This new login bug nearly cost me everything in 'Pokémon GO'

Pokémon USA

I punched buttons on the screen over and over, but the phone would not abate. I felt my blood pressure rise.

"Please, universe," I thought to myself, "just give me my "Pokémon GO."

Over the weekend, I encountered a bug while playing — or, attempting to play — my new favorite cultural phenomenon, "Pokémon GO." When I went to open the app, I was immediately redirected to a web page that displayed this message:

Pokémon USA

A troubleshooting report on the game's website reveals iOS users like me are experiencing issues with login after the recent update.

When I opened "Pokémon GO" on Sunday, the app kicked me over to Okta and wouldn't let me play without first authenticating with my single secure sign-on. (Okta, by the way, is a cloud security startup that I use. Its main product is a single sign-on service that allows workers at companies to sign in to multiple cloud services with a single password.)

This was odd, considering I didn't use my Okta-tied Gmail address to register for the game. I used instead another Gmail address, but "Pokémon GO" would not give me the chance to switch emails. I tried to exit out of the pop-up, which caused the app to crash. I uninstalled and reinstalled both "Pokémon GO" and the Okta Verify app.

The pop-up was relentless.

I reached a point of such desperation, I created a new account as part of the Pokémon Trainer's Club with plans to start from ground zero. My Pinsir, Arbok, and newly-leveled Vaporeon flashed before my eyes.

Pokémon USA

Now, it appears to be a known bug.

Niantic Labs reported a potential iOS login issue on its website after releasing the most recent version of "Pokémon GO." An update to the Google Account login system has caused some users to accidentally create a new account by logging in with a different Gmail address than the one originally used for the game.

So basically, when I attempted to open "Pokémon GO" over the weekend, the game found my Okta-tied Gmail address in my phone's cache and defaulted to that identity. This prompted the Okta pop-up.

In a phone call with Okta's chief security officer, David Baker, Tech Insider learned the fix is as easy as clearing your cache. Simply open Safari on your iOS device, tap the Bookmarks icon, click History, and select "clear" from the bottom-right corner of your screen. Baker said in addition to clearing your cache, it's important to always update your apps when a new version comes into play.

Another solution? If you've already logged into "Pokémon GO" with a separate Gmail account, play through the introduction, then at the first opportunity click the Pokéball at the bottom of the screen and access your settings. The option at the bottom lets you sign out. From there, just sign back in with your original account and you should be ready to go.

For more information on the bug, check out the "Pokémon GO" support website.

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