‘Pokemon GO’ Update: ‘Sightings’ Isn’t The New Replacement For The ‘Nearby’ Tracker, And Other Need-To-Know Information

If you’ve played Pokemon GO in the past few days, you’ve probably sighted the new update. Several things have changed for the new version, though some things not in the way you might expect. Here’s all the need-to-know info on what’s new, why it matters, and much more. If you don’t have the update just yet, it will likely be rolling out in the next few days. While you’re waiting, though, here’s what you can expect when it comes to your phone or device.

Safety First

While not the most exciting feature, Gamespot mentions that there is one slight change to the startup screen when Pokemon GO is booted up. Players are reminded not to “play the game when traveling above a certain speed.” There have been some reports of people playing while driving, which is for very obvious reasons not safe. For the love of Pikachu, please don’t risk your life trying to “Catch ’em All.”

‘Sightings’ Vs. ‘Nearby’

If you’ve ever been frustrated because you can’t get that one Pokemon and have no clue where to look, Niantic Labs may have just solved your problem. As Metro found, the company updated Pokèmon GO with pictures of a critter’s location in the “Nearby” panel, and a “Sightings” box which shows what other trainers are finding around you. Previously, the “Nearby” area only showed a shadow of the Pokemon who were hanging around and footsteps in the direction of where you could find them.

It can be difficult to find the way in such an open world, so “Sightings” is a welcome addition. TrustedReviews mentions that the improvements to the tracking system will only be given to some players for now, so you’re not going crazy if you don’t see it!

Name That Trainer

There are some more new features coming along with the Pokemon GO update as well. Greenbot learned that you can now change your trainer name, but only once. While this doesn’t make any huge difference to gameplay, it can be handy if you wanna switch up your trainer’s profile a bit. Since the game is so popular, though, you might need to get creative when picking a new name as you cannot duplicate existing usernames.

Catch ‘Em All More Easily

Niantic has apparently made pokeball tossing even better, according to Express. The new Pokemon update removes a glitch that had prevented trainers from getting XP bonuses from “Great,” “Good,” and “Excellent” throws in the past. The accuracy of the throw has also been improved, which should hopefully make it easier to catch the little guys. About time!

More Battery, More Gaming

Bustle heralded the return of the battery saver feature for gamers on iOS. This handy little feature might not be a breakthrough, but could be useful for those who want to play or use their phone longer. It might also enable iOS users to find Pokemon faster since they can play for longer. Sorry, Android users, no such battery saver exists for Pokemon GO in the universe of the little green bot. Maybe in the future.

Pokelame? Or Pokeawesome?

Those are most of the major updates coming your way for the new version of Pokemon GO. There are, however, several other minor changes on the way. For one thing, the team leaders for Team Mystic, Instinct, and Valor will have pictures. When a Pokemon is chilling at a Pokestop, you’ll also be able to see a picture of that Pokèstop to make things easier.

Let us know what you think of the new updates below. Do they make you want to run to your phone like an Eevee, or turn over and continue sleeping like a SlowBro?

[Image via iStockPhoto]