‘Pokemon GO’ Down: Did The Android Update To Version 0.53.1 Cause The Worldwide Crash?


Why was Pokemon GO down? A worldwide crash involving Niantic’s most profitable mobile game happened on Thursday and the reason behind it is still unclear.

Many players are baffled at why the popular mobile game from Niantic suddenly shut down on January 19 with some wondering whether it was their device or internet service that is to blame.

Unfortunately, their network service or even your smartphone is not the problem. According to a report from Attack of the Fanboy, global servers of Pokemon GOshut down as confirmed by the game developer.

In a response to reports seeking answers about the Pokemon GO down situation, Niantic admitted that there had been server issues that led to the crash.

Fortunately, the whole Pokemon GO down kerfuffle did not last very long as Attack of the Fanboy confirmed that the game is beginning to get back online, something Niantic confirmed over Twitter around two hours after the first tweet appeared.

But why exactly did it happen? Phone Arena made up a funny reason behind it, saying that the game’s server being down globally was a prank for Pokemon trainers masterminded by Jessie and James of Team Rocket.

While the game itself is far from being the most stable game in the world, having Pokemon GO down for most of the afternoon has a significant impact on the loyal gamers’ opinion of the game.

Some even made fun of the typical dilemma of a Pokemon GO player, linking it to recent events.

In fact, the number of Pokemon GO players significantly declined since the game was first launched in the U.S. in June 2016.

“The game, which set many records after being launched, lost much of its luster once summer came to an end,” Phone Arena explained.

At the time, there had been a lot of instances where Pokemon GO was down even as Niantic gradually developed it into a worldwide phenomenon.

Slash Gear explained that the recent Pokemon GO down issue somehow brought back memories of those frustrating times when the game “routinely” crashed and players who are lucky enough to be able to log on experienced lagging and lengthy loading times.

Meanwhile, Forbes criticized Niantic for not being able to make Pokemon GO as a game worth playing even after earning almost $1 billion from a game that remained “lame.” Despite this, the company is still providing updates for players to enjoy the mobile app that is grounded at the ’90s kids’ love for the Japanese anime Pokemon.

However, an update from Niantic rolled out recently may bear both good and bad news for players of the game. Express U.K. revealed that this update may actually be the reason behind the recent crash of Pokemon GO.

According to the report which cited a Reddit message board for the game, the Pokemon GO version 0.53.1 for Android “has caused the game to pause on the home screen once the loading bar reaches 100%.”

As if causing Pokemon GO servers to crash is not enough, another possible problem that may arise from this update revolves around the Pokemon Go Egg Hatching feature. Apparently, the update might alter how GPS tracker works on the game which means those additional steps won’t be counted.

Express U.K. explains that players would have a big need for those few bonus steps since the Gen II baby Pokemon are speculated to be only available via Egg Hatching.

Of course, there are still a couple of good news the following updates will bring including additional new moves for players to aid in catching wild Pokemon as discovered by data mining experts.

Can’t get enough of Pokemon GO news? Stay tuned for more.

[Featured Image by Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images]

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