Pokemon GO has a new tracking system after an initial San Francisco testing. However, rural players will still need to improve their chances of collecting Pokemon since the new tracker favors those near PokeStops.
Pokemon GO New Tracker Feature
Pokemon GO developer Niantic has rolled out a new tracker for the game after initially testing it in San Francisco. Players however, can now locate Pokemon near PokeStops. The "Sightings" tab will show the Pokemon located within a radius of a few kilometers but not much information on how to get them.
Pokemon GO Rural Players at Disadvantage
Niantic declared earlier that the Nearby feature will only work if a PokeStop is near a player. This new tracker will work fine with urban players and may also make Pokemon GO a lot safer. However, Pokemon GO players in the rural areas may have trouble enjoying the game with this new tracker. The most common complaint in rural areas is the lack of PokeStops. Placing all the Pokemon in one place may make it easier to catch them but it may also require rural players to travel for several kilometers just to get near a PokeStop.
How to Increase PokeStops in Rural Areas
Avid Rural Pokemon Go players can send an email appeal to Niantic for an increase in PokeStops in their area. The appeal may elicit a favorable response from the developer if the email is sent by a group rather than an individual.
Rural Pokemon GO players can also increase PokeStops near them by joining Ingress and sending pictures of buildings and locations of "significant importance". There have been reports that many of the Ingress images have been converted to PokeStops in less than a month after its submission. This is not a sure fire method but several rural Pokemon GO players claimed that it worked. Just make sure to send a clear image and send as many proposed locations as you can to increase the chances.
