Pokemon Go update: all the news and rumors for what's coming next

INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Update: The next Pokemon Go event has been revealed and it's a celebration of Kanto, the very first Pokemon region from Red, Blue and Yellow
and home to the original 151 Pokemon. Running from April 11 to 18, the event will see Pokemon from the Kanto region spawn in higher
numbers, so expect more chances to catch Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle
And you'll also be more likely to see Snorlax and Aerodactyl appear in Raids. With the new story-based quests bringing Mew into the game,
all 151 Kanto Pokemon are now available to catch in Pokemon Go. Read on to find out more about changes to Quests, Raid Battles, Exclusive
Raids and new Gym features in the game. Original article continues belowPokémon Go has been out for a long time now, and while the app has
progressed a lot in this time - just remember how unstable the servers when it launched - there's still lots more work to be done.Some of
these features are ones that developer Niantic spoke about prior to the release of the game, while others have been promised since the
game's release.Without further ado, here's our guide to every new update rumors as well as the tweaks promised by Niantic so far. Latest
Pokemon Go updateThe n(M)ew quest lineNiantic has rolled out a brand new quest system to Pokemon Go which sees players able to embark on
daily research tasks picked up from PokeStops
There's no limit on the number of tasks players will take up, but they can only pick up one Research Stamp per day
After collecting seven stamps they secure a research breakthrough, which offers rewards such as Rare Candy, TMs and encounters with
Legendary Pokemon.There are also Special Research Tasks dished out by Professor Willow
These quests are more narrative
The story plays out over eight quests and will lead players towards the discovery of the mythical Mew.iPhone woes and AR upgradesThough the
previously announced AR Plus for iOS 11 is an exciting addition to Pokemon Go, it's bringing some bad news for Apple users on devices not
able to upgrade to the latest OS. According to Niantic, an update to the game rolling out on February 28 will mean that Apple devices not
able to support iOS 11 will be unable to cope with the upcoming improvements. These improvements will use ARKit to build on the existing AR
technology in the game but ARKit is a technology only accessible to iOS11.What will players get from the enhancements Well, it'll fix
Pokemon in place in the world meaning that players will be able to go up to them and see them to scale. Having a fixed place in the world
will also mean the Pokemon will be aware of a player's presence
Get too close to a wild Pokemon you want to catch and it could very well run away
An awareness meter will now appear beside wild Pokemon and if it fills up, the Pokemon will run away before you can catch it.If you get
really good at sneaking up on Pokemon and catching them, you'll also get a special Expert Handler Bonus which will see greater XP and
Stardust rewards.This all sounds quite exciting – just be aware that it when in AR + mode battery drain is likely to be even greater than
when playing in normal mode
So it might not be an all-day-every-day gameplay mode. In Summer 2017 Pokemon Go received its biggest update since it was first released
and you can find out more about it and other incremental changes below
 Weather systemAnother significant update to the game is the addition of a dynamic weather system that's reflective of real-world weather
This system will change things up by, for example, making certain Pokemon types more likely to appear in weather conditions that suit them
Heavy rain Expect more water-types
Heavy rain will also, however, affect the CP of a fire-type Pokemon in battle.  Gym changesGyms are being overhauled, new items are being
added and a brand new cooperative group gameplay feature called Raid Battles is being introduced in the coming weeks.Gyms have been changed
up to encourage players to engage with them more often, adding a spinnable Photo Discs like the ones currently at Pokéstops which will
distribute unique items and Gym Badges.Gym Badges will serve as mementos but you’ll also be able to level them up through further
interactions with Gyms which will earn you unique opportunities to receive bonus items.Gyms will also now have six permanent slots that can
be filled by the controlling team’s Pokémon and teams looking to take over the Gym for themselves will battle these six Pokémon in the
order they’ve been assigned to the Gym
Each slot must now be filled by a different Pokémon (no double Digletts, please). A big problem with Gyms in Pokémon Go is that players
would often dump powerful Pokémon there and never return to check on them
A new motivation system is changing that
Now, when a Pokémon is defending a Gym they’ll lose motivation over time and their Combat Power will temporarily decrease, making them
even more easy to defeat
Trainers from the Gym’s ruling team will need to take time feed the Pokémon defending their Gym berries in order to maintain their
motivation. There have been further small changes made to the way gyms work in the game since this initial update.The biggest change is
that players will now be able to heal the Pokemon they've left in gyms without actually having to physically return to the gym by using
berries
The health regained from a distant berry will be less than that from actually returning to the gym but it's a convenient addition. Other
small but convenient changes include the ability to see which gym you've placed your Pokemon in via its stat screen and your journal will
now tell you how many Pokecoins a Pokemon has garnered when you withdraw it from a gym.Raid BattlesThe biggest new feature is Raid Battles
which aims to bring a more cooperative and social dynamic to gameplay
When it’s introduced in a few weeks, players will be able to team up with others near them and work together to defeat powerful Pokémon
known as Raid Bosses. Raid Battles are timed in-game events that’ll be located at Gyms
When they’re happening, the Gym will be unavailable and a large egg will appear on top of it with a timer
When the timer reaches zero, the Raid Boss will be revealed
Players from all teams will be able to join together to defeat the Raid Boss, earn new items or even catch the Raid Boss.To get involved,
you’ll need a Raid Pass and you can get one of these for free each day by visiting a Gym, though they can also be purchased.Players will
also be able to form private raid groups with their friends using a customized code system. Big changes were made to Raid Battles in
November after players criticized the favoring of certain players and locations
Now, the rewards for participating in Raid Battles have been improved - expect more Golden Razz Berries and stardust.Exclusive RaidsIn
addition to Raids there are also Exclusive Raids
These new invite only Raids will soon be the only way to catch legendary Pokemon Mewtwo, which was launched in a stadium event in Japan. To
secure an invite for an Exclusive Raid, you'll need to have completed a Raid relatively recently at the same Gym where the Exclusive Raid is
being held.Recent changes to EX Raids has meant that they're more likely to take place in sponsored locations and gyms within large public
areas such as parks, to make them accessible to a larger number of players. Players with high-level gym badges and those who have
participated in a high number of battles are more likely to be invited to EX Raids
Niantic has also made it so that EX Raids take place at established popular times at their specific gyms so that invited players are less
likely to miss out on their chance to take part. Pokémon Go update rumors: what we may see nextThe expansion into generation 2 Johto
region Pokémon was the first of three major updates planned for this year according to Niantic CEO John Hanke. During a keynote at Mobile
World Congress in Barcelona, Hanke said there would be three "major" updates to the game later in 2017
Though Hanke didn't detail what exactly these update would be, we at TechRadar guessed they would involve player-versus-player battling,
trading and commercial partnerships.Since then, commercial partnerships with companies like Starbucks have already happened and Niantic has
confirmed that both player-versus-player battling and trading will be coming to Pokemon Go in the future. The Pokémon Company boss,
Tsunekazu Ishihara, told Bloomberg that so far they had only achieved 10% of what they hoped to and that "Going forward we will have to
include fundamental Pokémon experiences such as Pokémon trading and peer-to-peer battles, and other possibilities." It wasn't made clear
when these features would be added but we expect to see more  throughout 2018.TradingTrading was a key component in the original games so
it makes sense that Niantic plans to bring it to Pokemon Go. In the beta, trading was a local-only affair, meaning that you couldn't trade
with players over the internet, and Niantic has now confirmed that will be the case for when it starts in the core game. Tatsuo Nomura,
senior product manager at Niantic told Polygon trading "won't be "through the internet" when it launches.This local limitation does make
some degree of sense – a big part of the fun of Pokemon Go is exploring new places and finding different Pokemon
Being able to trade across the internet would somewhat defeat the sense of discovery that Niantic has attempted to foster in the game as
you'd be able to get Pokemon from anywhere without having to visit. Being able to trade locally, however, means that any Pokemon you've
discovered already and just haven't been able to catch can now be yours with the help of a friend. Player-vs-player battlingAnother feature
that's been rumored for some time and now confirmed is battling between players.As it currently stands the only battling functionality in
the game is between players, opposing gyms, and Legendary Pokemon
However, PvP battling has been promised since before the game's release and given that it's such a huge part of the core games it's natural
that it would appear here. It's not clear how Niantic plans to make PvP battling work, but the most appealing method would be to allow
players to indicate via the game's settings that they're willing to engage in battles which would make them appear on the map for others to
challenge when near them. Want to buy yourself a Pokémon Go Plus wearable Check some of today's best deals down
below.b57EpzETLGTzyBpux48oG9.jpg#