Niantic has dropped an update for Pokemon Go yesterday. With the latest update, the game's version is now 0.53.1 for Android and 1.23.1 iOS. Based on the released patch notes, it was mentioned that the developer already fixed the previous GPS drifting issue. Aside from the GPS drifting fix, they have also made some changes on the Apple Watch to display the Eggs acquired from PokeStops.
According to the report from Otakukart, lots of trainers thought that Egg hatching while sitting at home or in the office will be a lot difficult now compared to before since Niantic has fixed the GPS drift to better record the distance tracking. However, it is not. One Reddit user led an experiment regarding how much GPS drift is changed after the update.
Based on the report, the said player left his phone in his room while playing Pokemon Go. It was 1 meter away from the window and the curtains were closed during the whole duration. In addition, he was not also connected to the WIFI or Pokemon Go Plus.
Apparently, this was done before the 0.53 patch and still using the 0.51.0 version of the game. He then repeated the steps using the 0.53 update this time. He recorded 1.57 KM with an average speed of 0.28 KM/H in a 5-hour-and-37-minute duration. Meanwhile, testing the latest 0.53.1 version got him a 4.81 KM record with an average speed of 0.28 KM/H for 7 Hours span from 20:36 to 03:36.
Based on the results, hatching eggs while keeping their phones open is still advantageous. In addition, it is highly expected that there are lots of trainers that will keep their phones open while playing Pokemon Go. Meanwhile, some players thought that the GPS drifting fix is meant for Gym GPS Drift. However, none has been confirmed as to date.
