Pokémon Go Nearby Update: How To Find New Pokémon Using Latest Tracker

Niantic launched its “Nearby” Pokémon feature Nov. 30, but the user feedback for it hasn’t been entirely positive. Since then, the company has been bombarded with questions about the new tracker on its subreddit.

Many players find the new tracker tricky and confusing to use since the “sightings” feature is gone. In addition, the new tracker does not work well in rural areas, since rural Pokéstops are often located inside fields, which can stretch for miles.

But is the new tracker an improvement over the older one or is it a downgrade? To make proper use of the new Pokémon tracker — the Nearby feature — players need to approach it differently from previous trackers.

Pokémon Go players are in luck with the new tracker only if they are playing in an urban area such as New York City, where Pokéstops can occur thrice on the same block. Availability of this kind of information makes the tracker specific about the location of a Pokémon.

The layout of the tracker is different than previous trackers. It is located on the bottom right of the game screen and lists nine Pokémon near your location, with a picture of the Pokéstop closest to them.

Here’s how to read the tracker — If you click on a Pokéstop representing the Pokémon you want, the game will point out where it is on the map. Next to the Pokéstop, you will see a little bubble with some footprints. The number of footprints determines how close the Pokémon is to the Pokéstop.

To catch the Pokémon — go to the Pokéstop and walk around. The Pokémon you are tracking should appear. You will need to hurl Pokéballs at it to capture it.

Regular players contend that only common Pokémon appear on the Nearby tracker. This happens because other Pokémon might be still spawning. Some Pokémon might spawn and despawn while you are tracking them. Often, many rare Pokémon will despawn before players have time to track them around the Pokéstop.

Tip: Try to track Pokémon in a location with lots of Pokéstops.