Niantic announced they are deploying a temporary change to the gym interaction radius. This change is a band aid fix while the upcoming remote raids feature is being developed. The new Gym interaction radius is double what it was before: ~80 meters in each direction from the player (up from ~40 meters).
The new change affects you in the following ways:
- The distance from which you can interact with Gyms has been temporarily doubled, allowing you to be farther from Gyms and other Trainers as you challenge Raid Bosses.
- This change also allows you to spin Photo Discs at Gyms if you are within the doubled distance; however, it will not change the distance required to spin Photo Discs at PokéStops.
In other words, you can start raids at double the distance you were before. Once again, this change is temporary and in place at least until the raiding from home feature gets developed.
Niantic has shared the following as well:
“As we continue to prioritize updates to Pokémon GO features and experiences that make the game more accessible and enjoyable, be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receive push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated on these temporary changes and more in the coming weeks.”
We’re guessing that more temporary updates are coming, along with already deployed 1 PokéCoin bundles and the removal of GO Battle League walking requirement. Niantic is doing really a good job with COVID-19 themed changes, we hope they keep the same tempo throughout the crisis.
Please stay safe and follow our COVID-19: Staying safe as a Pokémon GO player guide. In case you missed it, it seems that New Discord Alpha hints at a potential Pokémon GO – Discord Collaboration. You should read that as well.
Additional information
While we continue to work on the ability to team up with friends and take on Raid Battles together in Pokémon GO from the comfort of home, we've temporarily doubled the distance from which you can interact with Gyms, allowing you to be farther from them and other Trainers. https://t.co/HErtyO2PlQ
— Niantic, Inc. (@NianticLabs) March 31, 2020
