How to get Shiny Smeargle in Pokemon GO

Smeargle, the unique Painter Pokemon, has been quite an elusive find for Pokemon GO players, only being catchable through a very peculiar method. What's more, its Shiny version can only appear in certain events.

So let's not only get into how you can get the Shiny pokemon in Pokemon GO but the odds in the game as well. 

How can you get a Shiny Smeargle?

As of right now, you can get increased odds of encountering Shiny Smeargle during the Festival of Colors event, which is currently running until Tuesday, 14 March 2023 at 8 PM local time.

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To encounter Smeargle, and potentially a Shiny Smeargle, you'll need to utilize the following method using the game's VR camera feature. 

1. Select any Pokemon and go to its summary page. 
2. As pictured above on the left, select the camera on the top right of the page to go into AR mode. 
3. Take several pictures of your Pokemon. 
4. Look through your taken shots, and you might see a Smeargle photobombing one of them. 
5. If so, leave AR mode and Smeargle will appear as a wild Pokemon to encounter on your map. 
6. If Shiny, it will present itself as a Shiny Smeargle with namesake sparkles at the start of the encounter.  

Alternatively, you can enter AR mode by selecting the Camera key item in your Items section and selecting a Pokemon from there. 

Smeargle is always available via this method. The difference in Festival of Colors, however, is that this can happen 5 times a day instead of just once. 

Shiny Smeargle odds in Pokemon GO

Whilst we haven't got an exact number from Niantic or the Pokemon Company, the increased Shiny Smeargle odds during the Festival of Colors event are currently 1 in 64 - which is likely accurate since this was the Shiny Smeargle encounter rate during the 2021 Snap Event. This is much higher than the standard Shiny encounter rate of 1 in 500. 

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What should also be kept in mind, is that along with Smeargle only being able to appear in snapshots a limited number of times, Shiny Smeargle will no longer appear after Festival of Colors ends on 14 March. Nevertheless, Shiny Smeargle will appear again in future events. 

Look at how to defeat Team Rocket Leader Cliff.