Niantic Labs cracks down on Pokémon tracking apps; PokéVision goes offline

Pokévision tweeted: “Hey guys. We wish we had some news for you. At this moment, we are respecting Niantic and Nintendo’s wishes. Will keep you guys posted. Sorry guys – we took the Teespring down because while we do want Pokevision to be up, we can’t guarantee it and don’t want to give false hope. Guys – credits all go out to Niantic Labs and PokemonGoApp, without them, we wouldn’t be able to create any of this.”

Someone also asked why they were shutting down the service, especially in light of Niantic fixing the ‘three-step glitch’ where each and every Pokémon was showing as maximum distance away, even though it was technically available close by. Pokévision wrote on Twitter,”I promise you 100% we kept it up as long as reasonably possible. Maybe things will change in the next few days – let’s hope.”

But it looks unlikely. Another Pokémon hunting service called PokeHound.com, also posted a message on Twitter that read: “We tried our best :( – Check Twitter for updates.” The Twitter account has since then been shut down, although an image of Niantic Labs’ email to asking companies has been shared on imgur. The email says the use of trackers, third-party software like bots, mods, hacks, etc for modifying usage within Pokémon services is authorised. Check out the full image below.

Niantic Labs’ email to companies asking them to shut down other Pokemon related services. (Source: Imgur)

Also read: Pokémon GO: A game that actually made money for its creators

There are other Pokémon hunting apps like PokéRadar on iOS, PoGoMaps and Pokémap: Map for Pokémon GO on the Google Play store for free. However given Pokévision’s fate it looks like all of these will be taken down soon.

Check out Pokévision’s tweets below explaining the takedown of the service.

Hey guys. We wish we had some news for you

At this moment, we are respecting Niantic and Nintendo’s wishes.

Will keep you guys posted

<3

— Pokevision (@PokeVisionGo) July 31, 2016

Sorry guys – we took the Teespring down because while we do want Pokevision to be up, we can’t guarantee it & don’t want to give false hope.

— Pokevision (@PokeVisionGo) July 31, 2016

Guys – credits all go out to @NianticLabs and @PokemonGoApp , without them, we wouldn’t be able to create any of this.

— Pokevision (@PokeVisionGo) July 21, 2016

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Of course, Niantic Labs move has caused anger among fans who have taken to Reddit to post against this takedown. Pokémon GO might be one of the most popular games, with over 75 million installs on Android and iOS combined, but that doesn’t mean the game is without glitches. The ‘three-step glitch’ has just been rectified by the company, and now it has gone ahead and taken down websites that were aiding players in finding these creatures.

We’ll have to wait and see if other services like RazerGO, which lets Pokémon players chat with each other are also shut down. This is particularly important, because it helps teams coordinate, and maintain control of gyms, etc. In fact many have pointed out the ability to chat with teammates should be included in the game itself.

Pokémon GO is yet to launch officially in India. The game has recently launched in France and Hong Kong.