Latest 'Pokemon Go' update brings safety warnings, returns battery saver mode

Wildly popular augmented reality game PokÃ©mon Go received a major update on Monday, bringing back a useful battery saver mode and introducing a safety feature that dissuades users from playing while driving.

Much to the delight of law enforcement agencies coping with the gaming phenomenon that spawned a new breed of reckless driver, PokÃ©mon Go version 1.3 adds an in-app dialogue reminding users not to play while traveling above a certain speed.

Using iOS geolocation services, the app monitors device speed and, if it is determined that a user is traveling at a high rate of speed (in a car), prompts said user to confirm they are in the passenger's seat to continue playing. The safeguard is designed to minimize reckless driving, a serious concern government officials have bee dealing with since PokÃ©mon Go launched last month.

In addition, battery saver mode is back after being pulled in a previous update for technical reasons. Also reintroduced in version 1.3 is a tweaked "Nearby PokÃ©mon" feature that alerts users to view characters recently spotted in their vicinity. Instead of "Nearby," the updated section displays recent PokÃ©mon "Sightings." The proximity based feature is being tested with a subset of gamers, developer Niantic says.

Other improvements include the accuracy of a curveball throw, an option for Trainers to change their nickname (one-time only) and fixes related to correct experience awards when achieving "Nice," "Great" and "Excellent" PokÃ© Ball throws. A separate issue that shows incorrect medal icons was also rectified.

PokÃ©mon Go version 1.3 is available for free from the iOS App Store.

5 Comments

coolfactor 2332 comments · 20 Years

About 8 years ago

This game is a phenomenon.

I was on a 16 hour bus ride yesterday and a guy in the seat next to me literally kept Pokemon Go on his screen the whole time, and jumped out of the bus every time we had a layover. He'd come back smiling having achieved more goals, whatever players do (I'm not a player).

cali 3494 comments · 10 Years

coolfactor said:

This game is a phenomenon.

I was on a 16 hour bus ride yesterday and a guy in the seat next to me literally kept Pokemon Go on his screen the whole time, and jumped out of the bus every time we had a layover. He'd come back smiling having achieved more goals, whatever players do (I'm not a player).

I've seen a whole street play it. It was surreal.

dantheman827 118 comments · 9 Years

What I really want to see in a update is for them to simply use the iOS HealthKit API for hatching eggs...

I can't tell you how many eggs I would have hatched if I didn't have to have the app running while walking...

slurpy 5388 comments · 15 Years

dantheman827 said:

What I really want to see in a update is for them to simply use the iOS HealthKit API for hatching eggs...

I can't tell you how many eggs I would have hatched if I didn't have to have the app running while walking...

Yeah, the fact that you have to keep the app open is ludicrous. Not a single other app handles motion data that way. I'm walking an average of 10 km a day, but I have no intention to keep the damn game open and destroy my battery, so I get 1% of that recorded.