"Pokemon GO" players have been reporting instances where Pokestops and Gyms are disappearing from their maps. Likewise, ever since the last update was issued by Niantic Labs, trainers noticed that they have been traveling farther to catch Pokemon, or gather Pokeballs and Razz Berries, because many Pokestops near them have been removed.
On the "Pokemon GO" page on Reddit, the disappearing Pokestops and Gyms have been discussed. Based on the comments, players in Canada, Netherlands, United States and Russia have all experienced the random disappearances of Pokestops in the city.
Many suspect that this was because of lawsuits that Niantic Labs is facing right now. It was assumed that the company's quick response to complaints had led to the removal of Pokestops in many places. The "Pokemon GO" developer also warned players to follow applicable laws while playing the game, Variety reported.
Niantic Labs has been sued by many people as more and more Pokemon hunters are ending up in private properties or vicinities. Most of the class suits are about trespassing, with claims that the gaming company is earning money while letting people use some private properties of others.
In other places, residents have been complaining of large crowds and noise since "Pokemon GO" players have invaded the parks or streets near their homes. Local governments made their move by starting a campaign for the removal of PokéStops in their respective areas. They have also forwarded removal requests to Niantic so they can be addressed at once.
With the reports of vanishing Pokestops and Gyms, it seems that Niantic have acted swiftly on the requests and removed them already. Although players may not like the idea of the removals, this can be seen as brownie points for Niantic since they have been sued.
As for the possibility that the missing Pokestops could be due to the recent update, Niantic has not commented on this yet so this fact is not clear. Nevertheless, according to Forbes, the mass deactivation of stops could be an automated procedure under Niantic's "Pokemon GO" gaming system.
As a result of the automation, the system has been randomly removing a number of places for little or no reason at all. Presumably, this process is being done to make way for the addition of new "Pokemon GO" Pokestops.