Communities are spaces that anyone can create, where players can add text channels to chat, share locations, and create events. Communities must have a home base where they are displayed on the map and can be set to be public or private when first creating the community. Public communities are always displayed on the map for anyone to join, whereas private communities are only visible on the map to its members. Community Owners and Admins may also change from public to private and vice versa by accessing community settings.

Creating a Community
  1. Click on the “+” sign from the Community view (middle tab on the bottom).
  2. Select “Create Community”.
  3. Give your community a name and display icon! Choosing a unique icon makes your community stand out from others on the map. This step is where you’ll also decide whether you want your community to be public or private. Public communities are available for all to join and can be discovered on the map. Private communities are invite-only and will only appear on the map for its members.
     
  4. Select a home base! If your community is public, this is where it will be displayed on the map. You may set the home base to anywhere in the world, but we highly recommend you set it near your primary play areas, at a public point of interest (POI).
     
  5. All communities come with standard Niantic Social guidelines. All members must review these guidelines and agree before joining a community.
  6. Once you’ve created your community, create text channels for members to chat, coordinate their gameplay, and even share locations.
  7. Tap Invite to add your friends and the people you love playing with!
     

Joining a Community
  1. Joining a public community is as easy as going to the map tab, where you can see all public communities and join them directly.
  2. If you want to join a private community, you must receive an invite from a member directly, or use an invite code by navigating to the community tab => click “+” in the left sidebar => click “Join Community with Code” => paste code.