Developer Niantic really doesn’t want you to play its game while driving.
Pokémon Go got an update today that includes a number of fixes, new features, and warnings for the GPS-powered game that puts virtual creatures in your real world using Google Maps and your smartphone’s camera. In addition to a dialog box that tells people in cars that they are going too fast (you’ll have to confirm you’re a passenger to keep playing), the studio has changed the way the tracker works and fixed a bug that prevented players from getting XP bonuses. Pokémon Go is the top-grossing app in the $36.9 billion mobile-gaming market, and Niantic is trying to keep players engaged with updates that add much-requested features and improvements.
Here’s a list directly from the developer of everything that is different:
- Added a dialog to remind Trainers that they should not play while traveling above a certain speed; Trainers will have to indicate they aren’t the driver.
- Fixed a bug that prevented ”Nice,” ”Great,” and “Excellent” Poké Ball throws from awarding the appropriate XP bonuses.
- Enabled the ability for Trainers to change their nickname one time, so please choose your new nickname wisely.
- Resolved issues with the battery saver mode on iOS and re-enabled the feature.
- Other fixes.
Not listed in the official changes are some minor alterations to the tracker. The “Nearby” feature is gone — it’s now called “Sightings.” And those sighted pocket monsters now have grass behind them. Here’s a look at the app from a player on Reddit.