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Pokémon GO – July 29 Update (version 0.31.0) – Here’s what’s changed and what you need to know

Pokémon GO has just received its biggest update so far. It’s slowly rolling out to the Android platform as of this moment, and within a few days it should show up on iOS (UPDATE: It’s now live on iOS). Much has changed in the game, such as move damage and Pokémon locations, as well as other things. Here’s what you need to know.

EDIT: A glitch has come up where people are losing their account data. Luckily, all of that data is still recoverable; you just need to know what to do in order to get it back. Click here for the steps to get back your account data.

The first and most important change is that quick-moves have been balanced so that they all have similar damage per second, or DPS. This means that the infamous Vaporeon is no longer epically overpowered and godlike. It’s still one of the strongest in the game, but it’s not completely ridiculous like it used to be. Quick move DPS has been found to be in the 7-13 range, as opposed to the 3-26 range like before.

Charge/special moves are now FAR stronger than they used to be. Before, they were pointless; now, ignore them at your own risk. Quick moves still charge special moves the same way that they used to, and this charge is now more important than ever, as are the type advantages.

The step part of the tracker has completely disappeared. You can still track Pokémon using the Ingress trick to find high-spawn/high-XM spots or by going to high cell-usage areas. You can also see nearby Pokémon but now you have to look at their position on the page to see how close they are. Top left is the closest. Pokémon now tend to be more spread out. Expect to see less of them in the usual spawn points, and more of them in rural areas, parks, and spread-out suburbs.

Your avatar is no longer permanent, if you don’t want it to be. You can now change the appearance of your avatar through the Pokémon trainer profile page in the app. Other minor appearance changes have been added, such as different fonts, the transfer button being moved to a new place, and gym graphics glitches with the disappearing floor. There is also a pop up when you begin the game warning you to be safe while playing.

The initial animation when you encounter a Pokémon has also changed, meaning that you can no longer do the “quick toss” trick to catch a Pokémon easily and swiftly. However, the curveball and Excellent/Great/Nice bonus still works well for catches, and you get credited with experience for both of these bonuses now. The game now no longer presents as big of a drain on the battery or the CPU of your phone due to internal changes. Additionally, you can no longer transfer Pokémon that you have marked as “favorites”.

Finally, there has yet to be any word about whether the Bluk, Nanap and other berries, or the Floral, Spicy and Cool Incense, have been spawned at Pokestops yet, or whether Ditto, Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos, Mew or Mewtwo have been added to the game yet. We will keep you posted as soon as we know.