Pokemon Go updates: everything you need to know about what's coming next

Pokemon Go has been out for several months now, and while the app has progressed a lot in this time - just remember how unstable the servers when it launched - there's still lots more work to be done.

Some of these features are ones that developer Niantic spoke about prior to the release of the game, while others have been promised since the game's release.

One feature in particular, the 'Nearby' functionality, is something that Niantic removed from the game to reduce the load on its servers , and we've yet to see its proposed replacement rolled out globally .

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Without further ado, here's our guide to every new update that's been promised by Niantic and has yet to arrive.

Gym training changes

Training in Pokemon Go doesn't work the same way as in traditional Pokemon games. Rather than battling trainers and Pokemon in the wild, you train in Pokemon Go by battling gyms that your team already controls.

Pikachu

However, the process is made frustrating by the fact that you're only able to use a single Pokemon to face off against a gym's entire defense team.

This is in contrast to when you're battling against an opposing team's gym, where you're allowed to use a full team of six pocket monsters to take it down.

This is all set to change in an upcoming update, in which Niantic has promised that you'll be able to train friendly gyms with the same number of Pokemon as you can use to attack opposing team's gyms.

The change should make it much easier to beef up a gym and in turn earn rewards from holding it.

Rewards for catching similar Pokemon

As anyone that's played Pokemon Go will attest, it's depressingly common to come across the same Pokemon over and over again.

What's more annoying is that with the way the game currently works, these catches offer little to no reward.

Sure you can evolve these low-level Pokemon for the XP benefits they bring, but after around level 20 it becomes so difficult to level up that it barely feels worth it.

However, in an upcoming update Niantic is promising some significant additions in this area.

Catching multiples of the same type of Pokemon will earn you a 'Capture Bonus', which will give you a better chance of catching other Pokemon of that same type.

Pokemon Go

Tracking feature

When Pokemon Go first launched it included the 'three-steps' feature, which displayed a number of steps to show you how close or far away you were to a nearby Pokemon.

However, when Niantic's servers were experiencing server difficulties in the wake of Pokemon Go's overwhelming popularity, the feature was disabled .

Since then we've seen a limited trial of a replacement system, but this hasn't been followed by a full-scale rollout, but given how difficult it currently is to find specific Pokemon, we have to assume Niantic is working on bringing the new functionality to players worldwide soon.

Trading

Trading was a key component in the original games, but it's remained absent from Pokemon Go despite repeated assurances that the feature is on its way.

In the beta, trading was a local-only affair, meaning that you couldn't trade with players over the internet, but Niantic hasn't yet confirmed how it expects trading to work in the final game.

We can't wait for trading to make its way into the game. It always feels like a bit of a waste transferring rare Pokemon just because they're a duplicate, and it'll be great being able to put them to use.

Pokemon Go

Player-vs-player battling

Another feature that's been rumored for some time is battling between players.

As it currently stands the only battling functionality in the game is between players and opposing gyms, but since before the game's release Niantic has been promising that PvP battling is coming.