Pokemon Go announce AR snapshot changes & players aren’t happy
NianticNiantic is rolling out some changes to AR snapshots in Pokemon Go, but players have anticipated these will be “annoying” for them.
Pokemon Go players have read through the changes coming to AR snapshots, and they mostly agree with them. However, there’s an exception to this, and it’s about buddy Pokemon snapshots being AR only. The game will offer the option to entirely deactivate AR, but it will require extra steps to take those screens and earn buddy hearts.
Announced recently, these changes imply that AR will be enforced for the cases where you need to take photos of your buddy Pokemon. But, if your device is not compatible with AR, this doesn’t mean you will be barred out from this particular feature.
Instead, you will need to go through an extra step in the process: You will need to search for a “static background” and interact/take snapshots of your buddy in that way.
Upon hearing about the changes, many players have gathered up to protest, since they believe this extra step is “not only annoying, but unnecessary.” Still, most of the features present when taking screenshots of your buddy Pokemon will remain, like Smearlge photobombs, for example.
“Smeargle encounters are much more annoying. Bright green background with my buddies since they don’t automatically walk out, unless you turn off AR. I’m so annoyed,” expressed the Op, while another player added: “Can confirm, I got a Smeargle this morning with the green static background.”
Meanwhile, the changes on these AR features might cause trouble for AR-capable phone users, as one of the trainers explained:
“The ‘go snapshot’ section only allows disabling AR if your phone doesn’t support it. If your phone is AR capable, you must use it when taking a photo of a non-buddy in your collection.
Think about triggering CD photobomb encounters. It was easiest to go-snapshot the most recent catch and chain them. But now each encounter seems like it will require the ‘flat surface detection.’ “
User ‘L50 Valor’ also explained: “Not only are they making the non-AR+ mode arguably worse by not allowing any camera interaction, but they are also now seemingly forcing it all the time on devices that support it for these ‘GO snapshot’ modes.”
Keep in mind that these changes are still being rolled out, and devices that allow AR will probably be forced to operate in AR mode soon.
