Pokémon Go players rejoice: a new Pokémon tracker is on its way.
The update fixes a number of bugs and has brought back the battery-saver mode. But most notably, Niantic is testing a way for users to track Pokémon within the app. According to the update’s release notes:
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.
So far, the subset of users seems to mainly be in San Francisco, though users on r/pokemongo in Melbourne and Bangkok have reported being able to use it.
The Dogecoin creator, Jackson Palmer, based in San Francisco, was among them.
Some more screencaps of the new @PokemonGoApp tracker #PokemonGo pic.twitter.com/Lsizu9DoKi
— Jackson Palmer (@ummjackson) August 9, 2016
Screenshots and videos shared by users with access to the new feature show the “nearby” menu has been split into two sections, adding “sightings”. Users are able to click on each Pokémon to see which Pokéstop they’re close to.
It appears the Pokémon in the “sightings” section– rather than the “nearby” one - are ones which haven’t spawned near a Pokéstop. When you tap them, nothing happens – which means you’ll still be wandering around without a real idea of where these wild Pokémon are. There’s also no word for what this means for rural players, who don’t have many Pokéstops nearby.
.@PokemonGoApp / @PokeVisionGo / @YangCLiu HERE IS A VIDEO FOR THOSE ASKING. :) pic.twitter.com/wivcskufdV
— Jackson Palmer (@ummjackson) August 9, 2016
Those not among the selected few to test out the new feature have a new “sightings” menu replacing the nearby feature.
This is what comes up on my "nearby" screen now #PokemonGo pic.twitter.com/SzBcfKa1Lb
— Elena Cresci (@elenacresci) August 9, 2016
Niantic has had a bumpy ride with the app’s tracking feature. Their initial footprint system confused users before it stopped working altogether. The last update removed all tracking completely, as well as forcing third-party Pokémon apps to shut down.
There’s no word on whether these third-party apps are likely to return. Pokévision tweeted positively about the new update, without mentioning whether that meant they’d be back online.
Happy to see @NianticLabs @johnhanke testing various versions of a tracker in game! Good step forward. https://t.co/dHF9JsWMlp
— Pokevision (@PokeVisionGo) August 9, 2016
