Latest Pokémon Go update removes footprints, adds trainer re-customisation and more
Sticking with their promise to update the game regularly, Niantic have pushed up a new update to Pokémon Go on both Android and iOS and it contains some big changes.
The biggest change is to the ‘footprints’ system in the nearby Pokémon panel. For some time it hasn’t actually worked showing three footprints for all Pokémon no matter their distance. Obviously that’s not helpful at all, so for now instead of fixing it Niantic have just removed them – no word yet if they’ll be back and working eventually or what. Which also isn’t too helpful.
Earlier in the weekend there was also some server side changes to the game including the removal of some gyms and PokeStops, changed spawning and nest locations for Pokémon and battle damage calculations were adjusted. Vaporeon got the old nerf.
Other changes thant aren’t as big to the game include being able to re-customise your trainer, updating the Pokémon details screens, updated achievement medals and more.
Here’s the full change log;
- Avatars can now be re-customized from the Trainer profile screen
- Adjusted battle move damage values for some Pokémon
- Refined certain Gym animations
- Improved memory issues
- Removed footprints of nearby Pokémon
- Modified battle damage calculation
- Various bug fixes during wild Pokémon encounter
- Updated Pokémon details screen
- Updated achievement medal images
- Fixed issues with displaying certain map features
- Minor text fixes
Download it now from the App Store or Google Play store.
The footprints system was likely removed because they wanted you to be able to tell how close you were to the pokemon without actually knowing its exact location, however the footprints system can’t work without sending the pokemons exact location to the software on a persons phone. The simplest way to avoid the 3rd party software that was exploiting this fact to provide easy access to exact pokemon locations etc. was to completely remove the footprints system.