Pokémon GO just received a big update this week. But this update is reportedly causing major battery-draining problems for a lot of Android and iOS users. Reports and online discussion website have recently revealed the full details regarding the situation. Following several types of research, the results discovered that a very large 30-40% of added battery life is being consumed by the game right after the new update has been downloaded. Among the phone that has been affected, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy J5, and OnePlus One were noted to dropping from a full 100% charge to nearly empty in just about 90 minutes. Prior to the said update, the estimated average of battery life was around 120 - 150 minutes.
More battery-related problems
A secondary issue that has been found right after the update is that the battery sometimes continues to drain even when the device is connected to a portable battery. Some of the mentioned devices affected are fairly old, which is already expected to have decreased battery life when playing Pokémon Go. But cases for newer model phones like the iPhone 6S is especially interesting.
Main reason for the problem points towards excess codes
Recent reports say that excess codes were being added to the app in order to make its tracking algorithm more difficult to penetrate and be altered. This has been one of the main reasons for the battery-draining problem. Since devices that have the updated game will now have to sift through all that useless language, the processor's workload would be increased unnecessarily. As of now, the only solution to this problem would be Niantic issuing a follow-up update to address the problem.
People are still digging on the game's new update
But despite all the battery drain problems, Pokémon GO's latest update has still been widely accepted and appreciated. Under the update, for a limited time, PokéStop item drops and spawn rates for potential Pokémon have been increased. The game's recently concluded Halloween update event was also well-received.
