Niantic Labs has just implemented a new system to root out Pokémon GO players who are using cheats and bots to get ahead in the game. With the most recent Pokémon GO update being released, hackers who have combed through the game's codes have found multiple references to captchas, which are a popular security measure that determines if users are using automated tools.

Captchas in Pokémon GO

So far, users of the game have not reported seeing captchas as of yet. With the security measure already in place, however, it would only be a matter of time before Niantic decides to implement them in order to thwart players who are using bots and third-party trackers.

Third-Party Apps to Go Down

Pokémon GO hacker Steven Bartell, the man behind the popular third-party application Insta-PokeGO, which makes catching the titular pocket monsters more easily, has stated that apps like his creation would most likely be rendered useless with Niantic's new update.

In order to protect his application's massive user base, Bartell has stated that he would be shutting down the Insta-PokeGO website on Wednesday in order to prevent players who use the app from being banned from the game.

Pokémon GO Trackers at Risk

It's not just third-party apps that are set to be affected by Niantic's latest update, however, as popular tracking application FastPokeMap has also announced that it would most likely be shut down once Niantic starts using captchas to crack down on bots being used in the game.

According to Bartell, however, the future of FastPokeMap might not be as grim as Insta-PokeGO, since the effect of the latest update would depend on exactly how Niantic opts to use captchas in the game.

"No one is sure whether mapping trackers will be affected because it really depends on how Niantic deploys the captcha. If they only use it when players spin a Pokéstop or try to catch a Pokémon, maps could be fine. If they are smarter about it and deploy the captcha when they see any sort of suspicious behavior, the maps could be in trouble too," Bartell said.

So far, Niantic has not released an official statement about Pokémon GO's latest security measures. 

Tags: Pokemon Go Pokemon Go News niantic FastPokeMap insta-pokego