Something walks into your photo uninvited, and then you get to catch it.

What it is

Scopely's help center: “Occasionally, while you are taking a photo in GO Snapshot, a Pokémon may make a surprise appearance in your picture! This encounter will save two versions of your photo, one with the surprise Pokémon appearance and one without.”

Open the gallery to start the catch

The catch doesn't start in the camera. “After you view the photo in your gallery, the Pokémon that appeared in your photo will also appear on the Map. Tap it to enter into an encounter with that Pokémon and get an opportunity to catch it.” So finish the session and tap through your shots. The help center has the rest of the camera's controls.

The one you can't catch any other way

“For certain Pokémon, these surprise encounters are the only way to catch that Pokémon.” That's Smeargle. Of the 863 Pokémon with a shiny form, it's the only one the community catch table at pogoapi.net has never seen come from anywhere else.

Smeargle copies whatever is in the frame

The Origin Forme announcement: “Smeargle that appear via surprise encounters in GO Snapshot can learn attacks from the Pokémon they appear with, but Smeargle can’t learn Roar of Time or Spacial Rend.”

The game's own files back that up. Across all 1,024 species, Smeargle is the only one that ships with no fast move and no charged move of its own, and the only one whose second charged move carries a price of 9,999,999 Candy.

What to photograph

Smeargle keeps its own stats, so the donor's attack stat doesn't travel. Only the moves do. These 15 pass on the hardest-hitting pairs Smeargle can hold, ranked against every species that has a move to give.

Smeargle's stat line at level 40 with a 15 attack IV against a neutral target, the same model as the tier list, over the moves each species can hold today minus the two the announcement names. The number is the best pair a photo can hand over.

Getting a photo started

Three ways in: the AR toggle during a wild encounter, the camera icon on a Pokémon in your storage, or the Play! button on your Buddy. You pick up to three Pokémon per session, and Burst Mode takes three pictures on every tap of the shutter.

Questions people ask

What is a photobomb in Pokémon GO?

A Pokémon that walks into a GO Snapshot photo you didn't invite it to. Scopely's help center calls it a surprise appearance, and it saves two copies of the shot, one with the visitor and one without.

How do I catch a Pokémon that photobombed me?

Open the gallery at the end of the session and look at the photo. The visitor then shows up on the Map, and tapping it starts a normal encounter.

How do you get Smeargle in Pokémon GO?

Photobombs only. Take GO Snapshot photos and wait for one to turn up in a picture, then catch it off the Map.

What moves does a photobombed Smeargle get?

The ones belonging to the Pokémon it appeared with. Roar of Time and Spacial Rend are the two the announcement rules out.

What should I photograph to get a good Smeargle?

Flygon tops the list: Sand Attack and Boomburst is the hardest-hitting pair Smeargle's stat line can end up holding. 10 of the top 15 pass on a Normal charged move, which is the only kind Smeargle gets the same-type bonus on.

Can you get a Shiny Smeargle?

During events that say so. The New Pokémon Snap event post: “Smeargle will only appear in snapshots a limited number of times, and while Shiny Smeargle will no longer appear after the event concludes, you may encounter one during future events.”

Does a photobomb use up a Poké Ball throw?

No. The encounter starts on the Map after the photo, and it's a normal catch from there.