Pokémon GO bot and hack users are panicking as Niantic is reportedly handing out the first real perma-bans as botters cannot log in to their accounts anymore.
The good news is that players who used Pokémon GO hacks, bots and GPS spoofers are not really hard or permanently banned. There is still bad news as the soft bans reportedly last up to 20 hours which means they may not be able to login for almost a day after they have been caught cheating by Niantic.
Players who want to easily catch Pokémon without leaving their home used bots or fake GPS apps. However, Niantic has been flagging cheaters and has sent out a new soft ban wave for naughty players who violate their terms of services (TOS).
Pokémon GO fake GPS and bot users can still try to appeal a ban by going to Niantic's support website, Heavy has learned. The ban appeal is specifically designed for those who have been wrongly banned because they were just playing Pokémon GO while driving or while riding a car.
Necrobot, one of the most popular Pokémon GO bots, have already removed their open-sourced codes and releases on Github. The developers thanked everyone who contributed and helped grow the botting community but the legal threats from Niantic may have finally reached their doorsteps.
For now, Pokémon GO players are advised to stay away from using bots. Niantic has not laid out how they are able to detect cheaters using fake GPS apps and Pokémon Go bots, The Verge reported.
Reddit users have managed to gather data on the supposedly banned players and found out that there are really no permanently banned players. Those who can't get items at Pokéstops can try again in 19 to 21 hours while those who cannot login are just victims of the faulty Niantic servers.
Unless players receive an email or a notification from Niantic themselves saying they are banned, nobody should assume that the permanent bans have started. In addition, those who do claim that they received emails have no proof or have just fabricated fake email screenshots to scare away botters and those who use Pokémon GO cheats and hacks.