Did Niantic increase Pokemon GO spawn radius?

There are numerous quality-of-life changes that Pokemon GO players want to be incorporated into the game. One of them is a larger spawn area around the player model, with the current spawn radius being approximately 40 meters. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this was doubled to 80 meters but was promptly reduced once normalcy was restored.

The Pokemon GO community has demanded the change be reinstated as it made the game easier. More importantly, a larger spawn radius ensures more accessibility for players with special needs. This could include people with disabilities, social anxiety, or even those whose busy schedules prevented them from entering the wild.

Niantic, however, has not been keen on implementing this change. Despite that, some players noticed a wider circle around them while playing the game after a recent update on Android. What surprised them was that the circle had Pocket Monsters spawning inside it.

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Pokemon GO players report seeing a larger spawn radius on Android devices

Increased Range for Wild Spawns on 0.275.0 and New Visuals for Go Plus by u/InvisibleSoul8 in TheSilphRoad

u/InvisibleSoul8 took to The Silph Road's subreddit to share that they noticed an increased range of approximately 80m for wild spawns. They found this after downloading version 0.275.0 of Pokemon GO on their phone.

Despite being a much-requested change, most players were shocked by its implementation. This is because Niantic has so far insisted on retaining the 40m spawn radius. Players like u/Trevor-On-Reddit and u/foladar thought this had to be a bug since the change was too good to be true.

Comment by u/Trevor-On-Reddit from discussion Increased Range for Wild Spawns on 0.275.0 and New Visuals for Go Plus in TheSilphRoad

Comment by u/foladar from discussion Increased Range for Wild Spawns on 0.275.0 and New Visuals for Go Plus in TheSilphRoad

Four days later, the change seems to still remain, proving itself to be intentional. u/Dan_Praxy shared a screenshot of the same on the Pokemon GO subreddit.

u/Dan_Praxy's post (Image via Reddit)

This update appears to have only been shipped to Android users, as players with iPhones seemed to be still playing within a 40m radius. In fact, some Android users had not yet received the update, indicating it was shipped out slowly.

While many were still skeptical about this change being a glitch, others were thrilled it was being implemented.

Considering this modification is here to stay, it is a solid move in the right direction to make the game more accessible. Players had earlier identified several areas where the game could improve and be more inclusive.

The remote raid pass changes, which were implemented towards the end of March 2023, are another aspect that players would like reversed. But from the stance Niantic has taken so far, that seems unlikely. For now, the increased spawn radius is a quality-of-life change that is a breath of fresh air for Pokemon GO players.