How to get it
- Buy it in the shop or earn it from eligible research, level-up rewards, and Showcases.
How to use it
- Activate it from Items when you are ready to play. The timer continues while you are not catching.
- Walk to improve its usefulness; event bonuses can change its duration and encounter behavior.
Worth knowing
Have balls and storage ready before starting the timer.
Incense, Daily Adventure Incense, Mystery Box, and Coin Bag have activation conflicts. Finish the current attraction effect before starting another.
Recognize which encounters are yours
Incense-generated Pokémon have their own map effect and are personal to the Trainer using the item. They do not become shared encounters just because a friend is walking beside you. Lure-generated encounters work differently and can be seen by other nearby Trainers.
Incense and Lure spawns do not appear in the Nearby list. Watch the map directly while the timer runs. Incense also has activation conflicts with the Mystery Box, Coin Bag, and the encounter-attracting effects of Sunsteel Strike and Moongeist Beam; plan those sessions separately.
Sources & further reading
- Pokémon GO: A Quantitative Approach by nick blackVersion 1.0.6 (October 4, 2026), §5.1, pp. 28–29; Tables 5.1–5.2
Event rewards, shop offers, and limits can change. Check the current in-game description for event-specific rules. Worked examples are illustrative calculations.