‘Pokémon GO’ Nearby Tracker Now Available In Most Regions Worldwide! Improved Sightings Implemented

By Regina Bishop - 12 Dec '16 05:00AM

Niantic continues to introduce changes and improvements to "Pokémon GO." This week, the developer announced that the game's Nearby tracker feature has been expanded to more regions in the world.

According to Niantic's blog post, the "Pokémon GO" Nearby feature is now available in most regions in the world. Aside from that, the feature "also made some changes to the way the Nearby Pokémon feature functions when there are only a few PokéStops in range."

This allows players to better hunt for the virtual monsters in the wild. The updated Nearby tracking system was originally launched in San Francisco, California weeks ago but has since rolled out in more markets in the United States, Australia, and Canada, GameSpot listed.

Niantic replaced the Nearby feature with Sightings after the former encountered issues. With Sightings, "Pokémon GO" players were able to locate monsters but only when they are within the area of PokéStops.

This feature is a problem for users who live in areas where there are insufficient PokéStops. Fortunately, the "Pokémon GO" update now allows players in rural areas to view nearby Pokémon even though they're not in the vicinity of a PokéStop.

Polygon pointed out that some "Pokémon GO" players both see the Nearby and Sightings features get activated when they are near PokéStops. However, the Sightings usually fizzle out when some trainers are in the vicinity of three or more PokéStops.

The recent "Pokémon GO" changes are implemented on both iOS and Android devices, according to Phone Arena. Users can now head to the Apple App Store and Google Play to update the game and use the reinvented Nearby and Sightings features.

In other news, Niantic recently announced that new 100 Generation Pokémon will soon be added to the game, with more details about the update coming on Dec. 12, News Everyday previously reported. Gendered and shiny variants of the monsters are expected in "Pokémon GO" as well along with costumes for Pokémon such as Santa hats and sunglasses.

More than 7,800 of Starbucks locations in the U.S. have become PokéStops or Gyms since Dec. 8 as part of the coffee giant's partnership with Niantic. Also, a "Pokémon GO" Frappucino drink was introduced, according to GameSpot.

Have you used the new Nearby and Sightings features yet? How was your experience? Share your thoughts below!