A new Pokemon Go update arrived today and it has one notable change.
The official patch notes, posted on developer Niantic’s website, explain that the update changes “distance-tracking to better account for GPS drift.” That’s the term for when your character shifts location due to the GPS service on your phone not always working as well as it should.
As Forbes explains, small shifts can have a big affect on Pokemon Go, as egg-hatching and other features are tracked using GPS. In essence, the game can think you’re moving around, and reward you for it, when you really are not. Today’s update apparently nerfs that.
The new Pokemon Go update also includes “minor text fixes” and introduces Apple Watch functionality that displays the eggs you obtain from PokeStops.
Here are the patch notes for Pokemon Go’s January 17 update, which is 0.53.1 for Android and 1.23.1 for iOS:
- Updated Apple Watch to display Eggs obtained from PokeStops
- Changed distance tracking to better account for GPS drift
- Minor text fixes