The honeymoon period for Pokemon Go may be coming to a close.
The latest update has removed the ‘footprint’ system which helped players track nearby Pokemon, while some have been hit by the more serious problem of their progress being reset.
And, on top of all of this, players are reporting that the third-party apps they used to help them with the game have vanished as of this morning.
3rd party apps gone, footsteps gone.
So, what am I meant to do now?
Shall I just go for a 900K run around the whole of London?— Jme (@JmeBBK) July 31, 2016
In the first few days of the Pokemon Go app, players were able to find out which Pokemon were closest to their location by looking at the number of footprints underneath their picture. The fewer footprints, the nearer it was.
Third-party apps, however, were able to provide more specific information regarding the location of nearby Pokemon in order to complement the information provided within the app. One such app, PokeVision, suggests the downtime is at Niantic’s request.
Hey guys. We wish we had some news for you
At this moment, we are respecting Niantic and Nintendo's wishes.
Will keep you guys posted
<3
— Yang (@PokeVisionGo) July 31, 2016
The footprint feature has now disappeared altogether, though some have speculated that it’s only a temporary measure while developed Niantic perfects its tracking system. Niantic is yet to issue a statement on the matter at the time of writing.
Some players have complained vocally following the latest changes, with some even claiming their experience has been ‘ruined’.
https://twitter.com/kevinleehau/status/759746870528925697
https://twitter.com/HmazGG/status/759685657581252608
So, Niantic have now completely removed tracking(best part of the game) and are shutting down/out third party replacements.. RIP #PokemonGO
— Tom Sollis (@_TomSollis) July 31, 2016
Oh wait it wasn't a false alarm, Pokemon Go's third party maps are dead. 😐 Which would be fine… if their game worked right. 😐
— Kayin (@KayinNasaki) July 31, 2016
https://twitter.com/ETaaban/status/759788687186165760
https://twitter.com/CDQuality/status/759788665673396224
Unofficial Pokemon Go Twitter account @PokemonGoNews claims to have reached out to Niantic to find out more about the new measures, but is still awaiting a reply at the time of writing.
We reached out to @NianticLabs to provide any info on the recent @PokeVisionGo shutdown. We will update if/when we receive a response.
— Pokémon GO News (@PokemonGoNews) July 31, 2016
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