Pokemon Go players were left in despair after the latest update reset their in-game progress and removed the step counter or footprints from the game, which helped track nearby Pokemon. As a part of the update, Niantic also disabled several tracking sites, such as PokeVision and PokeNotify, which could foretell the location of the virtual creatures and how long they would be available.
As a result of this change, furious players are seeking refunds for the money they spent in the game or reverse the change, The Telegraph reported. PokeVision quickly became popular for offering services scuh as tracking Pokemon, functionality leagues ahead of time. PokeVision developers also stayed constantly in touch with their users by updating any downtime and changes that occurred within the tracking site, which helped players plan accordingly.
PokeVision confirmed that its tracking site is no longer operational and that it is "respecting Niantic and Nintendo's wishes." PokeVision isn't the only site to be shut down by Niantic, as the AR-game developer has reportedly been sending out cease-and-desist letters to several third-party developers. This leaves players to aimlessly wander in search of Pokemon.
Niantic also disabled other apps and sites using the same API as PokeVision. They include, Poke Radar, PokeNotify, Pokewhere and Pokemon Go Map. With the popular Pokemon Go trackers gone, players are looking for alternative apps and sites to catch the virtual monsters.
In a Reddit thread, which is focused on gathering all working Pokevision alternatives in one place, Pokemon Go trainers were presented with several options. Heavy.com listed them all and some are still in their beta, while others are exclusive to either Android or iOS.
Compass for Pokemon: This app is available for Android only. It is still in beta phase and available for free.
PokePilot: One of the only iOS PokeVision alternatives as most apps are available for Android users. This app is also in beta. The app is under testing, but players can join the beta testing list to be one of the early adopters of the app.
Skiplagged: It is a crowdsourced website that shows Pokemon in the area and works mainly in bigger cities.
The popularity of the game continues to grow as days pass by. While the game has been released in most countries, several regions are still out of Niantic's coverage. Pokemon Go is yet to be officially released in India, China, Malaysia, Pakistan and other sub-Asian countries soon. The updated version of the app is available from iTunes and Play Store in countries where the game is officially available.
