Pokemon Go update means cheats get life ban

LONDON — Niantic, the developer behind Pokemon Go, has updated the hit game and can now ban players for life — with no hope of them ever getting their accounts back.

Pokemon Go accounts will now be “permanently terminated” if it is discovered players are using “cheat” software which tries to hack or trick the game.

Some of these trick the phone’s GPS into thinking the player is somewhere else.

The new rules mean falsifying your location, using any type of game emulator, modified or unofficial software and/or accessing Pokemon Go clients or backends in an unauthorised manner are all banned.

This includes using other apps or third-party software.

A spokesperson from Niantic said “it wanted to ensure the game was a fair, fun and legitimate game experience for everyone”, which is why the ban was put in place.

Some apps are trying to get around the ban, but it is unclear whether this will work and using these means will still put players at risk of losing their accounts for life.

If people get caught cheating, they will get the chance to explain themselves in a complaint form.

Niantic has also asked players not to complain on social media “for privacy reasons”.

The new terms and conditions say: “Except as expressly permitted in these Terms, you may not: (a) copy, modify or create derivative works based on the App, (b) distribute, transfer, sublicense, lease, lend the App to any third party; (c) reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the App; or (d) make the functionality of the App available to multiple users through any means”. THE TELEGRAPH