Pokémon GO to add bonuses and remove others to encourage outside play

Niantic has announced a number of changes which will be coming to Pokémon GO. There will be new feature bonuses coming soon, and some current feature bonuses will be removed. The changes are aimed at restoring the focus of Pokémon GO on movement and exploration in the real world, and are being rolled out as certain parts of the world start to slowly recover from the global pandemic. The changes will first start with the United States and New Zealand from end-July, and will be made on a rolling basis in other countries and regions over time. Trainers may experience different bonuses at different times. To see which exploration bonuses are available to you, check out your Today View.

New exploration bonuses for playing together in the real world
These changes are introduced to make it more rewarding to play outside. These bonuses will end when the Season of Discovery wraps up on September 1, 2021. Some of these bonuses may stay in the following season, and new bonuses will become available as well.

• Receive up to two free Raid Passes per day from spinning Gym Photo Discs.
• Benefit from increased Incense effectiveness while moving.
• Be guaranteed gifts when spinning PokéStops (if they have not reached their maximum gift inventory).
• Receive 10× bonus XP from spinning a PokéStop for the first time.

Bonuses introduced last year that will be removed or changed

• Incense effectiveness will be set at the standard level when you’re stationary and increased effectiveness will kick in when you are moving.
• The frequency of your Buddy Pokémon bringing you Gifts each day will be reduced.
• PokéStop and Gym interaction distances will revert back to the standard distance (though may be increased as part of certain features or events).

Some changes will also be made to Remote Raid Battle in the coming months. Many of these in-person raid changes will be to prepare for the eventual return of EX Raids.

Bonuses introduced last year that will remain
Some changes that were introduced in the past year resonated well with Trainers and will provide continued value as countries and regions begin to open back up. These changes will remain as standard parts of the game for the foreseeable future, some of which were previously announced:

• Incense duration will remain at 60 minutes.
• No walking requirement for GO Battle League.
• Continue challenging any Trainer remotely with a QR Code, and the requirement to battle with friends remotely has been lowered to Good Friends.
• The maximum number of Gifts you can carry in your Item Bag at a time will remain at 20.
• Trainers will be able to open up to 30 Gifts per day, up from the previous 20.
• Continue to receive three times the Stardust and XP for your first Pokémon catch of the day.