A member of the Pokemon GO team has shared that the practice of abusing “Micro GPS Drift” is a violation of Pokémon GO’s Terms of Service. This announcement was shared with the Pokémon GO Ambassadors programme in a private Discord server.
A reddit thread popped up as well, with Trainers being particularly confused as why would Niantic spend any resources on penalising an issue that has been around for years.
What Is Micro GPS Drift?
Micro GPS drift is intentional, user controlled exploit where players manipulate their device’s location by:
- Rapidly toggling GPS on and off
- Or quickly switching in and out of the Pokémon GO app
This behavior takes advantage of a GPS “race condition” and momentarily places the player slightly outside their true location. Players have been using this trick to access gyms and participate in raids beyond normal interaction range.
The key incentive behind this exploit is the ability to use a Daily Raid Pass or Premium Battle Pass instead of a Remote Raid Pass, which would otherwise be required when outside the gym’s radius.
Niantic’s Official Stance
Niantic’s anti-cheat and trust & safety teams have reviewed the behavior and confirmed it violates the Terms of Service (TOS). The devs shared the following:
- This exploit can be detected by their anti-cheat systems.
- Players caught using this method risk being flagged.
- Community members are advised not to promote or encourage this behavior.
Niantic also urged community leaders to spread awareness to prevent unsuspecting players from getting flagged or penalized.
“Please make sure you correct this in your community, do not encourage it, and warn folks that it can cause them to get flagged.”
This only applies to intentional abuse of the GPS drift mechanic. Natural GPS drift, caused by things like tall buildings, trees, or environmental interference, is not a violation of the Terms of Service.
Bottom Line
If you’ve been using or considering the “Micro GPS Drift” method – stop. Niantic has confirmed it is against the rules and can result in possible account warnings or bans. As always, it’s best to play within the rules to ensure the game remains fair and fun for everyone.
We are still awaiting a public announcement by Niantic, but another member of Niantic staff told us that “any type of play intended to manipulate your location or regular gameplay could be in violation of the ToS” and that they advise against it.
