Pokemon Go Update Reverses Increased Spawn Radius

Players of Pokemon Go were initially excited about the latest update 0.275.0, as it seemed to double the range at which catchable Pokemon appear on the map from 40m to 80m. However, it turns out that this improvement was actually a bug and Niantic, the developer of the game, has announced that it will be reversed.

Upon the release of the update, players were uncertain if the increased spawn radius was intentional due to the vague update notes stating “quality-of-life updates; minor bug fixes and performance improvements.” Content creators and inside sources initially confirmed that the change was indeed intentional. Pokemon Go Hub, a popular Pokemon Go resource, even stated that they were informed that it was not a bug. Players celebrated the update as one of the best for quality of life in Pokemon Go’s recent history, with some sharing densely-populated Spotlight Hour screenshots on Twitter.

However, Niantic has now confirmed that the spawn radius increase was, in fact, a bug. They have stated that it was an unintended effect of a bug fix aimed at improving the Pokémon encounter experience during GPS drift. While the company is reverting this change, they have assured players that their feedback on the bug will be taken into consideration for future updates.

This decision to reverse the update adds to a series of unpopular choices made by Niantic. Players were already displeased with recent changes to Remote Raid Passes, with rural and disabled players pointing out that the game has become more difficult for them to engage with as COVID-era buffs were slowly removed.

For the time being, some players are advising others to turn off the auto-update feature for the Pokemon Go app in order to continue enjoying the increased spawn distance.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.