It is now possible for Pokemon GO players to avoid getting AR mapping quests in their queue of special research tasks, thanks to an update Niantic made in an effort to get higher-quality AR scans. The tasks simply require a Pokemon GO player to walk up to a Pokestop and use their phone to scan the area; the info Niantic gathers from these AR scans allows it to better keep maps up to date and experiment with higher quality AR experiences for players, such as Pokemon interacting with the environment as opposed to simply floating in front of it.AR mapping was introduced to Pokemon GO two years following the game's release in 2018 when Niantic's frustration with using Google Maps caused it to switch to OpenStreetMap, but, still unsatisfied, AR mapping quests began popping up on players' phones. If Niantic couldn't find maps it liked, it would outsource work to the players and use the trainers out exploring to help chart the world and create its own, more reliable 3D maps. But players disliked that they had to walk all the way to a specific Pokestop that isn't always close by. It led to tasks that just sit in the queue unfinished, taking up space and preventing players from getting the most out of their experience.Niantic made an official post on Friday alerting players that from now on, only those who generated high-quality scans would be given the quests. In other words, if a Pokemon GO trainer consistently sends in low-quality AR scans, they will stop getting them, freeing up a research task slot for more easily completable quests. For reference, Niantic stated that a good quality scan should be in focus and always keep the Pokestop as the center focal point, with the cameraman circling it a complete 360 degrees in order to get full coverage.
Only players level 20 and above who have a phone with a nice enough camera qualify for the AR mapping tasks, but players have never seemed to want to qualify. Back when Pokemon GO first implemented these special research tasks, they received a lot of backlash as players didn't appreciate being asked to stand in a public place while awkwardly holding their phone out for an extended period of time.
The announcement was met with players excitedly sharing their plans to produce the worst-quality scans possible as often as they could in order to speedrun getting kicked off the list of trainers eligible for Pokemon GO's AR scan tasks.
Pokemon GO is available to play now on mobile.