‘Pokemon Go’ is available now for iOS and Android devices. (Nintendo)
A new update for Pokemon Go has just been released for iOS and Android. Among many other changes to the game, players will now notice new symbols popping up on the screen whenever they go to catch Pokemon. As usual, the game gives you absolutely no explanation for what these are. So what are the new symbols?
The symbols you see on the screen here are related to the game’s new catch bonuses. The way it works is that unlocking medals gives you helpful catch bonuses and makes the process of capturing Pokemon that much easier. The medals are associated with Pokemon species; catch a bunch of flying Pokemon, for example, and you’ll get a flying Pokemon medal. That medal comes with a catch bonus, and so the next time you go to catch a flying Pokemon, you’ll have a better chance of actually capturing it.
What appears at the top of your screen, then, are the medals you have that are giving you a bonus in this particular encounter. Take a look at the screenshot below via Reddit, for example. The player is trying to catch Pidgeotto, which is a normal and flying type Pokemon. That’s why the “normal” medal and the “flying” medal appear on the top of the screen here. It means that the player has the two capture bonuses associated with those Pokemon types, and they are currently being used to help in this encounter with Pidgeotto.
With this new update, players have an added incentive to catch Pokemon even if they’re low-leveled and even if they’re species the trainer has encountered again and again. For example, you might normally not bother going after a Pidgey. But now, doing so will give you points towards a flying Pokemon catch bonus, and that bonus will help you to catch high-leveled flying Pokemon like Gyarados or Aerodactyl.
In order to see how much progress you have made towards these medals, just go to your player profile screen, scroll down, and click on one of the medals. Here are all of the medals in the game that are associated with catching Pokemon:
| Name | Description | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
| SchoolKid | Capture this many normal Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Black Belt | Capture this many fighting Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Bird Keeper | Capture this many flying Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Punk Girl | Capture this many poison Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Ruin Maniac | Capture this many ground Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Hiker | Capture this many rock Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Bug Catcher | Capture this many bug Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Hex Maniac | Capture this many ghost Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Depot Agent | Capture this many steel Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Kindler | Capture this many fire Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Swimmer | Capture this many water Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Gardener | Capture this many grass Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Rocker | Capture this many electric Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Psychic | Capture this many psychic Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Skier Tale Girl | Capture this many ice Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Dragon Tamer | Capture this many dragon Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
| Fairy Tale Girl | Capture this many fairy Pokemon | 10 | 50 | 200 |
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‘Pokemon Go’: What is the New Symbol While Catching Pokemon?