Pokémon Go is known for its augmented reality (AR) feature that make it look like the Pokémon are in your real world, but today developer Niantic announced that it's beefing up the game's AR capabilities.
Pokémon Go will utilize AR+ with Apple's ARKit to offer improved augmented reality. With AR+, Pokémon will be fixed to a point in space, meaning that you'll be able to walk up close to the monsters as well as around them to get a better idea of their size and scale.
Additionally, Pokémon will have awareness with AR+, and they'll run away if you get to close. The monsters will have an awareness meter, and if it fills up, they'll flee. You can try tapping on tall grass nearby to get a Pokémon to reappear.
If you sneak up on a Pokémon you'll be able to earn an Expert Handler bonus that'll get you more XP and Stardust. And if you can catch a Pokémon while in close proximity, you'll have a better chance at getting Great and Excellent Throw bonuses.
Pokémon Go's new AR+ features will be available soon. They'll be exclusive to the iOS version of the game and will be available on iPhone 6s models and newer running iOS 11.
Many Pokémon Go players disabled the original AR mode in Pokémon Go because it made it easier to catch the monsters. This new AR+ mode might convince some players to keep AR turned on, though, because it gives you a better sense of scale and will keep the monsters fixed to one point.
