Anti-spoofing with latest updates
Few weeks ago, I remember reading quite a bit of media coverage about Niantic's warning spoofers its their last chance to remove their spoofing apps as the latest update was set to target spoofing. Right after the update, I also read on reddit that some have reported their friends who spoof have been banned. I live near to a park and I still see the same group of mystic, instinct and valor players battling the gym in the middle of the park at night. When I walked out to check on any physical activities, I cannot see anyone. The next nearest residence is at least 250 meters away. GPS drift might be possible but to see the same group of players battling for weeks and days without being there?? So has anyone out there actually have friends who spoofed and were banned. Or was this another Niantic's PR means to assure legit players they are working on anti-spoofing? Any views?
Answers
I haven't seen some of the local spoofers in gyms for the last 2 months. I reported them many times in the last year. With no consequences for them.
But it's true that I don't see some of them for a long time (2 months). Their pokemon are still stuck in a gym that is not very accessible and around which the phone signal is awful.
So either they were banned or they got tired of playing (one of them reached level 40 around 3-4 months ago...).
There are other active spoofers in the city, according to local Facebook and WhatsApp. And a new spoofer started in my area just a month ago. I reported him many times and don't see him for a couple of weeks. But it's too early to make sure he's not around
I am Living near a big shopping center in Oberhausen Germany where the safari zone was. Around that center are a few parks with arenas. Whenever there is a legendary raid there you there are like 5-10 players really there.
However. There is not 1 or 2 raidgroups. Its hundreds. There are litterally thousends of spoofers in that area.
Whatever niantic has done. It does not work.
I recall reading in an interview (I believe with Hanke) a while back that went along the lines of: they do a lot some of their workers towards cheating measures, but it sounded like this aforementioned group of workers is a relatively small department, compared to the overall number of people that work there.
That being said, Niantic is a relatively small company, so I'm assuming that very little people physically work towards combatting cheating, and I would assume it's just, as you said, assurance to legitimate players that they are working on the issue of spoofing
Time = Money
Niantic will be coming up with new ideas on how to make more MONEY esp after the success of raids that net the company billions of dollars in revenue.
They're NOT wasting their time on anti cheat measures. Why? Because that would cut into their profits. Attempts at banning the cheaters/spoofers/hackers of the world cost time, money and resources. Wasted time = loss profits. Wasted overhead = loss profits.
So why waste time, money and resource when the most valuable variable to any company is the bottom line, $$$.
Niantic already made a lot of money and could dedicated resources just for that. You can be sure that many players are discouraged and stop playing because of spoofers. If Niantic lose control of it, then they will have REAL damage, because whoever actually plays the game will stop and the game will die ( or abandoned to cheaters).
I spoof.
I went all the way to L37 without spoofing or using a map but I got tired of fighting the spoofers (instinct, always instinct) in my city so I became one and now I'm giving them a run for their money :)
Every morning I tear down all their gyms and I make sure I don't spoil the game for any other players.
I've been insulted and threatened in facebook groups but I don't care.
When they're actively defending I just "shave off" their gyms to where any player can come along and tear it down.
And no, Niantic will never shut off a big percentage of their paying customers.
