Pokemon GO Update Improves GPS Tracking
By Boston Blake 18 January 2017
Niantic details the latest update to Pokemon GO, which fixes distance tracking due to GPS drift, adds features to the Apple Watch app, and fixes some text in the game.
Since its release this past summer, Pokemon GO has dominated the mobile gaming space, helping developer Niantic rake in hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue. Much of the augmented reality exploration game’s success comes from Niantic’s continued efforts to improve the game with regular fixes and updated content.
The latest fix to come to Pokemon GO is a change to the distance tracking that affects the GPS drift players sometimes experience while playing. The fix will effectively nerf the small shifts players’ characters experience, especially when players are not moving around.
This is a significant update considering some Pokemon GO players have been able to exploit their phone provider GPS to hatch eggs and obtain Pokemon even when they are sitting still. Hopefully the update will correct that issue to make the game fair for all players.
The update should also fix the issue players experience when they’re moving and the character on the screen darts quickly across the screen. When such events happen, the game occasionally mistakes the quick shifts as players moving in vehicles and may restrict player access to PokeStops and Gyms near them.
The update, which upgrades the app to 0.53.1 on Android and 1.23.1 on iOS, launches today and includes the above-mentioned fix to the distance tracker, along with an update to the Apple Watch app to display eggs obtained from PokeStops and minor text fixes. The full list of patch notes is below:
- Updated Apple Watch to display Eggs obtained from PokeStops
- Changed distance tracking to better account for GPS drift
- Minor text fixes
With the recent boost in revenue for Pokemon GO over the holidays, Niantic is undoubtedly anxious to make as many fixes as possible for the game to keep players engaged. With lucrative deals with companies like Starbucks and Sprint, Niantic has a long future planned for Pokemon GO, and the more players engage, the better Niantic’s corporate relationships will be.
Now that 2017 is in full swing, hopefully Niantic has plenty of plans set for Pokemon GO. There are still a few more fixes needed, but for the most part gamers are clamoring for new features, such as Pokemon trading and player vs. player battles. Hopefully players will receive these and other features before the game reaches its one-year mark.
What do you think about the latest update for Pokemon GO?
Pokemon GO is available now for Android and iOS devices.
