Trainers, it's time to test your photo skills. And by that I mean it's time to spam the photo button on your phone, because that's the only way you'll catch Smeargle — the painter Pokemon that snuck its way into Pokemon GO. Since this is one of the few Pokemon not available by walking, questing, or battling, we're going to show you how to use the AR photo function to nab this sneaky artist.
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Checking If You Can Catch Smeargle
To catch a Smeargle, you need to be running at least game version 1.35.0. While it doesn't require AR+, this feature did get released around the same time. It added a new camera that could be accessed from your bag or on a Pokemon's summary page.
Open The Camera
The first step is to choose one of the Pokemon in your storage to take pictures of (note that Smeargle won't appear when taking pictures of a wild Pokemon). The importance of this step depends on how much you care about competing in Pokemon GO. If you're just in it to collect, pick whatever Pokemon you feel like taking pictures of. If you want to trick Smeargle out, pick a Pokemon with awesome attacks.
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This is because Smeargle will copy the attacks of whatever Pokemon it photobombs. The exceptions to this are that it can't copy Transform from a Ditto and it can't copy two Charged moves from a Pokemon that has two.
Basically, if you want Smeargle to have powerful moves of a certain type, pick a Pokemon that has those moves to photograph.
Take Pictures… And Be Lucky
The title of this section really says it all. Keep taking pictures, one at a time. If Smeargle is going to appear, it'll show up in the very first picture you took in a session. Eventually (or soon if you've got good luck), you'll notice a surprise when you review your photos.
Once you leave the camera screen and go to where the photos have "developed," you might find that your Pokemon has been photobombed like in the image below.
Unfortunately, we don't know the exact chance that a Smeargle will appear. However, we do know that it doesn't matter which Pokemon you take pictures of (it can even be another Smeargle). We also know, as mentioned, that it can only appear during the first picture of a "session," meaning if it doesn't, you'll have to back out of the camera and try again.
You'll see a very quick flash with the Smeargle in the photo after you take it, if it does appear. You can always review the picture you took to see if Smeargle popped in.
Catch Smeargle
Once you have confirmation of a Smeargle photobomb, you can exit the camera. When you return to the usual world map, you should see a Smeargle spawn right next to your avatar. Then, it's business as usual. Give it berries, throw balls, do whatever you do to catch a Pokémon.
Just be careful, because Smeargle can flee. If that happens, you have to wait until tomorrow, because Smeargle will only appear once per day. If you don't click on Smeargle right away, it'll stay on the map for an hour before disappearing.
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