Niantic has announced that to ensure that all Trainers around the world have an exciting experience and improved access to gameplay, Trainers may now encounter Pokémon in more places than before.

Community Note: Pokémon can now be found in more places around the world

Trainers, Over the last three and a half years, we’ve continued to evolve and enhance the Pokémon GO experience. We have launched an array of major feature updates and some smaller changes to help increase the quality of gameplay for many Trainers. While listening to community feedback, we look for ways to improve our game and strengthen the relationship that Trainers have with the world around them. Most recently, our focus has been dedicated to improving the experience of Trainers who live and play in areas of the world that may not have as many PokéStops or Pokémon to encounter as others.

Pokémon are now appearing in more locations worldwide

To ensure that all Trainers around the world have an exciting experience and improved access to gameplay, Trainers may now encounter Pokémon in more places than before. There were also some areas of the world where Pokémon may have been more densely populated. In these places, Pokémon should now be more spread out. This migration of Pokémon has nearly doubled the number of locations where Pokémon can be found in the wild around the world.

As a result, Trainers might be seeing more Pokémon in places where few Pokémon encounters occurred previously—or even in places where Trainers didn’t encounter Pokémon at all. This Pokémon migration should help encourage Trainers to get out there and explore, as exploration is one of the core principles that drives everything we do at Niantic.

Continuing to improve Trainer experiences worldwide

As a mobile augmented-reality game with a global audience, a lot is considered when we update the game for Trainer communities around the world.

The world around you is always changing and evolving, and to reflect that, we make sure that the Niantic gameboard always feels fresh and new with exciting surprises waiting around every corner. This is why we have enabled Pokémon GO Trainers to review nominations for PokéStops and Gyms. Remember: Just as key landmarks of Pokémon GO—like PokéStops and Gyms—arrive in new locations worldwide, Pokémon may continue to migrate in the world around you. We look forward to keeping you informed on these changes as we continue to evolve the Trainer experience!

Thank you for exploring with us, and as always, let’s GO!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/communitynote-niantic-encounters/

Niantic has announced some more details on GO Battle League, upcoming changes to the combat system, attacks that some Pokémon will be able to learn in Pokémon GO for the first time, and some familiar attacks certain Pokémon will be able to learn which will be coming to the game in future updates.

Pokémon GO - Community Note: GO Battle League preview, combat system update, legacy attacks!

Trainers, In this special Community Note, we’re excited to share some more details on GO Battle League, upcoming changes to the combat system, attacks that some Pokémon will be able to learn in Pokémon GO for the first time, and some familiar attacks certain Pokémon will be able to learn once again! Let’s GO!

Leagues, seasons, ranks, rules, and more!
Pokémon GO Battle League will be a triathlon-style contest!

• Battles will take place in all three leagues: Great League, Ultra League, and Master League. However, only one league will be available at a time, and they will all rotate throughout a season. This means that in order to be the best, you need to be able to win in all three formats!
• As you win battles throughout the season, your rank will increase, even as GO Battle League rotates between leagues. You will start at Rank 1 and work your way up to the top rank, Rank 10. Once you reach a new rank, you cannot drop below it for the rest of the season. Higher ranks mean better rewards!
• Once you reach Rank 10, measure against the best with your battle rating. Wins increase your battle rating, while losses will cause it to drop.
• You cannot use two or more of the same species of Pokémon on your team.

As we get closer to the release of GO Battle League in early 2020, you can look forward to more information on how GO Battle League works.

Updates to the combat system
There are some exciting updates coming to the combat system.

1. When two Pokémon use Charged Attacks at the same time, the Pokémon with the higher Attack stat will go first. If two Pokémon have the same Attack stat, a random Pokémon will go first. We want to ensure Charged Attack ties are broken fairly. Restrictions in Great and Ultra League currently put a focus on trying to get low-Attack Pokémon to maximize CP. While maximizing Defense and HP is a great strategy against most opponents, in close matchups, the Attack stat can now become a deciding factor. We hope this will help deepen team building!
2. Switching Pokémon now clears any changes to its Attack and Defense stats. As more attacks are added to the game that affect Attack and Defense, we want to ensure these effects have clear counterplay opportunities. Debuffs should encourage players to switch Pokémon and buffs should make switching less appealing. There’s more to consider now when to use these attacks and when to switch Pokémon.

Updates to existing attacks in Pokémon GO
There have been updates to the following existing attacks in Pokémon GO.

• Night Slash - Its energy requirement has been reduced in Trainer Battles, and it now has a chance to greatly increase the user’s Attack stat.
• Icy Wind - This move now decreases your opponent’s Attack stat when used.
• Hydro Cannon - Hydro Cannon now deals less damage in Trainer Battles. Community Day exclusive attacks are intended to be powerful, but Hydro Cannon was too strong.
• Frustration and Return - They now take longer to charge in Trainer Battles and deal more damage. Since all Shadow Pokémon have access to Frustration and Return (through purifying), we wanted to make sure these attacks do not become too all-purpose.
• Mud-Slap - Damage for Mud-Slap has been increased in Gyms, raids, and Trainer Battles.
• Sand Tomb - When used in Trainer Battles, Sand Tomb now charges quickly, deals less damage, and decreases your opponent’s Defense by one stage.
• Forretress, Torterra, Garchomp, and Gliscor can now learn Sand Tomb.
• Earthquake - Its damage has been increased in Gyms and raids.
• Overheat, Draco Meteor, and Psycho Boost - These attacks now charge up quicker in Trainer Battles, but they sharply decrease your own Pokémon’s Attack after use. Some damage values have been adjusted down to maintain balance.
• Close Combat - This attack now charges up quicker in Trainer Battles, but it sharply decreases your own Pokémon’s Defense after use.

Attacks new to Pokémon GO
Certain Pokémon will soon be able to learn attacks that hadn’t yet been seen in Pokémon GO!

• Octazooka - It’s a slower Charged Attack that may sharply reduce your opponent’s Attack.
• Octazooka can be learned by Octillery and Kingdra.
• Mirror Shot - It’s a quick Charged Attack that may also reduce your opponent’s Attack.
• Mirror Shot can be learned by Forretress, Magnezone, Ferrothorn, and Klinklang.
• Fell Stinger - It’s a quick Charged Attack that also increases your Attack after use.
• Fell Stinger can be learned by Beedrill, Qwilfish, Vespiquen, and Drapion.
• Aura Sphere - It’s a powerful Fighting-type attack.
• Aura Sphere can be learned by Lucario.
• Superpower - It’s a powerful Fighting-type attack that charges up quickly but reduces the user’s Attack and Defense after being used.
• Superpower can be learned by Pinsir, Snorlax, Hariyama, Rhyperior, and Melmetal.

Pokémon that can learn more attacks
The following Pokémon will be able to learn attacks they couldn’t before.

• Cloyster: Icy Wind - Cloyster is a defensive Pokémon, and gaining access to the newly improved Icy Wind will help it fill that role even better.
• Feraligatr: Ice Fang - By focusing on its bite, Feraligatr can stand out a bit more from the other Water-type first partner Pokémon!
• Porygon2 and Porygon-Z: Lock-On - Lock-On generates energy very quickly at the cost of dealing very little damage. Porygon2 and Porygon-Z both rely on slow but strong Charged Attacks. Lock-On should help improve their chances of using these attacks.
• Celebi: Seed Bomb - Since Celebi is a Mythical Pokémon that has the Grass type, we wanted to make sure Celebi has access to a Grass-type attack.
• Shiftry: Snarl - Access to both Razor Leaf and Snarl should let Shiftry pressure popular Ultra League Pokémon like Swampert and Giratina.
• Kyogre: Surf - Currently Kyogre’s Charged Attacks are very slow. Surf will give it a faster charging option that matches its type.
• Lickilicky: Shadow Ball - Lickilicky is great against Ghost types already, and Shadow Ball will help it even more.
• Tangrowth: Power Whip - Tangrowth should be able to use its Grass-type Charged Attacks more frequently with this powerful move. Power Whip is also a great fit for a vine-covered Pokémon.
• Heatran: Flamethrower - Flamethrower should allow Heatran to more effectively combat Pokémon that are weak to its types, like Venusaur and Registeel.
• Stoutland: Ice Fang - Ice Fang will help Stoutland battle differently from other Normal-type Pokémon with Lick.

Pokémon that can learn old attacks once again
As part of the group of Pokémon to debut with Pokémon GO, some Pokémon originally discovered in Kanto have had their attacks change a lot over time! We’ll be adding back some of the stronger attacks a few of these Pokémon used to learn back in 2016 to make sure these attacks are accessible to players who have joined since then. We’ll look at bringing back more of these attacks over time.

• Arcanine: Flamethrower
• Poliwrath: Mud Shot
• Machamp: Cross Chop
• Golem: Ancient Power
• Gengar: Shadow Claw
• Exeggutor: Confusion
• Pinsir: Fury Cutter
• Gyarados: Dragon Breath, Twister
• Snorlax: Body Slam
• Dragonite: Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw

We’re excited to see the teams you build with these changes, Trainers. Stay tuned, as we’ll be sharing more updates like these in the future. Good luck on the battlefield!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/combatrebalance-dec2019/

Niantic has announced the details for the remaining events for December 2019 from raids to Shadow Pokémon, Legendary Pokémon, or Legendary Shadow Pokémon, to new avatar items, there’s so much to look forward to this Christmas season.

A gift from us to you: Pokémon GO’s December events!

Trainers, While 2019 might be winding down, the world of Pokémon GO never stops! From raids to Pokémon (Shadow Pokémon, Legendary Pokémon, or Legendary Shadow Pokémon!) to new avatar items, there’s so much to look forward to this holiday season. Get cozy, Trainers—it’s going to be a long list full of cool gifts from us to you!

1. A Challenging Development—Team GO Rocket Special Research
2. Different Pokémon will be hatching from Eggs
3. Virizion glides into five-star raids
4. Lugia and Ho-Oh Special Raid Weekend!
5. Pokémon GO Holidays 2019
6. Warm up with a special winter weekend event!

A Challenging Development
Before we get into the jolly announcements—the fight against Team GO Rocket continues! Activate the new Special Research, A Challenging Development, during the month of December to help Professor Willow and the team leaders take down this villainous group. This is another chance to fight Giovanni and save a Legendary Shadow Pokémon you’ve never seen before!

Features

• A Challenging Development, a new Special Research line designed to help take down Team GO Rocket, is available until the end of December.
• Defeat Giovanni this month, and you’ll have a chance to rescue Shadow Zapdos!

Team GO Rocket never rests, Trainers, and neither can we! Be on the lookout for new Team GO Rocket Special Research from Professor Willow every month. For more information, please see our help center article.

All scrambled up! Different Pokémon will be hatching from Eggs!
Starting on Monday, December 16, 2019, you can expect different Pokémon to be hatching from Eggs! Which Pokémon will they be? Incubate some Eggs and start walking to find out!

Virizion glides into five-star raids!
Virizion, the Grassland Pokémon, will be coming to five-star raids! This Grass- and Fighting-type Legendary Pokémon has been said to confound opponents with its swift movements, so make sure you have your battle strategies ready before you encounter it.

Date + Time
Tuesday, December 17, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. PST to Tuesday, January 7, 2020, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8)

Features

• Virizion will make its debut in five-star raids.

Lugia and Ho-Oh Special Raid Weekend!
Lugia and Ho-Oh return for a Special Raid Weekend! Both the Psychic- and Flying-type Lugia and the Fire- and Flying-type Ho-Oh will be available in Raid Battles! Date + Time Friday, December 20, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. PST to Monday, December 23, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8)

Features

• Lugia and Ho-Oh will appear in five-star raids during the event.

Please note that Virizion will still be available in five-star raids during this time.

Pokémon GO Holidays 2019
The Pokémon GO Holidays event is back! Look forward to new Pokémon in costumes, Ice-type Pokémon never before seen in Pokémon GO, event-exclusive Field Research, winter-themed avatar items, and a blizzard full of bonuses!

Date + Time
Tuesday, December 24, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. to Wednesday, January 1, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone

Features

• Pokémon in holiday costumes: Pikachu, Raichu, and Pichu wearing beanies and Stantler wearing bells will appear in Pokémon GO for the first time!
• Pokémon appearing in the wild: Delightful Ice-type Pokémon will be appearing in the wild, such as Sneasel, Delibird, Snorunt, and more! Making its Pokémon GO debut will be Cubchoo, the Chill Pokémon!
• Pokémon appearing in Eggs: Alolan Sandshrew, Alolan Vulpix, Pichu wearing beanies, and Stantler wearing bells will be hatching from 7 km Eggs!
• Pokémon appearing in Raid Battles: Raichu wearing beanies and Stantler wearing bells will be available to challenge in two-star raids!
• Pokémon attracted by Glacial Lure Modules: Throw a Glacial Lure Module onto a PokéStop near you, and you’ll have a chance of encountering Cryogonal, the Crystallizing Pokémon, making its Pokémon GO debut!
• Event-exclusive Field Research: Enjoy event-exclusive Field Research tasks that will reward you with the chance to encounter Pokémon like Pikachu wearing beanies!
• Save Shadow Pokémon! We have reason to believe that Team GO Rocket has turned more Pokémon, including Delibird, into Shadow Pokémon! There might be other Shadow Pokémon to discover in places high and low, so get out there and save them!
• If you’re lucky, you might encounter Shiny Stantler wearing bells and Shiny Snover!
• Winter-themed avatar items coming to the shop! You can look forward to a Stantler Sweater and a Stantler Headband as well as a Beanie Hat to match the one some Pikachu are wearing for this event!

Bonuses
Take note, Trainers! Some bonuses will change throughout the event duration. From Tuesday, December 24, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. to Wednesday, January 1, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone

• Open twice as many Gifts each day: For the duration of the event, the number of Gifts you can open daily will increase to 40.
• Carry twice as many Gifts: For the duration of the event, the number of Gifts you can carry in your inventory will increase to 20.
• One guaranteed single-use Incubator per day: In order to more easily hatch Eggs during the holiday season, Trainers will receive one single-use Incubator at no cost once per day during the event by spinning a Photo Disc on a PokéStop.

From Tuesday, December 24, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. to Wednesday, December 25, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone

• 2× Catch Candy
• 2× Transfer Candy

From Thursday, December 26, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. to Friday, December 27, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone

• 2× Catch Stardust

From Saturday, December 28, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. to Sunday, December 29, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone

• 2× Catch XP

From Monday, December 30, 2019, at 12:00 a.m. to Wednesday, January 1, 2020, at 11:59 p.m. in your local time zone

• 1/2 Hatch Distance when Eggs are placed into Incubators during this time period

Warm up with a special winter weekend event!
During the final Saturday in December (and 2019!), you can look forward to a special eight-hour-long winter weekend event.

Date + Time
Saturday, December 28, 2019, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in your local time zone

Features

• Two-hour Glacial Lure Module duration: Glacial Lure Modules will last two hours for the duration of the event. Pokémon such as Lapras, Delibird, Cubchoo, and more will be drawn to Glacial Lure Modules during this time!
• Glaceon with Last Resort: Use a Glacial Lure Module to evolve Eevee during the event, and you’ll get a Glaceon that knows the Charged Attack Last Resort.
• Regice returns to raids! Did you miss out on catching a Regice the last time it was available in raids? This is your chance to catch the Iceberg Pokémon!
• Two additional Raid Passes: Receive up to two additional Raid Passes during the special event time period when you spin a Photo Disc at a Gym. These Raid Passes will not be available after the event period is over. You cannot hold more than one Raid Pass at once.

There are just a few weeks left in 2019! Let’s GO end the year strong, Trainers!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/holiday2019/

Phil Keslin, Co-founder and CTO of Niantic, announced that Niantic is working with Qualcomm to execute a multi-year joint collaboration on an integrated design spanning AR glasses reference hardware, software, and cloud-components. This could lead to better performance in games like Pokémon GO and accelerate the usage of next generation AR experiences through the Niantic Real World Platform.

Niantic Collaborating with Qualcomm Technologies to Accelerate AR Software and Hardware

Today at Qualcomm Technologies’ annual Snapdragon Technology Summit 2019, it was an honor to join Hugo Swart, VP & Head of XR, on stage to introduce our intentions to execute a multi-year joint collaboration on an integrated design spanning AR glasses reference hardware, software, and cloud-components.

To ensure interoperability with today's latest AR innovations and accelerate the development of tomorrow’s devices, the platform plans to be optimized first for:

• Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ XR2 Platform: The world’s first 5G-supported XR platform. It unites Qualcomm Technologies’ expertise in XR, 5G and AI to provide breakthrough technology to help usher in a new era of XR. This premium-quality platform unveils innovative features and boasts multiple firsts for XR that can be scaled across AR (augmented reality), VR (virtual reality) and MR (mixed reality).
• Niantic Real World Platform: Niantic's core technology stack that includes an AR-first SDK enabling high quality, immersive end user experiences and integrated cloud services capable of "world scale" to support millions of concurrent users in a shared AR experience.

At Niantic, we’re unlocking the potential to create next generation AR experiences through the Niantic Real World Platform, and building new ways to map, share and understand reality. The Niantic Real-World Platform has been proven out by hundreds of millions of users, through consumer experiences such as Ingress, Pokémon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.

Last month, we announced the Niantic Creator Program and the Niantic Beyond Reality Fund which will open up the Niantic Real World Platform to the talented developers around the world to help achieve their visions in creating location-based and AR experiences. We’re excited to also share that access to this new collaborative architecture between Niantic and Qualcomm Technologies is expected to be provided to creators via the Niantic Creator Program when available. Developers and creators can apply to the Niantic Creator Program at niantic.dev.

We’re looking forward to helping move the entire AR industry forward as we work together with Qualcomm Technologies to define a true end-to-end architecture - inclusive of hardware, software, and cloud technologies.

Source: https://nianticlabs.com/blog/qualcomm/

Niantic has announced that from Thursday, December 5th, 2019 to Thursday, December 12th, 2019, the first-ever Pokémon GO Evolution Event and an accompanying Raid Day will take place.

Celebrate the power of change with the Evolution Event!

Trainers, Perhaps one of the greatest lessons we learn from Pokémon is that it’s possible to evolve into a surprising and cool being—sometimes we just need a little boost or help! Let’s celebrate how much your Pokémon (and you) have grown this year with the first-ever Evolution Event and an accompanying Raid Day. Pokémon Evolution can depend on whether a Pokémon is a certain gender or has spent time as a Buddy Pokémon. Sometimes Evolution occurs because of particular items, times of day, or Lure Modules. During this event, you’ll be able to explore all these unique ways Pokémon evolve!

Evolution Event
Look forward to Evolution items from raids, longer-lasting Lure Modules, and increased encounters with Pokémon that evolve in special ways.

Date + Time
From Thursday, December 5, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. to Thursday, December 12, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. PST (GMT −8)

Features

• Pokémon that evolve in unique ways—such as Onix, Eevee, Roselia, and Burmy—will be appearing more often in the wild, in raids, and in Field Research.
• Take on raids against Pokémon with unique Evolutions, like Lickitung, Scyther, Togetic, and Ralts!
• Find more 2 km Eggs that will hatch into Pokémon such as Tyrogue, Feebas, Burmy, and Happiny.
• Event-specific Field Research tasks that reward Evolution items, which can help you evolve certain Pokémon, will be available.
• If you’re lucky, you may encounter a Shiny Burmy!

Bonuses

• All Lure Modules will last one hour for the duration of the event, including the Glacial, Magnetic, and Mossy Lure Modules.
• 2× XP when evolving Pokémon
• Evolution items from raids

Evolution Event Raid Day
Date + Time

• Saturday, December 7, 2019, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in your local time zone

Features

• Encounter Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle in one-star raids.
• Encounter Ivysaur, Charmeleon, and Wartortle in two-star raids.
• Encounter Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise in four-star raids.
• Receive up to five additional Raid Passes during the Raid Day time period when you spin a Photo Disc at a Gym. These Raid Passes will not be available after the event period is over. You cannot hold more than one Raid Pass at once.

A lot can change in a year—or even in a moment! We hope to catch you out there celebrating the power of Evolution, Trainers. Let’s GO!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/evolutioneleganza2019/

Niantic has announced that on Sunday, November 24th, 2019, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., there will be an increased amount of Team GO Rocket activity.

Prepare for increased Team GO Rocket activity!

Trainers, We’ve intercepted messages from Team GO Rocket that indicate they’re planning to take over more PokéStops and capture more Pokémon! There will be an increased amount of Team GO Rocket activity in your area soon, and we’re sure this won’t be the last time. We’ll share any other intercepted messages we receive if something like this happens again! Sources seem to point to the following information.

The increased activity is set to happen on...

• Sunday, November 24, 2019, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in your local time zone.

Keep your eyes peeled for...

• Team GO Rocket Grunts taking over every PokéStop for the duration of the take-over!
• Exclusive Field Research tasks designed by Professor Willow to help us gather more information on Team GO Rocket.

Your mission:

• Battle Team GO Rocket Grunts, collect Mysterious Components, craft Rocket Radars, and defeat the Team GO Rocket Leaders as many times as you can! Remember—after you craft your first Rocket Radar, you’ll be able to purchase additional Rocket Radars in the shop!
• Complete the tasks above to make progress on the Special Research Looming in the Shadows, which will lead you straight to the Team GO Rocket Boss, Giovanni!

Be sure to share your findings (and victories!) with us on social media with #TeamGORocket. For tips and tricks on how to defeat the Team GO Rocket Leaders, opt in to receiving our push notifications and emails! We’re counting on you to help us investigate and take down those pesky Grunts, Team GO Rocket Leaders, and Giovanni. Let’s GO!

Source: https://www.pokemongolive.com/en/post/teamgorocket-increasedactivity-nov2019/