Pokémon GO: Ditto now available, Nearby feature expanded to new areas

Before launch, Niantic explained that only Pokémon from the very first generation would be available in Pokémon GO, with other generations to be added later. But the thing is, not all Pokémon from the first generation are available, as some of them are still missing. But starting today, one elusive Pokémon is finally available: Ditto!

Ditto is a bit special, because there’s no way to know you’ve caught it until… you’ve caught it. That’s right: it disguises itself as a regular Pokémon, and will only reveal itself once you’ve caught it.

Here’s an official video showcasing a Ditto capture in Pokémon GO:

But that’s not the only neat detail about Ditto: when training or battling at a Gym, it copies the appearance, types, and moves of the first Pokémon it sees, and it stays that way through the remainder of those Gym battles!

Here’s one lone screenshot for Ditto:

Also, some changes have been made to the Nearby feature: from now on, it will only show up if a PokéStop is close to your current location. Also, changes have been made to the Sightings feature, but Niantic didn’t give any details about those.

Wondering when the Nearby and Sighting features will be available for all players? Unfortunately, we don’t know when, and it doesn’t look like they’re ready to leave the playtest phase just. But at least, more players can try them out, because ss of today, they are available in the following areas/regions:

• United States of America: All states west of the Mississippi River (except Hawaii and Alaska);
• Canada: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and the western half of Ontario;
• Australia: All states and territories.

If you live in one of the areas covered, make sure to share your feedback with developers to speed up development, so that all Pokémon GO players can get the feature as soon as possible!

Source: Pokémon PR / Niantic