the internet at all times when using the application. So, make sure your internet is running properly and that the speed is fast. Apart from that, you can also try restarting or even resetting your router.
Check server status –
During its maintenance period, Pokemon Bank will not work at all. As such, players are advised to check if there’s any maintenance being performed or not. If there’s one, just wait a while for the maintenance to end, and then the application should work. And if there’s no maintenance, then try another workaround.
Update Pokemon Bank –
Make sure that Pokemon Bank is up-to-date with the most recent version. This will help you avoid a lot of issues. Now, if you don’t know how to update Pokemon Bank after the 3DS eShop closure, follow the instructions below –
- Head to Settings > Data Management > 3DS > Software > Pokemon Bank > Delete.
- After that, open eShop and navigate to Menu > Settings / Other > Redownload Software.
- Select Pokemon Bank and redownload the app.
Reinstall –
If nothing else works, you can try reinstalling the app. It’s the only other method that has a chance of fixing the issue if the previously mentioned ones haven’t provided any helpful results. So uninstall Bank from your 3DS and then do a fresh install of it. And just in case you are still unable to get rid of this issue, we recommend you contact support.
That’s all we have on this topic for now. Additionally, if you want to know how to follow routes in Pokemon Go, check out this guide. And as always, don’t forget to follow DigiStatement. Also, read: What is a party in Pokemon Go?