A new Pokemon Go glitch is causing all Pokestops and gyms to disappear from the map. (Reddit/huevos_good)
Since Pokemon Go launched, it’s been normal for Pokestops to disappear from the game’s map on occasion, usually because businesses or homeowners request them to be removed. But in recent days, many players have opened up the game, only to find absolutely no Pokestops or gyms in the area whatsoever. What’s going on here?
This is a widespread problem, and it seems that it might be connected to the wireless carriers, not to Niantic itself. That speculation is coming from the fact that playing the game while on Wi-Fi generally solves the problem. If you’re in an area where you can get on Wi-Fi, then, try connecting and Pokestops and gyms should pop back on the map. On both iPhone and Android, go to Settings, W-Fi, and then select the network you want to connect to.
It isn’t any one carrier that’s having this issue, though, as players using Verizon, AT&T and Cricket have all reported the issue. It also is not region specific, with complaints coming from all over.
Another potential fix that has worked for some is to restart the app or do a full restart on the phone. This temporarily makes the Pokestops and gyms appear back in the area for certain gamers, although it isn’t a permanent solution by any means, and users often find themselves having to frequently restart the app in order to play.
This may be an unintended consequence of the app’s most recent update, released on August 10th. After all, the disappearing Pokestops glitch has mainly begun to pop up over the past 24 hours, and there has been precedent for Niantic patching the game, only to inadvertently cause a new issue.
If you are seeing some Pokestops and gyms in the area, but just fewer than usual, this is a separate issue; Niantic Labs has been removing many of these locations from the game, while not adding the same amount back in to replace them, resulting in some areas having far fewer Pokestops than they did when the game launched.
