Pokemon Go update: all the news and rumors for what's coming next

Pokémon Go has been out for a long time now, and while the app has progressed a lot in this time - just remember how unstable the servers when it launched - there's still lots more work to be done.

Some of these features are ones that developer Niantic spoke about prior to the release of the game, while others have been promised since the game's release.

Without further ado, here's our guide to every new update rumors as well as the tweaks promised by Niantic so far.

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Latest Pokemon Go update

The latest update to Pokémon Go will stop accounts that use unofficial trackers or other software that allows you to cheat at the game. It's causing "shadowbands", which is what Pokémon Go players call it when you're punished for cheating, but don't have your account entirely banned.

Instead you'll only be able to catch common Pokémon, with uncommon finds not appearing in the in-game tracker. You'll know you're being "shadowbanned" if you get a message that says the game has detected activity from "modified client software".

The other recent updates have been limited and brought with them support for extra languages and a few small bug fixes.

Pokémon Go update rumors: what we may see next

The expansion into generation 2 Johto region Pokémon was the first of three major updates planned for this year according to Niantic CEO John Hanke.

During a keynote at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Hanke said there would be three "major" updates to the game later in 2017, though he didn't reveal exactly what they'll be.

Here's what we've previously heard about updates to Pokémon Go that Hanke may be referring to.

Pokemon Go

Trading

Trading was a key component in the original games, but it's remained absent from Pokémon Go despite repeated assurances that the feature is on its way.

In the beta, trading was a local-only affair, meaning that you couldn't trade with players over the internet, and Niantic has now confirmed that will be the case for when it starts in the core game.

Pokemon Go

Tatsuo Nomura, senior product manager at Niantic told Polygon trading "won't be "through the internet" when it launches.

We can't wait for trading to make its way into the game. It always feels like a bit of a waste transferring rare Pokémon just because they're a duplicate, and it'll be great being able to put them to use.

Player-vs-player battling

Another feature that's been rumored for some time is battling between players.

As it currently stands the only battling functionality in the game is between players and opposing gyms, but since before the game's release Niantic has been promising that PvP battling is coming and CEO John Hanke has confirmed it's in the works.

Legendary monsters

Niantic CEO John Hanke has confirmed the company plans to bring the legendary Pokémon to the game by the end of 2017.

Exactly when we'll see Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres, Mew and MewTwo is unclear.

There's no word on what legendary monsters will be released upon the world in Pokémon Go, but we'd expect it to be the list above as those are the first generation monsters.

Pokémon Go: Legendary monsters are coming by the end of the year

Commercial partnerships

When Pokémon Go was at the height of its popularity, commercial locations which happened to also be PokéStops or gyms sometimes found an increase in the number of customers they were attracting. At the very least they had something that would draw them in.

It was no surprise, then, when rumors emerged that Niantic was considering teaming up with McDonalds that would see the fast food companies many chains become PokeLocations in which customers would be able to access exclusive in-app content.

This rumor hasn't actually come to anything, but recently leaked internal memos are pointing to another partnership, this time between Niantic and Starbucks.

The memos, which were intended for Starbucks employees only, suggest that the partnership will see the majority of US Starbucks branches become either PokéStops or Gyms and that when players are in a Starbucks location they'll have the chance to unlock a limited edition Pokémon Go-themed Frappucino. Though even customers who haven't unlocked the beverage in the game will still be able to buy it.

The leaked memo states that the promotion is due to begin on December 8 and Starbucks' expectation is that it'll encourage more customers to visit and "increase number of transactions."

The most interesting part of the memo, though, is that it states this partnership will see the introduction of a brand new Pokémon into the game. There's no information on what this Pokémon will be or whether it will only spawn in Starbucks locations so speculation is rife.

It does feel slightly off that a game that claimed its intention was to encourage people to explore cultural locations where they live is now trying to draw them into corporate locations instead. However, it's early to judge and only time will tell how these commercial partnerships will play out and whether or not they'll be good for the player.