Pokémon Go: Why Pokéstops Are Vanishing and What Niantic is Doing About it
Pokémon Go trainers have recently experienced a perplexing phenomenon: the sudden disappearance of Pokéstops in large areas. While this can be frustrating, Niantic, the game’s developer, explains that these removals are typically legitimate and frequently enough due to valid reasons.
Pokéstops can be removed if the physical location no longer exists, if it was never a suitable candidate for a Pokéstop, or if the owner of a large territory, such as a hospital, requests their removal to prevent player disruption. Niantic has a process for these requests, and if sufficient evidence is provided, the removals are granted.
A recent bug, however, caused these approved removals to not be reflected on the game maps. This issue has now been resolved, leading to the simultaneous disappearance of numerous Pokéstops, which understandably caused concern among players, especially with major in-game events approaching.
Niantic has issued a statement addressing the situation: “Earlier this week, we fixed an issue with our Removals process where some Wayspot removal requests, both new and old, were not reflected on the game maps. However, after implementing the fix, we learned from the community that it significantly impacted game maps just before major game events. To ensure the best event experience,we are collaborating with the game teams to revert this change for the duration of the event. We plan a smoother rollout in the near future. Please note that these Wayspot removals are appropriately requested and their upcoming removal is not a bug.”
This means that while the immediate mass removal has been temporarily reversed to ensure a smooth event experience, these Pokéstops will indeed disappear in the future. The intention is for these removals to occur more gradually than the recent sudden mass disappearances. Thus, if you notice a significant number of Pokéstops vanishing in your area, it is indeed likely due to these approved removals being processed correctly.
