After the failure of the first tracking system in Pokemon GO, which worked at first, and then refused to show distance of Pokemon, and then was taken out of the game all-together, Niantic has been working on a better version that will hold up to millions of players messing with it. With the removal of the tracking system, and even the shutdown of the third-party one, fans were flying blind when it came to catching Pokemon.
Niantic has been testing the “Nearby” feature in San Francisco for a while. “Nearby” shows Pokemon that have been seen at nearby PokeStops, and you can go catch them when you get to the stop. Pokemon GO is changing it a bit, only showing Pokemon at stops close to you, and some tweaks to how the Sightings work.
This new patch will be tested in the following locations:
- United States of America: All states west of the Mississippi River (except Hawaii and Alaska)
- Canada: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the western half of Ontario.
- Australia: All states and territories
Niantic is hoping for all kinds of feedback from Pokemon GO players in these areas to get the Nearby feature ready for the rest of the world.