‘Pokémon Go’ Anti-Cheat/Hack Measures Causing Update’s Slow Performance, Says Tracker Dev

Pokémon Go recently updated with new anti-cheat measures that are causing problems for third-party trackers like FastPokeMap. The service’s developer recently spoke out against Niantic for prioritizing security over performance in an extended tweet.

FastPokeMap remains nonfunctional, but its creator sees the tracker as a small part of a much bigger problem. “Niantic has made pretty terrible choices lately, and I believe they're self-sabotaging the game on purpose to try to control [its] growth,” the coder wrote. One method through which this is done is by making the assembly harder to reverse engineer by adding extra operations. For the app to work through the math, logic dictates that more CPU cycles are required. This means greater impact on battery life, input lag and slower results on older devices.

Beyond complicating its code, FastPokeMap’s developer also slammed Pokémon Go’s reliance on DRM called SafetyNet. Niantic uses the security protocol to prevent users with rooted phones from taking advantage of GPS hacks, but, as several Reddit reports show, it’s caused some unforeseen issues. Namely, Chinese-made phones or BlackBerry products are sometimes mistakenly identified as rooted. Essentially one of the world’s most popular apps has suddenly become incompatible or unplayable on many devices after the most recent update.

The message closes with what its author sees as a pertinent piece of advice. “Keep obfuscating if you don't care about performance issue[s] on your game,” the letter reads. “Keep using SafetyNet if you want to block 5 to 6 percent of Android phones.” The creator also suggests that backlash and a “tanked” user base will be the end result if Niantic continues to tighten its control.

That final prediction is the opinion of someone that just recently had their lucrative work shut down, so it should be taken with a grain of salt. That being said, the contained update analysis airs on the side of valid. Making a service like FastPokeMap requires a strong understanding of Niantic’s coding language, so its designer certainly has the ability to spot and describe changes found in any update.

As for FastPokeMap, it’s estimated that tracking will be fully operational later today. It seems those anti-cheat measures did little to stifle progress.

Pokémon Go is available now on Android and iOS.

What do you think of this anti-cheat rant? Have you noticed a performance decrease after Pokémon Go’s most recent update? Tell us in the comments section!