Pokemon Go is now available on iOS and Android devices. (Nintendo)
A brand new Pokemon Go update has just been released. What’s different this time? Are any of the bugs fixed?
Actually, yes! For one, the August 8th update fixes a recent issue with the game that was preventing players from getting bonus XP for “nice,” “great” and “excellent” throws. Though the Pokemon Go app has been plagued by countless glitches over the past few weeks and many have never been fixed, this is an example of an issue that popped up and then was almost immediately resolved by Niantic.
Battery saver mode is also back; this feature was removed in a recent update because it was causing some phones to freeze, but Niantic appears to have fixed this problem in a relatively timely fashion.
Another nifty new feature is that players can now change their nickname, but only once, so you’ll want to be really sure of your change before going through with it. As well, the team leaders, Candela, Blanche and Spark, now have visuals associated with them, whereas previously all that could be seen were silhouettes. It was a mystery what the leaders looked like when Pokemon Go was first released, but Niantic later released character designs for all three of them.
Niantic has also added a new warning message that pops up when using Pokemon Go in a vehicle; it reminds you not to play Pokemon Go while driving and is intended to make sure you’re the passenger in the car, not the driver.
Finally, there’s now a different version of the nearby tracker where the Pokemon appear next to blades of grass. Niantic explains that “We’re currently testing a variation of the ‘Nearby Pokémon’ feature with a subset of users. During this period you may see some variation in the nearby Pokémon UI.” The new “sightings” feature scans the area around you every 10 seconds or so and then adds any new Pokemon spawns to your list. That Pokemon will disappear from the list either if you move too far away or if the Pokemon is no longer in the area.
Unlike the initial nearby tracker, though, no information is provided about how far away the given Pokemon is.
This update has been met with excitement in the Pokemon Go online community. Some previous updates have done very little to resolve problems, instead merely removing features, but this one actually makes significant progress towards addressing fan complaints.
Here’s the full list of what’s new in the August 8th update, as explained by Niantic themselves:
- Added a dialog to remind Trainers that they should not play while traveling above a certain speed. Trainers must confirm they are not driving in order to continue playing
- Made improvements to the accuracy of a curveball throw
- Fixed a bug that prevented ”Nice,” ”Great,” and “Excellent” Poké Ball throws from awarding the appropriate experience bonuses
- Fixed achievements showing incorrect Medal icons
- Enabled the ability for Trainers to change their nickname one time, so please choose your new nickname wisely
- Resolved issues with the battery saver mode and re-enabled this feature
- Added visuals of Team leaders – Candela, Blanche and Spark
- We’re currently testing a variation of the “Nearby Pokémon” feature with a subset of users. During this period you may see some variation in the nearby Pokémon UI.
- Minor text fixes