Pokémon GO Adds Buddy Pokémon, Blocks Jailbroken And Rooted Phones

Pokémon GO's latest update has gone live, bringing with it the previously announced Buddy Pokémon feature. Players can now choose a Pokémon to bring along with them and earn Candy for said Pokémon "by walking a certain distance." Support for the Pokémon GO Plus, which is finally being released on September 16th, was included in the update, as well, meaning that you will, in fact, be able to use it on day one.

The update also makes a controversial effort to "[eliminate] bots and scrapers" by blocking all jailbroken and rooted phones. Many users—legitimate users included—jailbreak or root their phones in order to remove certain restrictions placed on them by the system. With this update, both legitimate users and bots alike are being affected. There are workarounds, but the fact that this is happening at all is disconcerting, as I have no doubt that a significant portion of those users have spent money on a game that they are now being locked out of.

The original quote is as follows.

We continue to focus on eliminating bots and scrapers from Pokémon GO. Rooted or jailbroken devices are not supported by Pokémon GO. Remember to download Pokémon GO from the official Google Play Store or iTunes App Store only.

You can find more information about the update here.