On the recent update, am I missing something?

Comment on Silph Road says no new content in Game Master data, so it is most likely an anti-bot measure.

They have to send out a complete new copy of the game in order to update it, whether it's a minor text change, or something huge. The stores don't provide a "patch" facility.

Maybe Niantic changed some pokemon eggs. I hatched 2 ekans, one from 2 km egg and another from a 5 km egg. Also a Pichu from a 5km egg instead of 2 km, and an Oddish under the same conditions as the Pichu.