An apparent update to Pokemon GO developer Niantic’s servers brings several changes that players may be happy to learn of. Although Niantic has yet to release an official change log, Reddit user NaestaChalmers compiled a list of confirmed and perceived changes.
The unofficial change list includes both confirmed and unconfirmed material, observing updated move sets for some Pokemon, increased spawn rates for region-exclusive creatures and lower or more accurate distances required for eggs to hatch. You can view the full speculative change log, which is ordered from most to least likely, right here:
- New Movesets for some Pokés (CONFIRMED by Game_Master file)
- Dodging changed to general max. 75% damage evasion (CONFIRMED by Game_Master file)
- Regional spawn rates increased heavily (CONFIRMED by obvious observations)
- Increased potion drop rates (HIGHLY LIKELY due to multiple observations and testing)
- Rare spawn increase in general (HIGHLY LIKELY due to multiple observations)
- Faster egg hatch updates (LIKELY due to observations and minor tests – needs more testing)
- Nest changes, needs to be further elaborated (UNLIKELY some oberservations but no general evidence, most did not change)
Niantic had neither confirmed nor denied any of the perceived changes until today. According to the new announcement, “Pokémon GO is in the process of being updated to version 0.35.0 for Android and 1.5.0 for iOS devices.” The announcement goes on to state that a new feature – Pokemon Appraisal – is included in the update. The feature will allow players to “learn about their Pokemon’s attack and defense from their Team Leader.”
The announcement concludes with a hint that more new features are in Pokemon GO’s future.
The developer’s last official update for players to download was on Aug. 8, 2016. It brings Battery Saver support back to iOS users, adds a feature that alerts players they are moving too fast to safely play and confirms that Niantic is working on the Pokemon tracking feature.
As the latest update appears to be to Niantic’s own servers, players will not be prompted to install anything new as long as they have updated to the Aug. 8 update until the new update has been rolled out. Players can confirm they are running the latest version of Pokemon GO by entering their Settings menu; the current game version is displayed on the lower righthand corner of the screen. For Android users, 0.33.0 is the current Pokemon GO version, while the current iOS version is 1.3.0.