Pokemon Go players slam Pokestop Scans: “Who thought this was a good idea?”

Jessica Filby
Pokemon Go Pokestop boycott

Pokemon Go players have had enough of the Pokestop scanning tasks, with many asking why Niantic even added it in the first place.

From the moment it was released, Pokemon Go has had its fair share of questionable features, with many fans slamming the likes of Routes, Showcases, Party Play and so much more. Naturally, some of the features take a bit of getting used to, and many end up loving the new rewards or bonuses they can get from taking part.

However, there’s one feature that remains just as controversial as it was when it was implemented in the game – Pokestop Scans. Essentially, while completing field research tasks, you’ll be asked to scan a Pokestop or a Gym, meaning you need to take your phone and film the monument or feature the Pokestop is advertising. Naturally, this can get quite uncomfortable for some players.

Pokemon Go players have had enough of Pokestop Scan challenges

“Scan PokéStops – who thought this was a good idea” asked one player on the Pokemon Go Reddit.

They went on to explain their frustrations, explaining how “you have to film while moving for like 20 seconds” and that their “local pokestops are like exclusively children’s parks. I’m not walking around filming neighborhood kids parks let alone as an adult male lmfao whoever thought this was okay should be fired.”

Many Pokestops are in locations that feel pretty uncomfortable to film, like a kid’s park, school, church, or even graveyard – so it’s understandable that players don’t want to get their camera out.

Other fans took to the comments to echo their frustrations: “Agreed. Agreed. Agreed. I absolutely despise these scan tasks. They force us to miss out on actual research tasks that are necessary for events. Finding a Pokestop with real research tasks is almost impossible where I live” proving just how annoying the scans can be for rural players.

Thankfully, one user helpfully shared a key trick to get rid of these awkward tasks: “Just keep one at the top of your research and you’ll stop getting them. Its annoying you’ll always have one there but you’ll still be able to stack 3 more actual research tasks.”

About The Author

Based in Cumbria, England, Jessica is a Senior Games Writer who joined Dexerto after stints at Game Rant and The Gamer. You can find her covering everything from Minecraft, CoD, Disney Dreamlight Valley, Pokemon Go and more. You can contact Jessica at jessica.filby@dexerto.com