It seems odd that after three months of being announced, which should be a lifetime for immensely passionate fans, the Pokémon Go nearby tracker feature is just rolling out in several parts of the United States.
Niantic Labs broke the news on Nov. 5 on its Facebook account. Naturally, it has caused a stir among fans, who have been left waiting for a replacement update since July when the previous tracker with the footstep icons broke down immediately after launch. Third party mapping services have been developed by enterprising players, but Niantic swiftly closed its API, shutting these unofficial tweaks out quite effectively.
A tracker is important for players to accurately determine which way to go when hunting a Pokémon creature. Not a few have been induced to embark on fool's errands because the existing tracker will not pinpoint the exact location of a Pokémon within several meters of the pulsing green wave.
"Starting today, we will be expanding the ability for Trainers in parts of Arizona, the Seattle area of Washington state, and the rest of the San Francisco Bay area to test this version of the feature," the Pokémon Go team announced on its official Facebook page. "We will continue to review community feedback, make changes if necessary, and roll this feature out to more regions."
The very limited areas covered underscore how Niantic is still in the process of refining the tracking feature, which is quite perplexing because they have been testing it in San Francisco for months already. Still, fans will not probably mind this minor hiccup, and some are certainly crossing their fingers that the rollout would soon pick up steam.
What Changed In The New Pokémon Go tracker?
The players who were able to try the new tracking feature revealed key interface changes. Unlike the footprint icon, for example, the tracker will now tell a player which PokéStop the creature is closer to.
True, that is still not very helpful considering the distance between PokéStops and, to top it all, without these locations, the player is again left to his own devices.
The tracker, despite its seemingly spotty features and rollout coverage, has excited some players. This is because it was announced close to the Pokémon Go Halloween event and the daily play bonuses. For these optimists, it means Niantic is finally getting its groove when it comes to game updates.
