We reported sometime last week that "Pokemon Go" developer Niantic Labs would start issuing hard bans on players who were caught using third-party GPS cheaters and gameplay bots. While that was likely, it seems as though the game's community is discovering something new: it looks like the cheaters are in for another kind of torture, as Niantic is issuing soft bans to them.
What's a soft ban in "Pokemon Go," exactly? According to this "Pokemon Go" developers subreddit, some players are discovering that although they can log into the game (which means their accounts haven't been hard-banned) and catch Pokemon, they can't make use of Pokestops to get items and challenge gyms. The only caveat is that this doesn't seem to be yet a universal experience for everyone who's been caught cheating.
If the erring "Pokemon Go" players are subject to a soft ban, then it's still unclear as to how long this ban lasts. Players with banned accounts can still make new "Pokemon Go" accounts, however, as the banned account's username will still be available.
Not to encourage cheaters, however, but it seems that the soft bans still aren't strictly implemented. A user in the aforementioned "Pokemon Go" subreddit has described his experience using bots and GPS cheaters, and although he got soft banned, he was still able to retain functionality of his account after a while.
The developers of these "Pokemon Go" third-party apps have been sent cease and desist letters from Niantic's legal team, and have taken their apps down accordingly. It seems as though their apps are still functioning properly, however, so for those who still have them, tread carefully. Niantic might not be coming down with full force yet, but if I were you, I wouldn't want to be testing them and pushing the envelope.