Pokémon Go’s latest update comes with some big pros and cons (update)

Pokémon Go’s latest update is rolling out to iOS and Android users, and with it comes some of the biggest changes the game has seen in a while. There’s more to find than just the promised daily bonus feature when logging back into the game, however, and active players aren’t appreciative of all of the tweaks.

Joining the new daily rewards on the list of additions are shake-ups to what happens after defeating a gym. Pokémon Go developer Niantic explained in a status update that players will now have a surefire chance to nab an opposing gym after they’ve knocked out its leader. That means that there should no longer be any fear of a scheming stranger laying claim to another trainer’s rightfully deserved gym immediately after defeat.

On the flipside to this gym update, however, is that the prestige level of said enemy gym will decrease by an even greater amount once defeated. Players will also earn less clout when training against gyms that belong to their own teams. Both changes are likely meant to encourage less competitive players to check out gyms, which offer more challenge and depth to the game. But for some especially strong players, the update means that gyms could be easier to knock down to lower levels, with a lot more turnover.

Users across the board are even less excited about a feature that Niantic didn’t include in its patch notes. Players are noticing that PokéStops are no longer accessible while driving above certain low speeds — for passengers, that is. The game previously precluded users behind the wheel from playing the game if they were over a certain speed. A prompt to prove that you’re just a passenger appears instead so that players may continue checking out PokéStops from the road.

But Reddit users are now coming out of the woodwork with claims that they can no longer collect items while in cars whatsoever, no matter the speed. This is especially frustrating as the weather changes force more players indoors, they write.

“Niantic's been making questionable decisions for awhile now that have been impacting our ability to play and enjoy the game,” wrote zslayer89, a moderator on the Pokémon Go forum. “No decent tracking, no sighting while being a passenger, blocking all rooters and jail break users, push notifications begging us to play but now they speed locked the poke stops!”

“The pokemon speed cap was bad, but what the HELL,” added Blur93. “It is also perfect time for this decision to be made, because of course now is the time we will all be outside walking around in our pokestop filled cities right!!?? I really don't see why they are trying so hard to kill this damn amazing game.”

It’s one step forward, two steps back for Pokémon Go. At least players out West can start checking out the updated nearby tracking feature; a beta test is now spreading to areas outside of the San Francisco Bay, where it originated.

Update: A rep for Niantic confirmed to Polygon that the speed at which players can access PokéStops has been adjusted.

"We are always looking for ways to improve our products. Among other updates such as daily bonuses, this week we made an adjustment in Pokémon GO that makes Pokéstops inaccessible when a player is at driving speed,” they said. “We want to once again thank our loyal players for their continued support."