Pokemon GO players can be banned for abusing a specific exploit within routes
Niantic is banning Pokémon GO players who exploit the Route feature to farm XL Candy. The bans range from 30 days to nearly a year.The players have ...
Luke Plunket
Aug 29, 2023
Niantic is banning Pokémon GO players who exploit the Route feature to farm XL Candy. The bans range from 30 days to nearly a year.
The players have been using external apps to spoof their phone's GPS and instantly complete routes by using an auto-clicker for quick completion.
Some players argue that accidental GPS drift could lead to the exploitation of the feature, while others consider it unlikely. The Route feature also has other issues such as difficulties in finding routes and technical glitches.
Pokémon GO developer Niantic is banning players who exploit a specific method to farm XL Candy. The exploit allows Pokémon GO players to easily farm hundreds of XL Candy, but Niantic is taking strict action against those who benefit from it.
Niantic released Pokémon GO in 2016, and the game has evolved significantly over the past seven years. The latest addition to Pokémon GO is the Route feature, which the studio introduced last month. Routes are pre-defined paths that players can use while exploring. Some routes are set by Niantic, while others are created by advertising partners or regular players. Players earn rewards by completing the route, which encourages exploration.
Recently, players have discovered a way to exploit the Route feature in Pokémon GO to farm XL Candy with minimal effort. Players used this exploit to collect hundreds of XL Candy by letting the Pokémon GO app run overnight. One YouTuber even claimed to earn over 100 XL Candy per hour. Unfortunately for Pokémon GO players who were hoping to benefit from this, Niantic became aware of this exploit and is now banning players who use it. These bans are temporary and reportedly range from 30 days to 230 days. However, Niantic's ban message warns that repeat offenders could be permanently banned from the game.
While a ban may seem extreme, it's hard to deny that those who used it were cheating, especially since it requires multiple third-party apps. Essentially, Pokémon GO players used external apps to spoof their phone's GPS and make it appear as if they had completed the route. Usually, a speed limit prevents players from finding a route too quickly. However, a glitch allowed them to bypass this restriction and instantly complete the route. The players then used an auto-clicker to automatically restart the route, allowing them to complete it as quickly as their phone's CPU speed would allow.
The message did not evoke a strong reaction within the Pokémon GO community. Many individuals hold the belief that this is the price one pays for cheating. One user suggested that this may have occurred accidentally due to GPS drift. However, other players remain skeptical as more than 40 kilometers of GPS drift seems unlikely.
Nevertheless, this exploit is just one of the many issues that players are facing with the new Pokémon GO routes. Some players are having difficulties finding routes, and the routes they do find can be impossible to complete due to technical difficulties or because the route passes through private properties. Other users have reported errors and crashes with the routes. Considering the errors and exploits, it can be said that the new feature could have had a smoother start.
Pokemon GO is available on Android and iOS.
Source: Dexerto