I've tried to not go overboard in writing about the Pokémon Go sensation, but I did point out the dangers in cycling, or even worse, driving, while playing the game. Niantic, the makers of the popular app, have just released an update that addresses this issue, to some extent. The app can detect your speed and if it senses you are driving, it will display a warning message. It doesn't deactivate the game, but it will ask you if you are a passenger.
Related: Why Pokemon Go Is Bad News for Virtual Reality
I suppose that's reasonable. A passenger ought to be able to play a game in the back seat for example. But it's not foolproof. Indeed if the driver is playing, this popup button becomes an extra interaction that could be yet another distraction. Niantic could remove the ability to play for anyone in a car, which also might make things fair, since it's supposed to be a kids' game and having parents drive you to Pokéstops is almost cheating. The exercise kids get in hunting characters is one of the good things about the app.
Speaking of kids and kids' games, I've always railed against in-app purchases that are excessive. A consumable purchase of 14,500 PokéCoins costs $99.99! Since it's "consumable" that means you could run out and "need" to buy more and more. Unchecked, kids could rack up hundreds of dollars playing a game. Sure, adults are into it too, but it gives the App Store a bad reputation. Niantic has made a fortune (as has Apple) from this app alone, so maybe I'm wrong.
Other enhancements in the update include:
- Added a dialog to remind Trainers that they should not play while traveling above a certain speed. Trainers must confirm they are not driving in order to continue playing
- Made improvements to the accuracy of a curve ball throw
- Fixed a bug that prevented ”Nice,” ”Great,” and “Excellent” Poké Ball throws from awarding the appropriate experience bonuses
- Fixed achievements showing incorrect Medal icons
- Enabled the ability for Trainers to change their nickname one time, so please choose your new nickname wisely
- Resolved issues with the battery saver mode and re-enabled this feature
- Added visuals of Team leaders - Candela, Blanche and Spark
- We're currently testing a variation of the "Nearby Pokémon" feature with a subset of users. During this period you may see some variation in the nearby Pokémon UI.
- Minor text fixes
Top image credit: GongTo / Shutterstock.com
