Smeargle, the Generation 2 painting Pokemon, is now available to catch in Pokemon GO. Niantic has held off on adding Smeargle to the game for some time now, with the rest of the Johto Pokemon being added in 2017, but Smeargle is special due to its Sketch ability, which can copy the ability of another Pokemon. Since Sketch doesn't translate well into Pokemon GO's gameplay, Smeargle has been waiting patiently for Niantic to find a special way to add them into the game. Pokemon GO's new GO Snapshot photo feature is that special way.

Go Snapshot will be the only way to catch a Smeargle. Keep taking photos and there's a chance that a Smeargle will appear in one of them, resulting in a catchable Smeargle then appearing in the world. It may not have anything to do with painting, but it's better than nothing. At least players will be able to add Smeargle to their PokeDex and hopefully use them in creative ways.

Smeargle's Sketch ability won't work in Pokemon GO in its traditional form, unfortunately, so Niantic figured out a different way to give Smeargle abilities. Now, using the Go Snapshot feature, Smeargle can appear and "Sketch" the Pokemon being photographed's abilities for their own. It's a clever way to include Smeargle without taking away his unique ability while also encouraging players to use the new photography feature.

Pick a Pokemon for Smeargle to Sketch

The first step in catching a Smeargle is to pick a Pokemon to Sketch. Smeargle's unique ability in Pokemon GO is to Sketch or copy the abilities of the Pokemon that the trainer takes a photograph of. Not all abilities can cross over to Smeargle, like Ditto's Transform, but most should. Trainers should pick a Pokemon with abilities that they'd like to copy, effectively creating an ability clone. Unfortunately, Smeagle's CP doesn't go over 500, so their relative strength is going to be minimal in the end no matter the player's choice.

To pick a Pokemon, click on your list of Pokemon and then click the Pokemon that you've decided on. In the upper-right corner of the screen will be a small camera icon. Clicking this should take the player to the Go Snapshot mode that was recently added, so long as the Pokemon GO app has been updated with the most recent patch. Keep in mind that the Go Snapshot feature requires players to be at least level 5 to use.

Smeargle's Photobomb

In order to catch Smeargle, first players will have to find them. Smeargle won't appear the first time a player takes a photo unless they're very lucky. Instead, players will have to take photo after photo until Smeargles decides to photobomb. The Pokemon's appearance is entirely based on randomness, which can lead to some frustration. Some have reported Smeargle appeared after 5-10 photographs, while others have claimed that it took hundreds of photos to make the Pokemon appear. The top half of  Smeargle's torso will be in one of the bottom corners of the photo and the Pokemon behind Smeargle will be looking at them with disdain.

Some users are reporting that Smeargle isn't appearing for them even after taking a hundred or more photographs. This shouldn't be the case and likely implies a bug or a failed update. Recheck that the update has been downloaded, close the program and restart it entirely, or worst case then try waiting 24 hours. It's theorized that Smeargle has a timer limiting how often they can appear, whether they've been caught, have run away, or have been missed. There's a chance that the player may not have noticed Smeargle appeared and it despawned from the map, triggering the waiting period. Or it could just be a bug.

Note that Smeargle should appear randomly in Go Snapshot photos no matter whether a user is using an iOS or Android device, whether or not the phone supports AR+, and whether or not the player's camera is enabled. Also, players don't have to worry about sharing or saving their photographs. Smeargle can appear in any photograph, saved or otherwise, and can be caught afterward.

Catch Smeargle

After getting Smeargle to appear in a photo in Go Snapshot mode, there's only one thing left to do: catch Smeargle. Just back out of Go Snapshot, go to the map, and a Smeargle should appear right next to the player's location ready to be captured. If Smeargle isn't on the map just yet, be patient. Some reports have said that it can take up to five minutes or longer for Smeargle to spawn. Then it's just up to the player to use their Pokemon capturing skills to make Smeargle their own.

Don't stress too much about it, but it's entirely possible for Smeargle to run away after a single thrown Poke Ball. According to early information, it sounds like Smeargle will start showing up in photographs again the next day. Having to wait a day for a Smeargle isn't so bad considering what a unique Pokemon Smeargle has turned out to be.

Similarly, if players want more than one Smeargle they only have to wait until the next day for a second one to start showing up in photos. There's even a "Photo Bomb" badge for encountering Smeargle 10, 50, and 200 times.

Not every detail regarding Smeargle is 100% clear, for now. It was only just released into the world of Pokemon GO today, after all. Figuring out how often Smeargle can be found in photographs, the exact limitations of Smeargle's ability copying, and whether there's a trick to get Smeargle to show up in just 5 photographs as opposed to 500, all remains to be discovered. Nonetheless, the process itself is harmless and relatively simple. Everyone that wants a Smeargle should be able to capture them with ease. Happy Smeargle hunting, Pokemon trainers.

Pokemon GO is available now on iOS and Android devices.