Niantic Labs has begun rolling out its much improved Nearby Pokemon tracking feature to users in the US, Canada and Australia. The new version has already been available for testing with select users in San Francisco, and replaces the footprint system that didn't always help you find new Pokemon.

The new Nearby feature only works if you're near a PokeStop. It will show you what PokeMon are nearby, but it will just show you which PokeStop they're nearest to. It may still not be perfect in practice, but hopefully should help you focus on a certain area to track down new Pokemon rather than just wandering the streets aimlessly.

The new Nearby feature is available in the following locations:

  • United States of America: All states west of the Mississippi River (except Hawaii and Alaska)
  • Canada: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the western half of Ontario.
  • Australia: All states and territories
pokemon go updates include improved nearby feature and ditto sightings image 2
Reddit

The other big update that should hopefully receive a more global release is the introduction of Ditto, the last of the original 151 Pokemon. Niantic Labs hasn't officially announced that the transforming Pokemon is available in the game, but some users have noticed a Pidgey, Rattata or Magikarp they've caught has actually been a Ditto in disguise and has transformed once it's been caught.

Fortunately, the CP increase when it transforms into Ditto. Many users think this way of catching a Ditto is reserved for low-level Pokemon only, as you'd be pretty annoyed if you caught a rare Pokemon with 1000CP and it transformed into Ditto with 400CP.

The Silph Road found evidence of a 'Transform' move in Pokemon Go's code, as well as 100 new Pokemon set to arrive in the game, all of which are likely to be Generation 2. There's no word on when these will arrive in the game.