After using soft bans and several restrictions to punish "Pokémon Go" cheaters, Niantic has already commenced applying permanent bans to users who cheat in the game. This signifies that cheating could now be taken as a serious offence, which will attract regrettable consequences.
The first case of a permanent ban was reported by a Reddit user named Cls3tStner, who said in a post that he had seen a message on another forum showing how a "Pokémon Go" cheater's account had suffered from a permanent ban. The exact message from Niantic read, "Your account has been banned for use of third party applications to alter the real/actual position of the GPS."
The user continued by writing that the mentioned "Pokémon Go" account had been banned for employing "Tap to Walk" and GPS spoofers. Below the post, another user testified how they had reported several twitch streamers for cheating.
GPS spoofing is not the only way that a player can get a ban. According to Game & Guide, bans and punishments will be imposed on players who put their "Pokemon Go" accounts on sale, those who use unauthorized software, as well as the ones who alter the app using third-party software.
It has been noted that, since Niantic took down the tracking features of "Pokémon Go," players have been opting to use outside fan-made-apps to help with tracking their Pokémon. Their intense desire to become the very best and proceed to higher levels on the double has also impelled them to use all kinds of cheating means.
Unfortunately for them, the company has now taken note of this and, accordingly, cautioned against using such apps. Examples of the most commonly used apps include PokeDetector for Android, GPS spoofers, luckypatchers, and pokevision.
The use of third party software in the game goes against Niantic's "Pokémon go" policy, and this is the sole reason why cheaters run the risk of getting banned. When a user downloads the app, they agree not to "attempt to access or search the services or download content from the services through the use of any technology or means other than those provided by Niantic or other available third-party web browsers."
Learn more about "Pokemon Go" bans in the video below: