Niantic released a new update patch for Pokemon Go last night that includes the testing phase of a new Pokemon tracking system the company will be rolling out in a future update. The new tracking system is currently only available to a select number of participants, mostly covering the San Francisco area. While there have been reports of people outside of San Francisco having access to the new tracking system, a vast majority of the selected Trainers are in the SF area.
When Pokemon Go first launched, Niantic was very clear that the game would see updates roughly every two weeks. We’ve seen server stability adjustments, the removal of a lot of third party apps, and even the removal of the old tracking system in previous patches. Now we get a small glimpse at what Niantic has in store for Pokemon Go players with the testing phase of a new tracking system
The new system offers a “Nearby” drawer that has two options Trainers can choose from. If you select the Nearby option it will display any Pokemon in close proximity to a nearby PokeStop. If you select the Sightings option, it shows you any nearby Pokemon that are not close to a PokeStop.
While there’s still some work to be done with the new tracking system, and it’s quite possible things can change before it’s officially rolled out to all users, the new system zooms the map out so it’s easier to see where the Pokemon are located. In addition, if a Pokemon disappears before you find it, you will no longer see it displayed in the Nearby drawer. If you’re actively tracking the Pokemon (you tapped on the Pokemon in the Nearby drawer), there will even be a pop-up to let you know the Pokemon is no longer available.
These changes makes it much easier when you’re hunting Pokemon. Not only will you know roughly where to look for the Pokemon, but you’ll know immediately if a Pokemon you’re actively looking for is no longer around. At the very least these new changes should save a considerable amount of time for adventurous Trainers.
For more information and strategies, be sure to check out our Pokemon Go guide hub. In the meantime, here’s a complete list of the changes in the most recent patch:
- 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 XP bonuses.
- Fixed achievements showing incorrect Medal icons.
- Enabled the ability for Trainers to change their nickname one time. Please choose your new nickname wisely.
- Resolved issues with the battery saver mode on iOS and re-enabled the 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
