Fans of "Pokemon GO" would know by now that the latest update has brought about some obstacles in catching Pokemon. When Niantic rolled out its latest update, it shut down gamers' ability to utilize third-party apps that help track Pokemon in order to "catch 'em all." This left fans frustrated, some enraged, about the decision to prohibit the use of third-party apps that make the game even more fun.
With the new "Pokemon GO" update already up and running, it seems that fans need to get more creative when it comes to their strategy in catching Pokemon. Gamers previously resorted to "spoofing" or the interference with GPS satellites to trick the app into thinking that the gamer is in a particular location when he or she in fact is not. Now that the update has been rolled out, however, GPS spoofing can no longer be done.
However, there is another trick that gamers can perform. The following "Pokemon GO" trick can be carried out by hardcore hackers who are really familiar with both their hardware and software. According to Stefan Kiese of Insinuator, he utilized both the HackRF hardware, which can be purchased at greatscottgadgets.com and the GPS-SDR-Sim, which can be downloaded for free at github.com.
In order to enable GPS spoofing for "Pokemon GO," gamers have to use the HackRF One, a Software Defined Radio peripheral that can transmit or receive radio signals from 1 MHz ro 6 GHz. The GPS-SDR-Sim software developed by Takuji Ebinuma is a GPS spoof tool that enables the transmission of SDRs such as the HackRF radio. The next step would be to use an external clock via a function generator. Kiese created a 10MHz square wave signal using 3Vpp plugged into the clock input port of the HackRF device. Of course, the mobile device's network, wi-fi, and bluetooth settings should all be turned off.
Kiese warns, however, that transmitting on some frequencies is actually prohibited by law in some countries, so gamers should also be aware of the repercussions of such actions. In addition, the HackRF tool costs about $330 and is often used by professional hackers or those who really know their hardware. For those "Pokemon GO" players who may not be familiar with all the hardware and software details, however, it's better to stick to the tried and tested standalone game.