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Pokémon Go updates: What's new and what's next for April 2018

April 01, 2018
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Based on a teardown of the latest Pokémon Go for Android APK, it looks like 8 patterns of Spinda, 4 types of Weather Ball, more Quest setup, and the potential for PokéStop submissions may be coming our way soon!

Pokémon Go launched in the summer of 2016 and has been updated regularly ever since. In 2017 we've gotten Gen 2, Raid Battles, the new Gyms, the first two generations of Legendary Pokémon and the beginning of Gen 3. What does that mean for 2018? Player vs. Player (PvP), Gen 4, Trading? Here are all the latest Pokémon Go updates!

March 31, 2018: Pokémon Goes 8-bit for April Fool's

In silly celebration of April Fool's day, all Pokémon Go sprites (but not 3D models) will be going retro — in full-on 8-bit glory — for the week.

From [Pokémon Go])(http://bit.ly/2GNzrf7

We always want to bring you the most immersive graphics experience possible, and we're excited to share our latest breakthrough with millions of Pokémon GO Trainers around the world. Starting later today, you can be one of the first to experience this all-new graphics engine.

Experience Pokémon GO like never before with cutting-edge 8-BIT GRAPHICS! Registering approximately twice the definition of 4K, the chunky squares of each pixel provide realistic detail and unbelievable definition. Your Pokédex will feel lifelike in ways previously unimagined on any handheld device ever created.

We feel 100% confident in saying that you've never seen Pokémon like this in Pokémon GO! We're looking forward to your feedback on this brand-new feature. Tell us your thoughts on our latest update with #PokemonGO, and be sure to include a picture of your favorite Pokémon!

Love it.

March 26, 2018: Pokémon Go bringing Field Research to the game

Pokémon Go is about to add its biggest new feature since Raids. It's called Field Research and not only will it give you a chance to go on fun quests, master important skills, and earn rewards, but it'll give you the opportunity to meet the Mythical Gen 1 Pokémon, Mew.

From Pokémon Go:

A series of mysterious happenings is occurring all over the world, and Professor Willow is seeking Trainers to help him find out if this is connected to the Mythical Pokémon Mew. These research tasks will become available to Trainers around the world later this week!

There are two different types of research you can contribute to: Field Research and Special Research. Gather Field Research tasks by spinning nearby PokéStops, which will give you objectives that include discovering and catching certain Pokémon or engaging with battles, among other things. Special Research may be requested by Professor Willow himself, and will take you on a journey to make important discoveries!

Both types of research offer great rewards, including a variety of useful items and even encounters with certain Pokémon! You can complete as many research tasks as you want every day, leading to a full day of adventures. These tasks also have different levels of difficulty, so the more challenging a research task is, the greater the reward waiting for you.

You can earn one Stamp per day by completing at least one Field Research task, and when you obtain seven stamps, you can achieve a Research Breakthrough to receive even greater rewards! You may even have an encounter with a Legendary Pokémon!

Research tasks will provide interesting challenges that will help you get better at discovering, battling, and catching Pokémon! We're excited to see your contributions to the exciting field of Pokémon research, and we can't wait to hear about the adventures you have along the way! Let's get moving!

There's also a developer insights post up on Pokémon Go with even more details about the feature design.

It goes live on March 30 at 1pm PT, 2pm ET, happy researching!

March 17, 2018: 8 patterns of Spinda, 5 kinds of Weather Ball, and PokéStop submission!

The Silph Road has torn into the latest Pokémon Go update, and here's what they've found:

A whole new species has been discovered in the APK this round: Spinda! [..]

An exciting clue has appeared in the metadata that points to a special handling of the panda-mon: 8 variants have been added to the species dictionary! We're excited to see what might cause these variants to differ in wild encounters soon.

In addition to the improvement to Sky Attack, they also found another new and interesting move:

But in a surprise addition, another move has also appeared: Weather Ball!

This is a signature move of Castform – and it's a bit of a special case as well. Weather Ball is a normal type move, but will change its type depending on the weather! [...]

Looks like there'll be Fire, Ice, Rock, and Water-typings, likely tying into Clear, Snow, and Rainy weather patterns.

Potentially the biggest news, though, if it pans out, is PokéStop submission.

As if the aforementioned additions weren't exciting enough, a new POI management system has just appeared in the APK. In plain English, this means a tool to submit the points of interest that power POKESTOPS in Pokemon GO and portals in Ingress.

There's no indication yet whether this feature will ever be enabled in Pokemon GO, or if this is simply a new Niantic platform tool. But our suspicion is that this is the beginnings of a POI-submission system for Pokemon GO players.

Right now, Pokémon Go pulls from Niantic's other location-based game, Ingress. Having submission directly in Pokémon Go, though, would really help fill out the dead zones that many suburban and rural players have to contend with.

Check out The Silph Road for all the details and specifics.

March 16, 2018: Pokémon Go updating to version 0.95.3 for Android and 1.65.3 for iOS

From Pokémon Go:

Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.95.3 for Android and 1.65.3 for iOS devices. Details from our development team:

Facebook credentials can now be used to log into the app via the 'Account' section in Settings. Various bug fixes and performance updates.

March 15, 2018: Facebook Account Linking coming to Pokémon go

You'll soon be able to use your Facebook login for Pokémon Go, if you have one.

From Pokémon Go:

Good news, Trainers! We'll soon begin rolling out support for account linking with Facebook. Along with a simpler sign-in process, linking Pokémon GO to your Facebook account gives you more options to log in and helps preserve your progress across devices.

With this change, you will also be able to link your Trainer profile to your Facebook and Google accounts, and use any of those credentials to access Pokémon GO. For example, someone who currently logs in with Pokémon Trainer Club could link their Trainer profile to both their Google and Facebook accounts, and then they can use whichever account they prefer going forward. To link your Trainer profile to a Google or Facebook account, access the Settings menu and then select the platform you'd like to link.

Account linking is especially useful for someone who has registered for Pokémon GO using a Google Account that they may not be able to access in the future, such as one associated with a work or university email address. By linking their Facebook account, they can continue to make progress on their Pokédex, and even link a new Google account to their Trainer profile.

Please note: this feature will only be available to Trainers aged 13 and over.

The last part is especially great. Previously, if you used a school or work Google account, and lost access to it, you lost access to Pokémon Go as well. Now, while the process still seems needlessly convoluted, you can at least link a Facebook account and then swap out the Google acconts.

February 6, 2018: In-game quests are coming to Pokémon Go!

Based on a teardown of the latest Pokémon Go for Android APK, it looks like in-game quests are on their way to Pokémon Go.

From The Sliph Road

Previously, the daily spin / daily catch bonus was called a 'Quest' in the APK.

With this new update, this entire section has been reworked and a lot has been added. The team has done our best to piece together how this metadata might suggest the mechanics work together in the final product – but this is a hypothesis only at this point!

There are now entries for both Story Quests and Challenge Quests and — Multi-part Quests!

And instead of just first spin and first catch of the day, there are now entries for hatching, walking, feeding, winning a Gym battle, completing a raid, and leveling up a Gym badge.

Also, Quest Characters!

We're looking at the beginnings of an in-game quest system that appears to encapsulate all of the mechanics available in Pokemon GO, even incorporates characters who grant them, and pre-conditions that suggest increasing levels of difficulty and progress.

Quests would certainly be a better mechanic for handling, say Ex-Raid invitations, than the current system.

February 5, 2018: Pokémon GO updated to version 0.91.1 for Android and 1.61.1 for iOS

From Pokémon Go:

Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.91.1 for Android and 1.61.1 for iOS devices. Details from our development team:

  • Improved the in-game News feature.
  • The Pokémon Collection search function now lets Trainers search using "Shiny."
  • Various bug fixes and performance updates.

January 17, 2018: Pokémon GO updated to version 0.89.1 for Android and 1.59.1 for iOS

From Pokémon Go:

Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.89.1 for Android and 1.59.1 for iOS devices. Details from our development team:

  • Resolved a bug that caused the Pokémon collection screen to scroll to the top after evolving, transferring, or renaming a Pokémon.
  • Added the ability to sort the Pokédex by region.
  • Improved incubator sorting order when selecting an incubator.
  • Improved the way Pokémon scale throughout the app.
  • Various bug fixes and performance updates.

As usual, the Android version of the update has been thoroughly torn down by The Sliph Road:

  • There are a slew of changes related to how large Pokemon appear in different scenarios (encounters, battle, info screen, dodge animations, etc).
  • Incubators are now grouped by type and ... the infinite incubator now appears before paid incubators!
  • A chunk of new tweaks were made to the AR+ functionality - but nothing groundbreaking.
  • Now it's even harder to accidentally transfer your shiny Pokemon, travelers. The shiny icon (stars) appear in the listing page above any shiny Pokemon you've caught - calling extra attention to them!
  • Your last selected Pokeball is now remembered from encounter to encounter, travelers.

As usual, you can sideload the update on Android right away if you really want to or you can just wait for it to hit your App Store or Play Store updates.

January 9, 2018: Pokémon Go dropping support for iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, older iPads and iPods touch

Pokémon Go has announced that, as of February 28, 2018, the game will no longer support devices that can't run iOS 11. That includes iPhone 5c, iPhone 5 and earlier, iPad mini, iPad 4 and earlier, and iPod touch 5 and earlier.

From Pokémon Go:

In an upcoming update to Pokémon GO, we will end support for Apple devices not capable of upgrading to iOS 11, such as iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c models. This change is a result of improvements to Pokémon GO that push the application beyond the capabilities of the operating systems on such devices. This change will take effect on 02/28/2018. After that date, Trainers using affected devices may no longer be able to access their Pokémon GO accounts from that device, or use their PokéCoins or other items in their Bags. They will need to switch to a supported device to continue playing Pokémon GO. You can see the full list of impacted devices and learn more by visiting our Help Center.

Note: You don't have to update to iOS 11, you just have to have a device that's capable of running iOS 11. It's an odd way to phrase the device requirement but probably one Pokémon Go felt was simpler than saying 64-bit or A7 processor or later.

Here's the list of devices that support iOS 11, and hence will still be able to play Pokémon Go:

  • iPhone X
  • iPhone 8
  • iPhone 8 Plus
  • iPhone 7
  • iPhone 7 Plus
  • iPhone SE
  • iPhone 6s
  • iPhone 6s Plus
  • iPhone 6
  • iPhone 6 Plus
  • iPhone 5s
  • iPad Pro 10.5-inches
  • iPad Pro 9.7-inches
  • iPad Pro 12.9-inches
  • iPad Air 2
  • iPad Air
  • iPad mini 4
  • iPad mini 3
  • iPad mini 2
  • iPod touch 6

Obviously, this sucks for people — and especially kids — using older devices who now face a choice between losing access to their accounts and having to shell out for a more modern device.

Support will continue all the way back to the 2012 iPhone 5s, though so, hopefully, that's enough for most of the people currently playing the game.

December 19, 2017: Pokémon Go updated with ARKit surprise

While no official announcement has been made, Pokémon Go has been updated to version 1.57.5 for iOS and version 0.87.5 for Android. Only "bug fixes" are listed, but The Sliph Road did its usual teardown and found a pretty awesome ARKit surprise, called "AR Plus":

If you've ever wanted to sneak up on a Pokemon in the real world and try to catch it before it becomes aware of you, it's you're lucky day.

Powered by the new ARKit capability, we're seeing an all new wild encounter mechanic, complete with tutorial! The major components are Awareness, Proximity, and whether the Pokemon is Frightened. Here is a roundup of additions involving this mechanic that we spotted:

  • Jump From Bush: This may be how Pokemon 'appear' in AR Plus mode
  • Jump Away From Player: Pokemon now appear to be able to jump away from you when frightened!
  • Jump Away Meters: Self explanatory
  • Awareness: This appears to be how 'aware' a Pokemon is of your presence in the encounter
  • Look At Player Awareness Threshold: At a certain threshold, a Pokemon will apparently look at you, signaling a certain amount of awareness of your presence (and consequently the difficulty multipliers in effect)
  • Flee Threshold: This may be the point where a Pokemon is too frightened and takes off Proximity Approach Per Second: We believe you may only be able to sneak up so fast without frightening the 'mon
  • Proximity Away Per Second: Appears to be a counterpart to the above
  • Nanab Berry Awareness Modifier: Nanabs now seem to have an enhanced use!
  • Pokemon Start Distance Meters: This may be one of the 'difficulty' modifiers, requiring you to either throw farther or sneak up a greater distance for rarer species
  • Low Awareness Threshold: Awareness appears to have a multiplier making it more difficult to capture a Pokemon
  • Close Proximity Threshold: Likely the radius where a 'nearness' multiplier kicks in Instant Frighten Player Proximity Threshold: Get too close, and the Pokemon appears to get "frightened" and may flee!
  • DodgeAttack: This is most likely the same ball-avoiding tactic we're already familiar with in wild encounter mechanics
  • Miss: Don't miss your throw, clearly
  • Pokemon Breakout: As expected

It also includes assets for holiday special boxes and for new, distinct, Johto Hoenn Pokédex badges. So far, only the latter seems to be live in the game.

December 6, 2017: Weather effects coming to Pokémon Go

As part of the Pokémon Go Gen 3 announcement, developer Niantic has also announced that weather effects are coming to the game.

From Pokémon Go:

We'll also be introducing a new dynamic weather system in Pokémon GO that will change the way you and the millions of Trainers around the world discover, catch, and interact with Pokémon.

You'll want to start paying even closer attention to your local weather patterns, Trainers. In addition to the in-game map being updated with cool new weather visuals, weather near you will impact Pokémon in a variety of ways. For example, you'll find your odds of discovering Mudkip splashing around will greatly improve on rainy days, as certain Pokémon types will be more commonly found during various weather conditions. Additionally, attacks of certain types will be more effective during some weather conditions, so a Charizard's Fire Spin will perform better on sunny days, for example. Rain or shine, winter or spring, your gameplay experience will remain fresh, making your time outdoors even more exciting.

There's never been a better time to grab your umbrella or snow boots and safely venture outside with family and friends this season. As you explore your local neighborhoods, remember to share a photo of your encounters on social media with the hashtag #PokemonGO. We'd love to see all of your new adventures as they unfold.

November 27, 2017: Pokémon Go updated for iPhone X

iPhone X support is... not good. It looks like the developer, Niantic, merely scaled up the frame and then chopped off the sides. As a result, a lot of elements look far too big while, at the same time, it feels like you're missing the action left and right. Text is overflowing its containers as well.

Hopefully, there'll be another update to fix it.

From Pokémon Go:

Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.83.1 for Android and 1.53.2 for iOS devices. Details from our development team:

  • Added support and made optimizations for the iPhone X screen resolution.
  • Removed support for devices running iOS 8.
  • Resolved a bug causing error banners to remain visible until the app is restarted.
  • Resolved a bug that prevented Trainers from powering up Pokémon to their max CP.
  • Improved load times when you open the app.
  • Various bug fixes and performance updates.

While removing iOS 8 support isn't great for people on very old devices, Apple has made iOS 11 compatible with all 64-bit devices going back to iPhone 5s. We'll see how many people this hits.

October 14, 2017: Latest Pokémon Go update hints at spooky Gen 3 Pokémon for Halloween

Pokémon Go is being updated to version 0.79.2 for Android and 1.49.2 for iOS.

Here's the official announcement from Pokémon Go:

Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.79.2 for Android and 1.49.2 for iOS devices. Details from our development team:

  • Various bug fixes and performance updates.

But it looks like there may be a lot more to it than that. From The Sliph Road's deep dive:

  • New notification for Ex-Raid cancellation. (Though most of us are still waiting for, you know, any sign of an invitation...)
  • Passcode rewards.
  • Blacklisted apps. (Presumably to fight GPS spoofing, though it's unclear how they could pull an app list on iOS without a special entitlement from Apple.)
  • Gen 3 Pokémon medal (like the existing Gen 1/Kanto and Gen 2/Johto medals.)
  • Gen 3 Pokémon sounds
  • Halloween music
  • Lavender Town night theme

And, perhaps biggest and best of all, Reddit discovered a new Halloween wallpaper sporting Gen 3 Pokémon.

So, it looks like Pokemon Go Gen 3 is right around the corner. Now, here's hoping Pokémon Go increases Pokémon Storage to go along with it!

October 8, 2017: Latest Pokémon Go update fixes errors — and adds Gen 3 forms!

Pokémon Go is being updated to version 0.77.1 for Android and 1.47.1 for iOS devices. And there's a good set of fixes this time around:

  • A confirmation dialogue now appears when attempting to transfer costumed Pokémon.
  • Costumed Pokémon can no longer be mass-transferred.
  • Resolved a bug causing occasional network errors while battling in Gyms.
  • Resolved a bug causing Raid Battle lobbies to display the incorrect number of Trainers preparing for battle.
  • Resolved a bug causing the Pokémon selected in the Raid Battle lobby to be reset after clicking the items button.
  • Resolved a bug where some Curveballs weren't registering properly.
  • Various bug fixes and performance updates.

The Silph Road has also done its usual deep dive. In addition to some new error codes and notifications, the team discovered new Pokémon Go Gen 3 resources:

Deoxys: where all 4 of its forms have been added

  • Normal Form
  • Attack Form
  • Defense Form
  • Speed Form

Castform: who has had 4 forms added as well

  • Normal
  • Sunny
  • Rainy
  • Snowy

Like Ditto and Unown, these types of special behaviors have to be figured out and included in a Pokémon Go context before Pokémon Go Gen 3 can officiall roll out.

There's still no sound files for Gen 3, though, so it'll be a while.

September 8, 2017: Raid Boss Eggs are back!

Pokémon Go Raid Battles originally launched with a Raid Boss Egg that would count down for two hours, hatch, and then be ready to battle for an hour. Following Pokémon Go Fest Chicago, the Raid Boss Eggs were removed and Raid Bosses would simply show up, ready to fight for two hours.

Now, coinciding with the launch of EX Raids, the Raid Boss Eggs are back. This time, at least so far, they count down for an hour and then are ready to battle for an hour.

That affects gameplay in a few ways, and not necessarily for the better:

  1. Gyms can now be battled for control before the Raid begins. Since Gym control awards an additional 2 premiere balls, there's lots of incentive to do that. Unfortunately, it may take the community-building aspect away from Raids and turn teams against each other, which was a huge negative under the old Gym system.

  2. There's less time to battle the Raid Boss again. While Eggs were gone, if a Raid Boss appeared, you could battle it immediately. Now you may have to wait up to an hour before you can battle, and that might not fit your schedule. Also, you could battle up to 90 minutes later. Now you have to make sure you're there within the hour. Again, that might not fit your schedule. Also, if you used to try to fit in multiple successive Raids, now Eggs will get in your way, reducing the amount you can do.

Pokémon Go may continue to tweak the Raid Battle system as the game rolls out Ex Raids. Fingers crossed it's for the better.

September 7, 2017: EX-Raid field tests, featuring Legendary Mewtwo Raid Boss, have begun!

EX-Raids have just been field-tested in Japan, Washington, and California. Participants, seemingly chosen at random, received EX-Raid passes 24-48 hours before the EX-Raid was scheduled to begin, and were given a 2-hour evening time window in which to show up and battle the Legendary Pokémon, Mewtwo.

So far, rewards seem to be the same as Tier 5 Legendary Raids like Raikou. Also, while the catch-rate for Mewtwo is 6%, well above the 3% for Legendary Birds and 2% for Legendary Beasts, both videos show players failing to catch and keep him.

Additional EX-Raid passes have now appeared for Japan, the Bay Area of California, and New York City. These passes, however, have given less than 24 hours notice and only a 1-hour time limit for the Raid itself.

There also seems to be no obvious pattern for who gets an EX-Raid invitation, other than they all raided recently at the Gym for which the pass is issued.

September 5, 2017: Pokémon Go resolves Raikou rendering bug that prevented players from joining raids.

Over the last few days, some players have approached Gyms only to find the Raikou Raid Boss model would fail to load and, as a result, they couldn't enter the raid.

Pokémon Go support has indicated the issue was resolved server side. From Reddit:

We just made a change on our end to resolve this issue.

September 1, 2017: Pokémon Go updates known issues and fixes

Pokémon Go has provided and update on known bugs and issues, as well as some information on when fixes can be expected.

Raids against Legendary Pokémon do not count towards the Champion Medal: We are aware of an issue where Raids against Legendary Pokémon do not count towards the Champion Medal. This issue will be addressed shortly after we force-upgrade to Pokémon GO version 0.73.1.

Curveball bonus is not consistently awarded: We are aware of certain situations where the Curveball bonus is not correctly applied. We are investigating root causes.

Godspeed. Seriously.

August 30, 2017: Pokémon Go updating to version 0.73.1 for Android, 1.43.1 for iPhone and iPad.

Pokémon Go is releasing a new update after it pulled the previous one last week due to performance issues. The new update — version 0.73.1 for Android, 1.43.1 for iOS — contains several important bug fixes and new features. It's also widely expected to introduce the mechanics necessary for Mewtwo Raids to roll out internationally.

From Pokémon Go:

  • Added the ability for Trainers to spin the Photo Disc at a Gym using the Pokémon GO Plus accessory.
  • Added the ability to view the number of Trainers entered, and preparing, for a Raid Battle before using a Raid Pass.
  • Improved Pokémon Collection screen search functionality by allowing Trainers to search through their Pokémon's moves using the @ character.
  • Resolved a bug which caused the Raid Boss to always break free from the last Premier Ball.
  • Resolved a bug that prevented Trainers from seeing they'd received double XP from Raid Battles when using a Lucky Egg.
  • Various bug fixes.

Pokémon Go Plus spinning Gyms means you no longer have to stop, tap the Gym, tap the disc icon, and then spin. You can simply click once and get all your items — even while raiding.

The ability to preview Raid participation before using a pass is also a welcome change, as is the new search functionality. Let's hope the bug fixes similarly deliver.

August 24, 2017: Pokémon Go pulls latest app update due to lag issues

Pokémon Go has announced that the company is pulling its latest app update — version 0.71.0 for Android — after reports of lag so bad players couldn't effectively battle in gyms and raids.

From Reddit:

We are aware of a latency issue affecting battling in Pokémon GO version 0.71.0. We are currently investigating potential resolutions. Although this issue only affects a small subset of users, we are suspending the rollout of the release while we continue to work towards delivering a better experience.

The iOS version of the update hadn't been pushed out yet. Here's an explanation of how that process works:

When we release an update, we release it to a small percent of the userbase at first. We start at 1% and work our way up to 100%. We monitor our reporting metrics, user-submitted bug reports, and sites like reddit for signs of issues during the rollout process. If something comes up (like it did in this release), we're able to pull the plug on the update before the entire userbase is affected.

August 23, 2017: Pokémon Go comments on rural players and how the company might help them.

Pokémon Go players in rural areas have it tough. There are few PokéStops and Gyms, and that makes it tough to get items and organize enough players for Raids. For a long time they've been asking Pokémon Go for help. Now, it looks like the game might finally be listening.

Thank you for your post. I shared some thoughts on rural players with regard to new PokéStops earlier in the week. At the end of my comments, I mentioned that we are working on mechanisms to make it easier for players to come together for Raid Battles. It's too soon to share the details about this but know that improvements will be made over several app updates.

I do disagree with the statement that Niantic doesn't care about rural players. We've made some big improvements: OPR has drastically improved access for rural players, adding sponsored locations has improved access with a varying level of impact to rural players (we know we need sponsors in more places), adding the ability to get items from Gyms has helped address the no Poké Ball issue that plagued rural players, increasing the number of Gyms so more areas have access to battle, and making changes to balance Pokémon distribution. This is not to say that our work here is done. It's quite the opposite. I cannot stress enough that we still have lots and lots of work to do here. As frustrating as the situation is, I would urge you not to treat the absence of an immediate solution as an absence of our commitment to this issue. Things will get better.

Also:

To best explain what we're doing, we need to look at where we came from with Ingress. Ingress never had the rural issue in the same way that Pokémon GO currently does. That's in part due to that fact that we allowed Portal submissions for the majority of Ingress's existence so most users were able to create Portals around their area if none already existed. That mechanism was labor-intensive but it worked for the scale of that game. With Pokémon GO, we saw a torrent of players picking up the game in places where Ingress never caught on. The number of players is so many that we simply couldn't turn on portal submissions and hire a team of Portal reviewers. Instead, we've needed to design a solution that fits the size of the issues. So we invested in Operation Portal Recon. Lots of players have reported the benefits OPR in their communities, but I would still argue that OPR is in its infancy in terms of the impact it has on rural players. While it might sound wildly optimistic, I would bet that with time we'll see near parity between rural and urban players. As for difficulties finding a raid team in rural areas, we're working on that too (but we're not ready to announce anything just yet).

August 22, 2017: Pokémon Go explains sync issues that cause dodge bug (death loop) and HP gain by bosses.

Over a month after releasing Raid Battles, players are still experiencing numerous glitches. That includes Raid Bosses thats suddenly regain HP, and dodges that result not only in your Pokémon still being killed, but put into a frustrating, time-wasting "death loop".

Niantic support recently explained the reason for the problems on Reddit:

I believe this is an issue where the client and server become out of sync but I'll share this with our engineers for a proper investigation. I'll reach out if I need anymore info.

Update: I had a moment to sit down with an engineer to discuss this. The short answer is that there is not an immediate fix. My hunch about the problem stemming from a client-server sync issue was correct but I now have more info to share. When the app is unable to communicate with the game servers (due to network errors, poor cell coverage, etc), the client has a prediction algorithm that best attempts to guess what the server would send if it were able to communicate. This system allows the battle to continue for a short period when you intermittently lose connection. In the example you shared, it looks like the algorithm incorrectly predicted that your opponents' lost more HP than they actually did. So once the server data was available, it overrode the prediction and the HP went up to its actual level. Our team knows that there needs to be better optimization and exception handling in this area. Unfortunately, it's one of those things where it takes a lot of infrastructure work to resolve. For those of you wondering about the dodge bug, that issue is caused by this same system and that's why there hasn't been a resolution yet.

August 21, 2017: Gen 3, super incubator, and more found hidden in latest Pokémon Go app update

Along with the addition to hints of a new Super Incubator, changes to Shiny animation, a bunch of bug fixes, and the ability to search by move (!!), the names for all 135 new Pokémon in Gen 3 have been added to the GAME_MASTER file in Pokémon Go.

From The Sliph Road:

It's finally time to get hyped, travelers!

135 new species (all Gen III species) have now appeared in the APK metadata. With that also comes 73 new candy 'families' from Treecko to Deoxys. We anticipate it will be a little while yet before these species begin appearing. The following do not appear yet in the APK, and will be needed before Gen III goes live:

  • Sound files for each species (their battle 'cries')
  • Any additional moves that may be added for the Gen III species' use

No new moves were added to the APK just yet.

It could still be a matter of months, but it's one more step towards Gen 3!

August 19, 2017: Pokémon Go fixes Raid times, XP reporting for Lucky Eggs

In addition to changing the Raid rewards, Pokémon Go has fixed the Raid start and end times and now correctly shows the amount of XP you get for winning with a Lucky Egg.

For people playing in the Eastern Daylight Time Zone, that means that instead of 5 a.m. to 8 p.m., they're running from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

And when you win a raid using a Lucky Egg, you now get an accurate reporting of the XP:

  • 6,000 XP for Tier 1 to Tier 4 Raids.
  • 20,000 XP for Tier 5 Raids.

Also, the Journal now properly shows all items received from Gym Photo Discs, including team control and badge items.

August 17, 2017: The Secrets of Pokémon Go Raid rewards revealed!

When you beat a Raid Boss in Pokémon Go, you're rewarded with revives, potions (as of August 17), rare candy, golden razz berries, and fast and charge TMs. But how many of each you get has remained a mystery — until now.

After documenting almost 3000 raids, The Silph Road has figured out the mechanics of raid rewards:

You've likely already noticed that Raid reward items are often given out in multiples of the same item.

Raid rewards are allotted in 'item groupings' that we call reward bundles. (For example, in level 5 Raids, REVIVES are given out in bundles of five.)

And:

The number of REWARD BUNDLES obtained from a Raid is completely determined by the Raid level and the number of PREMIER BALLS.

In other words, the better you do in raids, the more Premiere Balls you're awarded — and the more item bundles. The exact type and quantity is still randomized, but more will always be more.

Read the whole research note for the details.

August 17, 2017: Pokémon Go starts awarding potions for raids — but reduces gold razz, rare candy

Pokémon Go has made a significant change to the items awarded when you win a raid battle: potions.

Now, in addition to revives, golden razz berries, and rare candy, you can get super potions and hyper potions as well.

Unfortunately, the game has also reduced the amount of golden razz berries and rare candy awarded at raids. Since you can get potions and revives from spinning PokéStops but the only way to get golden razz and rare candy is through Raid Battles, this is a significant "nerf" and one that's likely to affect many players. Most probably won't get enough golden razz to use on all boss catches any more, never mind waste in Gym defense.

Hopefully a better balance can be struck.

August 13, 2017: Mewtwo 'nerfed' in Pokémon Go ahead of possible release

Update: Yup, Mewtwo is reportedly live now in Japan.

The legendary Mewtwo has seen a sharp reduction in attack, defense, and stamina — and the CP that comes from them — in a Pokémon Go GAME_MASTER file update. Start your Raid Battle speculation engines!

From The Sliph Road:

Attack: 330 -> 300 Defense: 200 -> 182 Stamina: 212 -> 193

Max CP from 4760 to 3982

The reduction, or "nerfing" in game-speak, makes sense if Pokémon Go is getting ready to add Mewtwo to Legendary Raid Battles and, as such, into the game proper.

August 11, 2017: Pokémon Go fixing bug that prevents Legendary Raids from showing up in medal count

Can't believe this happened, much less is taking so long to fix. But, it's getting fixed!

August 8, 2017: Shiny Pichu, Pikachu, Raichu heading to Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go has once again updated in-game assets and, according to The Silph Road, this time it includes:

  • Shiny Pichu
  • Shiny Pikachu
  • Shiny Raichu

It's suspected the new Shiny family will be introduced as part of the upcoming Pikachu-themed event in Japan. Of course, Shiny Lugia, Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos were added to the in-game assets before Pokémon Go Fest Chicago and they've yet to be seen in the actual game.

So, expect them only when you see them.

August 7, 2017: Pokémon Go working to fix 'last Premier Ball fails to capture the Raid Boss' bug, temporarily awarding an extra Premier Ball to compensate

There's currently a bug in Pokémon Go where, when using the last Premier Ball awarded for beating a Raid Battle, the Raid Boss escapes immediately. Aside from the very low, random chance of scoring a critical catch, it effectively makes the last Premier Ball useless.

From Pokémon Go:

We are actively working to resolve an issue where the Raid Boss always breaks free from the last Premier Ball available. To counteract the effects of this issue, Pokémon GO will temporarily grant an extra Premier Ball in the Bonus Challenge.

To make up for the bug, Pokémon Go will temporarily be awarding an extra Premier Ball following a Raid Battle, raising the base from 5 to 6 for the time being.

Because you still have no chance outside a critical catch to score a Raid Boss on the last Premier Ball, save yourself a favor and don't use a Golden Razz on that throw. (Absolutely use them on all the other throws, though.)

July 28, 2017: Pokémon GO updating to version 0.69.1 for Android and 1.39.1 for iOS

From Pokémon Go:

Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.69.1 for Android and 1.39.1 for iOS devices. Below are some release notes and comments from our development team.

  • Spark has returned to appraise Pokémon for Team Instinct Trainers.
  • Resolved a motivation decay bug impacting Pokémon with less than 3000 CP.
  • Resolved a bug causing Pokémon GO to freeze after consuming potions too quickly.
  • Resolved a bug causing Pokémon GO to freeze after all 6 Pokémon faint during a Raid Battle.
  • Resolved an issue causing iPhone 6 devices to crash.

As usual, the update should hit Android soon and iOS in a day or two.

July 26, 2017: You can now feed your Pokémon berries remotely — again!

Pokémon Go has re-enabled remote berry feeding for Gym defenders. The feature, which was previously pulled after it caused erroneous "shadow bans", allows you to to restore a small amount of health and vitality to a Pokémon you left on a Gym and has since drained or been attacked, reducing it's CP.

July 26, 2017: Base capture rate for Legendary Pokémon bumped up to... 3%!

The base capture rate for Legendary Pokémon Raid Bosses — including Lugia and Articuno, currently in the game, as well as Moltres starting next week and Zapdos starting the week after — has been increased from the 2% it was at launch last Saturday to a whopping 3% now. Before you eye roll so hard, though, statistically it makes a difference.

From The Silph Road:

Assume that each throw you land is pretty skilled: - Curve ball - Golden razz - Great throw (middle of the range for great throw) - Has gold medal bonuses on ice and flying

For a single successful throw like this, on an articuno:

  • Old base rate = 13% chance to catch
  • NEW base rate = 19% chance to catch

Assume that you land these throws with up to 5 premier balls in a single raid:

  • Old base rate: 50% overall (with 5 tries) chance to catch
  • NEW base rate: 65% overall (with 5 tries) chance to catch

I'll take every point chance increase I can get.

July 25, 2017: Moltres coming July 31, Zapdos August 7

As part of an update on what went wrong at Pokémon Go Fest Chicago, John Hanke, CEO of Pokémon Go developer Niantic, shared the following on his blog:

  • Articuno (Team Mystic) released on Saturday, July 22 and available through Monday, July 31.
  • Moltres (Team Valor) to be released on Monday, July 31 and available through Monday, August 7.
  • Zapdos (Team Instinct) to be released on Monday, August 7 and available through Monday, August 14.

Catch 'em when and while you can!

July 22, 2017: New Special Boxes in the Poké Shop just in time for Go Fest!

Pokémon Go Fest is about to kick off in Chicago and new Special, Great, and Ultra Boxes have appeared in the Pokémon Shop to go along with it. Inside are Premium Raid Passes, so you can battle in more Raids, Pinap Berries, so you can get double Candy for your catches, and Lures, so you can attract more Pokémon to PokéStops to catch. That's a lot of stuff for a few little boxes but, the big questions remain: are they worth your Poké Coins? And which box is best?

Read: Should you buy the new Poké Shop Boxes: Which ones are worth your coins!

July 22, 2017: Pokémon Go working to fix issue causing Raid Bosses to be harder to beat

Nasty bug. Hope it gets fixed fast.

July 21, 2017: Here's how you can watch Pokémon Go Fest Chicago live!

I'm on the ground in Chicago and will be covering the event as it happens, but if you want to watch the full stream, Pokémon Go Live is making it available on YouTube.

Happy catching!

Pokémon Go Fest: Everything you need to know

July 20, 2017: Pokémon Go looking to add even more gameplay and strategy to Gyms

Mixed into a broader piece looking at the "hardcore" Pokémon Go community in California, John Hanke discussed some additional features coming to Pokémon Go in the future.

Rolling Store:

There are more changes coming, too. Hanke says Niantic is working on leaderboards at various levels, from individual city leaders to system to track team control on a global level. Those leaderboards, whatever form they take, will appear on the web first before being implemented within the game itself. The developers are also working on ways for the game's disparate Pokemon-collecting and gym-controlling mechanics to affect one another, "so that as you control gyms, it has a favorable effect on the Pokemon, the health, the items that you collect, maybe even the Pokemon that spawn in that region, so that beyond the sort of pride and rivalry of controlling gyms or areas for your team, there's actually other secondary benefits that you get and that are shared by all the players of your faction."

The team aspect is actually one of my least favorite parts of the game. It creates a lot of real-world tension and disharmony where none needs to exist. The recent Gym redesign combined with the introduction of Raids did a lot to bring all players together. I very much hope they don't lose that and revert back to the petty tribalism of the past.

July 18, 2017: Pokémon Go app updated in legendary style!

Ahead of Pokémon Go Fest Chicago, the Pokémon Go app is being updated to version 0.69.0 for Android and 1.39.0 for iOS. And the update looks legendary! There's also a new feature to feed berries remotely and a few other welcome changes and fixes.

  • Added icons to the Pokémon information screen to indicate how the Pokémon was caught.
  • Added the ability for Trainers to spin the Photo Disc at a Gym after completing a Raid Battle.
  • Added the ability for Trainers to send Berries to their Pokémon defending Gyms through the Pokémon info screen when they are not nearby. Motivation regained will be less effective through this method.
  • Added the ability for Trainers to give Berries to Pokémon defending Gyms if their motivation meter is full.
  • Improved Pokémon Collection screen search functionality.
  • Fixed an issue where Trainers were unable to complete Raid Battles started before time expired on the map view.
  • Fixed an issue where Pokémon are not properly returned to their Trainer after defending a Gym.
  • Various bug fixes.

The Silph Road has done their usual deep-dive into the Android APK as well:

  1. Event Check-In Mechanics
  2. Special Event Badge!
  3. "Exclusive Raids" (Event Participants Only? Or a Broader Application...)
  4. Event PokeStops & Gyms
  5. Remote Berries!
  6. Pokemon GO Plus Tweaks
  7. Badge Rework
  8. Health Bar Fixes?
  9. Heal Animation Fixes
  10. Translation/Localization Fixes
  11. New Sponsor Type
  12. Legendaries!!

The event check in looks to be QR-code driven, which makes sense. But the biggest question remains not what but when? Will we see the first Legendary Raid at Go Fest, shortly thereafter, as its own event, or in some other way?

July 17, 2017: Pokémon Go working to fix coin reward bug

Update: The coin reward bug appears to have been fixed.

Some Pokémon Go players have been experiencing an issue where Pokémon are returning from defending a Gym but without the usual coin rewards (one coin every 10 minutes up to a maximum of 50 coins a day.)

July 10, 2017: Pokémon Go still working to resolve erroneous 'The Gym is under attack!' error

Pokémon Go had already rolled out a fix for the "The Gym is under attack!" error which was preventing some players from adding Pokémon to a newly controlled Gym. Unfortunately, the error persisted.

So, Pokémon Go support is redoubling their efforts:

One of the root causes of this issue has been resolved in Pokémon GO version 0.67.2 (1.37.2). We're actively working on a fix to completely resolve this issue.

In the meantime, the simultaneous and time reset workaround are still effective.

How to fix the 'The Gym is under attack!" error in Pokémon Go

July 10, 2017: 'Not able to get game data' from the server' error

For a brief time today, Pokémon Go was suffering from a server-side error that prevented players from logging in. The error message read "Not able to get game data' from the server" and it lasted, on and off, for an hour or two.

Niantic support responded on Reddit, saying:

We had a momentary [downtime]. This should be fixed now.


July 9, 2017: Pokémon Go working to fix excessive data usage following latest update

Some players have reported that, following the recent update that enabled the new Gym system and Battle Raids, Pokémon Go was consuming an excessive amount of cellular data on their devices.

Niantic support has responded on Reddit:

[We] are aware of this concern. In the short term, I know the team has dedicated some time in the next few weeks to make improvements to performance and resource handling. At this point, I'm not sure to what extent these improvements will result in a reduction in data usage versus a reduction in crashes. But please know that this is on our radar.

In the meantime, log into local Wi-Fi hotspots, if and when possible. Fingers crossed this gets solved fast.

Pokemon Go



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