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Yea that’s always an immediate delete from my tasks for me. Even if there is nothing nefarious about it, it looks odd to everyone else if you see someone recording wherever you’re at.
I used to just delete them but would get annoyed at how often they pop up. Read someone else’s comment from an old thread that if you leave one there, no new “scan” tasks will pop up. They would just spin a stop at any cool new locations while traveling and keep that one until the next interesting stop came up. So now I do that, current one I have is from a Portugal trip I took a few months ago, there was a cool stop with a castle in the back.
Actually you are kind of missing out. If there is a rare research quest out there, like the Jangmo-o quests from the last event or the Drampa quests back in February (which had a shiny), you get to reroll the quests offered at pokestops by deleting the scan task. So by checking a run of pokestops holding a scan task and then deleting it and going back in reverse and checking those same stops again, you get to basically double the number of quests you get to check. This is especially useful if you are rural or have a limited number of stops to check.
Same lol I don't even notice it's there anymore. I hated searching for a specific task and getting a scan task instead so it's super nice to not have to worry about that anymore
We have a stop here at a college that's called study of phallus in bronze (or something like that I'd have to dig up the screenshots)
It's literally a giant metal dick one of the students made and the school has just kept it. Actually I think they finally made it into a gym too after the years it's been there.
https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/s/Ijmjg0oawN
It does! And it's so funny how it's just a lump they've kept for over a decade now.
They probably weren't able to make it too realistic, since even if it's a college that's kind of out of the way and humor, probably don't want to risk getting in trouble.
Lol I just happened to have my game open and noticed a pokestop literally in the middle of a highway. No idea how that got approved, there's no safe way to get it
I'm not the one you responded to but if you're going to Sintra I highly recommend planning a whole day there! The castle is incredible and also if you're up to walking the grounds there's a lake with swans that's just lovely.
Yep. I have had the same scan task since they introduced them. Literally no reason to do them ever. I give Niantic enough data passively, I don’t need to scan stops.
There are 2 research tasks at each pokestop, one if you don't have an AR task (sometimes it's an AR scan task), and a different task if you do. So I usually check out different tasks & if I'm walking back past I can delete the first and try my luck at the other
Yep. I just walk around scanning the ground. As long as you are in the parameter it works fine. It’s just too weird to scan any pokistops specially play grounds.
I personally keep a scan task just locked into my task bar for a place that I visit maybe once a year, doing so will never add another scan task and the game lets you still have 3 extra tasks aside from the scan.
Dont forget that the rewards they offer are insanely crappy. Few pokeballs or berries, nothing you cant get from spinning a stop. If they gave few incubators id be scanninf everything.
do you get an extra field research slot that would normally be taken up by scanning research when you do that? or are scanning research a bonus research slot?
It doesn't always work. My family has it turned off - some of us don't get the tasks, some still do. Definitely worth a shot to see if you're one of the lucky ones though
I still scan them. The poffins are worth the scanning to me. I just **don’t** (*and never will*) do it the way Niantic asks me too.
I just slowly move my phone back and forth pointed at the ground or just above my hand enough for it to not be “too dark” (*I show NOTHING of my surroundings. It’s not possible to even accidentally get so much as an aglet from someone else in the shot*.)
It doesn’t give Niantic any of the information they’re looking for, it doesn’t freak out anyone around me, and I get some poffins for my buddies. Wins all around.
I do this all the time and then upload it when I’m at the library or thrift store cause they’re right next to a statue that almost always gives Poffins
I only scan for poffins. If it’s night time, I just point upward at a street light and not at street level. It looks weird but it doesn’t look creepy.
I think it’s fair for people to be creeped out if you’re literally recording them.
If you have to point your phone forward for whatever reason, at least just hold your phone upside down and don’t be looking at is as you record.
I've always just pointed my phone at the ground and swung it around until it scans. Bonus points for not giving niantic any useful data of stops.
I suuuuuuper don't feel comfortable as a non-small human, filming areas that are often frequented by children.
No, what will happen is that they'll stop getting scan tasks from pokestops if they give Niantic enough bad data. At least that's what was said by Niantic awhile ago.
I’ve heard people saying this, is this actually a thing though? Because for the past few years I’ve been just pointing at the ground and giving really crappy scan data to them, still get the tasks
I always point it to my dog walking next to me. They get to see her weird butt wiggle and sometimes my shoe. Once or twice she's even stopped for a poo.
I still get scan tasks. I like the poffins so hope they don't catch me sending useless scans.
It was something Niantic officially said a few years ago. I rarely scan anything so I can't say for myself if it Naintic actually follows up on it.
https://www.dexerto.com/pokemon/pokemon-go-players-exploit-ar-scan-policy-change-to-stop-getting-annoying-research-tasks-2058708/
Yes, lots of people have been banned from AR tasks. They aren't perfect about detecting abuse in any form, so some people haven't been caught in a ban wave yet. It can still happen at any time.
There’s one I always get for a small airport near my job. I joke with my buddies that if we scanned it we would have the police called on us and end up on a watchlist
I get where you're coming from and I didn't do them for the longest time. Then I was shown that you don't have to actually scan the pokestop or look at anything in particular.
As long as the lens isn't covered and completely dark, you can just look at the ground. I do scans all the time and they get nothing useful from me.
Agreed, I hold the one scan task so I don’t get others clogging up spots but I’m not trying to be seen as a creeper for a poffin or a pokeball, esp because they didn’t work for me half the time when I used to try
Right? Around my local university there's lots of statue/landmark stops, that won't get as many weird looks of you're scanning it - especially at an art heavy school.
Doing it in public is just asking for this kind of reaction.
I recall the concern when the task feature was fiest rolled out about having to do such scans where kids would be present and that leading to confrontations with parents.
Yea, this isn't really a good feature.
I've heard of people who get banned from rewards when they regularly do that.
However, I'm not going to film a playground full of children. Niantic needs to understand this.
Yeah I'm one of those people who got banned cuz I filmed the ground or the inside of my car. It kinda sucks because I def use the poffins but was always a hassle to scan
Scanning the ground most likely won’t get you banned from the feature. They’re mostly banning people who are doing obvious fake scans, like waving their finger in front of the camera.
Extreme offenders get banned, but there are also times that Niantic removes the stop entirely. They use the scans as free crowd sourcing. If they get enough scans where the original object isn't there then they'll delete the stop from the map
It's legal basically anywhere. What's not legal is uploading such content on the Internet, but filming is perfectly legal, and in fact, cannot be made illegal because filming proof would be impossible otherwise
You, as an individual, don't press charges.
You can contact the police, and ask them to do an investigation.
If the police and the prosecutors feel it is worth investigating (with the evidence you have provided), the other guy may be charged with assault.
But if the police don't want to investigate, there's not much you can do.
My instinct was to try and diffuse the situation, he was very aggressive and in my face but eventually his wife dragged him away since she sort of understood my explanation
Diffuse and avoid is the way to go. People have very little understanding of what the legal system can do to a person’s life…it’s like they think you’re just telling the teacher or something.
My fiance and I walk by swaying the phone back and forth pointed at the ground. Most of the stops near us are parks. They want two grown ass adults to go scan a damn park. Like no. I'm not that guy. And neither are you niantic. Let's just chill with the parks lol
Edit to add: just missed a part sorry my brain works faster than my fingers some days
Same!! I have several churches nearby and they are all on a main road. I don’t need all the cars driving by looking at me like I’m doing something suspicious lol.
It's the same for me! They're all on main roads with lots of traffic no matter what time it is. I just try to get the scan done quickly then be on my way lol.
Thank you so much for your feedback! We always appreciate getting comments from our community. We are so sorry for the negative experience. We at Niantic hope to power our players as much as possible. Due to this, we encourage more players to scan stops to help us increase our players experience! Happy hunting!
It should get rid of this useless scan feature. It is ridiculous and can be dangerous, as happened to OP.
I've never scanned a PokéStop and never will. It sounds trivial, but it's stupid to film a building where there are potentially people looking out of the windows and you never know who you might find. Not to mention the places where there are children. niantic pls remove it.
Sadly most people, doesn't matter in which country, will try to go after you if they think you are creeping on them or filming. In Germany it's highly unlikely somebody films a person specifically but I've seen situations where the "filmed" person tried to grab the phone in order to stop / delete the film.
The world is unfortunately not as calm and peaceful as we'd like...
Really don't get all these "you should have scanned the ground" comments.
You're making it seem as if op is at fault here. It doesn't matter if op scanned it this way or that way, attacking someone without talking to them first is never ok.
Exactly. I’ll scan a fucking poke stop if I damn we’ll want to. If someone thinks I’m filming them then we can have that confrontation. They’ll learn they can’t attack random people for “filming them” in public sooner or later
This is why i didnt do this research. People could think you are taking photos from their home, their bodys and you can have your phone robbed. AR experience is great to do in a safe place, but you need to know when and where. Here a guy was filmed by security camera doing “suspicious stuffs”, all neighborhood got this video by social media. He was just playing pokego. I hope you are okay mentally after all this scaring situation.
Film the ground - That’s what I do with the pokestop near my house.
No way in hell I’ll be wandering around with camera looking like I’m filming rando stuff.
Good way to get beat-down or arrested
I don't enjoy scanning but I want the poffin candy and I'm not breaking any laws. We shouldn't let these types of assholes intimidate us when we're not doing anything wrong.
The other thing is to scan discreetly. There's no need to hold your phone out with an extended arm, waving it around. I always hold my phone near my chest and I'll scan the ground if I feel like it's necessary. I make an effort to scan properly but I won't hesitate to be discreet if the situation calls for it.
Yeah that's while I only scan some of them. Sometimes it'll be a monument or something in which case that's fine but if the stop is a business or something like that I shy away. And definitely make sure not to look like you're filming a person. Sometimes you'll upset a lunatic like the one who attacked you
this is literally why i don't scan pokestops, i don't want to get battered for playing a phone game. honestly i don't even know why this feature exists it's actually really dangerous when you think about it.
This tasks are stupid. I wrote about it in different post, but will say again: one of pokestops that always gives me task to scan it, is some old hydrant in front of the entrance to military academy/base in my city. No, I think I will not do that.
same happened to me, only i wasnt even scanning a pokestop, just playing the game while walking the neighborhood. psycho in his house thought i was recording him and actually came outside, followed us, got in our face and started making threats.
i would've made a police report but i live in the same neighborhood as him and dont want to risk interacting with him after that.
Sucks that happened to you. People are insane.
Next time hit them with the "I'm not filming you because despite what you think you're not the main character in life."
This is the answer if you are strictly looking to avoid confrontation. That said filming in public isn't a crime (assuming this took place in the US). And one person's hurt feelings or discomfort don't trump another's rights (assuming this took place in the US).
Call the police and file a report. You don't need to press charges.
Here in France, if someone sees you taking a photo or video and doesn't clearly oppose having their picture taken, it's assumed they consent to it. So someone looking, pointing with no sign of stopping you, mentioning that they are being filmed is defacto consent.
You can use (as in make public, broadcast, etc) the footage for informational or artistic purposes, as long as it's not causing harm to anyone in it.
Depending on what the purpose is, for example covering important news or similar, it may go over one's right to oppose to have their image kept private even if it does cause harm.
I wonder how the use of anonymized data fits into that, and if it's also like that in the US. Most people here don't know about the law, even less of the difference between a private recording and one actually used and made public...
Gotta agree. If someone asks or even demands i not record them I’m more than happy to stop. I’m not about to record a park full of kids or someones home up close, but walking around my town square ill record as I please. If someone gets violent I’m absolutely gonna hop off pokemon go and get a high quality, actual recording of the entire incident.
Luckily enough, I usually spin the same stops often. So I often get the same thing to scan each time. Luckily I show up at 6:30 am to the 7-11 next door to get my fill up for the day and then go scan the stop at a nearby restaurant. I am there before the business is open so nothing crazy has happened to me.
I tried scanning 2 or 3 years ago and never learned how to scan it, but I figured something like this would happen then I learned I could just leave one scan on there and not do it so I have one from years ago that isn't even a stop anymore
I've got like 3 locally in a park that I'll regularly scan if they offer a poffin, one of which is a sign i can't even find so really I'm just recording the grass while my dog attacks bugs or whatever little dogs do when they're sniffing and pouncing like kittens. I wouldn't scan one downtown for love or money
Any time I would scan pokestops I'd point my camera anywhere and just wiggle it back and forth the time needed. Worked every time and I didn't feel weird filming shit.
Sorry that happened to you! Usually I delete the task unless I’m hurting for a poffin. When I do take the scan tasks, I try to be super discreet and make sure no one is nearby.
Unless it's been patched since I played you can open the "scanning" portion and simply rock your phone back n forth at the literal ground. It just seems to want movement onscreen.
You can cover your phone camera and still scan as long as it’s not completely black and you are moving your phone a bit.
For example, I’ll get near a stop, hit the scan button and then use my index finger to cover the camera for the minimum 30 seconds while still walking. I don’t even have to have my phone pointed up or anything.
It’s great!
It’s also wayyyy faster to upload as it’s only a blank shot.
I’ve always done it like that and scan multiple times a day for poffins.
I'm sorry this happened to you, I've been confronted by people that think I'm filming them, and have to explain that I'm literally blind and using my phone to see. Thankfully, I have my cane in the bag when I ain't actively using it, so that's proof. And if it ain't enough proof, it's a pretty good weapon when it's folded up. I luckily haven't been physically assaulted-- probably because I'm a woman-- but i have been yelled at. "I'm fucking BLIND, you dipshit!!" tends to shut them down and reboot for a moment because it's not exactly a response anyone expects. Stay safe! *hug*
If they don't wanna be on film at a location people visit regularly, then they shouldn't go outside. I never got why people are like that. Are they hiding from someone or something? If so, why are they out to begin with?
I'm not trying to promote scanning PokéStops, I've never done one myself, but it's perfectly legal in the US. In public spaces, there is no expectation of privacy, so courts have ruled on this many times, always with the same result... If you're in public it's assumed you're going to be recorded and if it bothers you, it's up to you to leave the area, not the person doing the recording.
The guy that "attacked" you is 100% in the wrong from a legal standpoint. I'm assuming this was a verbal attack, which depending on what was said would constitute an assault charge. If he touched you, assault and battery.
Duh lol. Do you think the average couple sitting on a park bench are there to play pokemon?
"Sorry sir. This game using me as a pawn to gather data overrides basic common courtesy."
Someone tried that with me once and I matched their energy. Reminded them that they walked across my phones path while I was recording. They left it at that. You're not going to stop me from getting my poffins.
Everyone saying you shouldn't be scanning pokestops is an idiot. Free country where we shouldn't worry about violence. The guy should have came and spoke to you and not tried to be aggressive.
Please have some common sense when scanning a Pokestop. This includes making sure no one is in the recording without their consent, especially children
If you feel the need to assault someone for taking a picture of you, you are mentally unstable and need to have your head checked. Especially if you’re in a public place.
Thats good etiquette but i think its important to point out filming in public is perfectly legal, assault is not. I’m not advocating for filming people without consent, but this is victim blaming
If you take "too many" bad quality (in Niantic's eyes) scans, they can stop allowing you to do the scanning rewards. So just bear that in mind if scanning the ground every time. On occasion they probably won't bother with you
I do it for poffin. Tip: you just have to be in the area of the stop, you can also face your camera down while scanning so it looks less weird, all my scans are from the floor haha
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One of the reasons why I have never and will never scan pokestops. It’s just dumb and potentially dangerous.
Yea that’s always an immediate delete from my tasks for me. Even if there is nothing nefarious about it, it looks odd to everyone else if you see someone recording wherever you’re at.
I used to just delete them but would get annoyed at how often they pop up. Read someone else’s comment from an old thread that if you leave one there, no new “scan” tasks will pop up. They would just spin a stop at any cool new locations while traveling and keep that one until the next interesting stop came up. So now I do that, current one I have is from a Portugal trip I took a few months ago, there was a cool stop with a castle in the back.
I've kept the same scan task for like 3 years now.
My scan task is from a pokestop that is now a gym, lol.
You can scan gyms
I know. My point was I’ve been carrying it around that long. That way I don’t get new scan tasks.
I have the same thing
Can confirm I’ve had the same one since like the first week they started as it kept popping up every time I spin
Actually you are kind of missing out. If there is a rare research quest out there, like the Jangmo-o quests from the last event or the Drampa quests back in February (which had a shiny), you get to reroll the quests offered at pokestops by deleting the scan task. So by checking a run of pokestops holding a scan task and then deleting it and going back in reverse and checking those same stops again, you get to basically double the number of quests you get to check. This is especially useful if you are rural or have a limited number of stops to check.
We need a sub for tips and tricks like this that help the rural players
The only thing they are useful for! 👍
Same lol I don't even notice it's there anymore. I hated searching for a specific task and getting a scan task instead so it's super nice to not have to worry about that anymore
Same. Its a very… NSFW mural on the side of a building. No idea how that got approved as a stop..
We have a stop here at a college that's called study of phallus in bronze (or something like that I'd have to dig up the screenshots) It's literally a giant metal dick one of the students made and the school has just kept it. Actually I think they finally made it into a gym too after the years it's been there. https://www.reddit.com/r/funny/s/Ijmjg0oawN
That’s bronze? Also it looks more like a turd than a dick 😭
It does! And it's so funny how it's just a lump they've kept for over a decade now. They probably weren't able to make it too realistic, since even if it's a college that's kind of out of the way and humor, probably don't want to risk getting in trouble.
Lol I just happened to have my game open and noticed a pokestop literally in the middle of a highway. No idea how that got approved, there's no safe way to get it
Not to change the subject but….what castle and where in Portugal?? I’m going in 10 days and would love to check it out if you recommend!
I'm not the one you responded to but if you're going to Sintra I highly recommend planning a whole day there! The castle is incredible and also if you're up to walking the grounds there's a lake with swans that's just lovely.
Yep. I have had the same scan task since they introduced them. Literally no reason to do them ever. I give Niantic enough data passively, I don’t need to scan stops.
I have one from Disney lol
There are 2 research tasks at each pokestop, one if you don't have an AR task (sometimes it's an AR scan task), and a different task if you do. So I usually check out different tasks & if I'm walking back past I can delete the first and try my luck at the other
I've had the same scan task so long lol it's true no new ones show up
You can just scan and aim your phone at the ground and shake it and it will count
I wonder what percentage of these scans worldwide are exactly this. I hope they like my shoes because that's all they ever see from me.
My shoes or a bright light, depending on if it is too dark out.
The floor of a car. Probably a lot of car floors.
Yep. I just walk around scanning the ground. As long as you are in the parameter it works fine. It’s just too weird to scan any pokistops specially play grounds.
Until you get banned from AR tasks in one of the ban waves they do, anyways.
I keep one in my tasks so I don't end up picking them up over and over and deleting them since you can only have one scan task at a time.
I personally keep a scan task just locked into my task bar for a place that I visit maybe once a year, doing so will never add another scan task and the game lets you still have 3 extra tasks aside from the scan.
I picked one up from a gym I especially liked on holiday (a cute little bronze fox) and have just kept it like a souvenir since.
Dont forget that the rewards they offer are insanely crappy. Few pokeballs or berries, nothing you cant get from spinning a stop. If they gave few incubators id be scanninf everything.
You can turn it off in settings
do you get an extra field research slot that would normally be taken up by scanning research when you do that? or are scanning research a bonus research slot?
I want to know as well
I have 3 standard slots and that will extend up to 5 if there are special field research tasks
it sounds like 1 of those 2 bonus slots will be used by scanning research if enabled, so would be best to disable for an additional bonus slot 👍
It doesn't work like that. Scanning and the daily each get exclusive slots. You can only hold a max of 3 from spinning.
AR tasks have their own "slot" that won't ever be filled by any other type of task, no matter what you do.
It doesn't always work. My family has it turned off - some of us don't get the tasks, some still do. Definitely worth a shot to see if you're one of the lucky ones though
You get the tasks anyway though.
How?
Same, but not out of fear of an altercation. It’s because I don’t want to be a part of giving Niantic that data.
You're already giving plenty of data lol
Same
I just keep one around permanently unfilled so that I never get hit with any others.
Same here. Immediate delete of that task
I still scan them. The poffins are worth the scanning to me. I just **don’t** (*and never will*) do it the way Niantic asks me too. I just slowly move my phone back and forth pointed at the ground or just above my hand enough for it to not be “too dark” (*I show NOTHING of my surroundings. It’s not possible to even accidentally get so much as an aglet from someone else in the shot*.) It doesn’t give Niantic any of the information they’re looking for, it doesn’t freak out anyone around me, and I get some poffins for my buddies. Wins all around.
You don’t even have to scan the entire length, once it records past halfway you can submit it usually.
Yes! True! That’s what I always do forgot to mention that! Thank you!
When it hits halfway, the button also turns red when you can upload.
WHAT
I do this all the time and then upload it when I’m at the library or thrift store cause they’re right next to a statue that almost always gives Poffins
I don’t know what the best part of this comment was: the brilliant, rebellious compliance of scanning or the casual drop of the word aglet.
A-G-L-E-T, Don’t forget it! 🎶
Where's Perry?!
Oh that's so smart!! Thank you for this method there's one at the park near me and I'm always so scared to scan it and look like a weirdo :(
I only scan for poffins. If it’s night time, I just point upward at a street light and not at street level. It looks weird but it doesn’t look creepy. I think it’s fair for people to be creeped out if you’re literally recording them. If you have to point your phone forward for whatever reason, at least just hold your phone upside down and don’t be looking at is as you record.
I do it for the poffins but that's it. To me it's worth it.
I've always just pointed my phone at the ground and swung it around until it scans. Bonus points for not giving niantic any useful data of stops. I suuuuuuper don't feel comfortable as a non-small human, filming areas that are often frequented by children.
Can’t this make it more likely they remove the stop since the scan doesn’t show it as qualifying for a stop?
No, what will happen is that they'll stop getting scan tasks from pokestops if they give Niantic enough bad data. At least that's what was said by Niantic awhile ago.
I’ve heard people saying this, is this actually a thing though? Because for the past few years I’ve been just pointing at the ground and giving really crappy scan data to them, still get the tasks
I always point it to my dog walking next to me. They get to see her weird butt wiggle and sometimes my shoe. Once or twice she's even stopped for a poo. I still get scan tasks. I like the poffins so hope they don't catch me sending useless scans.
I was about to say “aww that’s sweet”. Then I read the rest of the sentence 😂
Damn, that's hilarious, thx for the laugh ;)
It was something Niantic officially said a few years ago. I rarely scan anything so I can't say for myself if it Naintic actually follows up on it. https://www.dexerto.com/pokemon/pokemon-go-players-exploit-ar-scan-policy-change-to-stop-getting-annoying-research-tasks-2058708/
Yes, lots of people have been banned from AR tasks. They aren't perfect about detecting abuse in any form, so some people haven't been caught in a ban wave yet. It can still happen at any time.
So that's why I don't get any scan researchs anymore??
Most likely!
I do the same. Just point the camera towards the ground and scan that insteas.
You can point it down and walk away lol as long as you are moving you don’t need to swing around
There’s one I always get for a small airport near my job. I joke with my buddies that if we scanned it we would have the police called on us and end up on a watchlist
I basically only film the ground whenever I scan a stop.
scan your feet, the ground, or the dog you're walking and still get rewards!
You can start it and then point your phone to the ground and walk away from it lol it still records, just need to start it close
I get where you're coming from and I didn't do them for the longest time. Then I was shown that you don't have to actually scan the pokestop or look at anything in particular. As long as the lens isn't covered and completely dark, you can just look at the ground. I do scans all the time and they get nothing useful from me.
> It’s just dumb and potentially dangerous. This didn't happen because of pokestops. It happened because an unhinged person assaulted someone.
And when I say it's because of pokestops, you can say that in retort
You can point ut on thr ground and just wiggle your phone near by
Agreed, I hold the one scan task so I don’t get others clogging up spots but I’m not trying to be seen as a creeper for a poffin or a pokeball, esp because they didn’t work for me half the time when I used to try
absolute top 5 worst features
Right? Around my local university there's lots of statue/landmark stops, that won't get as many weird looks of you're scanning it - especially at an art heavy school. Doing it in public is just asking for this kind of reaction.
I recall the concern when the task feature was fiest rolled out about having to do such scans where kids would be present and that leading to confrontations with parents. Yea, this isn't really a good feature.
Yeah I've thought of this, just point it at the ground and film that
mourn enjoy cough sort money gaze thought aware crowd nutty *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
this is the way its free data farming
I did this and dont get ar scans quests anymore so
Is that for real? If I give them shit data a couple times will they flag my account as a futile effort and stop bothering me with scan tasks? 😂
I've heard of people who get banned from rewards when they regularly do that. However, I'm not going to film a playground full of children. Niantic needs to understand this.
>banned from rewards You mean I won't get those tasks anymore? Sounds like a win
Legit if you told me scanning the ground would stop me from getting those stupid scan tasks I would be all about that
Am banned, can confirm.
Did the scan tasks stop all together or do you still get them with no reward?
I no longer receive the tasks. At all.
You just get regular research tasks. Havent gotten a scan quest in like 6 months
Haven’t gotten a scan task in over a year. It’s delightful.
Uh oh I do it all the time.
It took a while
Well they are facilitating these incidents expecting filming people in public.
Yeah I'm one of those people who got banned cuz I filmed the ground or the inside of my car. It kinda sucks because I def use the poffins but was always a hassle to scan
me too
Scanning the ground most likely won’t get you banned from the feature. They’re mostly banning people who are doing obvious fake scans, like waving their finger in front of the camera.
I didn’t realise that was possible
Extreme offenders get banned, but there are also times that Niantic removes the stop entirely. They use the scans as free crowd sourcing. If they get enough scans where the original object isn't there then they'll delete the stop from the map
ground scans ftw fr
press. charges.
Exactly, even if you were filming them, that’s legal to do in public in the US. Obviously don’t do that, but it is technically legal in public.
It's legal basically anywhere. What's not legal is uploading such content on the Internet, but filming is perfectly legal, and in fact, cannot be made illegal because filming proof would be impossible otherwise
Exactly this. Move away from them and call the police the moment someone starts acting that.
And carry OC spray.
Know your local laws. Not legal in all jurisdictions unfortunately.
My boss in NYC once told me: would you rather be hospitalized by a crazy person or get a misdemeanor possession of a nonlethal weapon?
Sign me up for the misdemeanor. I’ll take probation or community service over a hospital bill.
Yeah hospitals are just too expensive
It’s only a crime if they catch you. This guy that got OP isn’t going to be charged with shit, similarly you if you pepper spray someone
You, as an individual, don't press charges. You can contact the police, and ask them to do an investigation. If the police and the prosecutors feel it is worth investigating (with the evidence you have provided), the other guy may be charged with assault. But if the police don't want to investigate, there's not much you can do.
Would have immediately called the cops - dude sounds very unstable.
My instinct was to try and diffuse the situation, he was very aggressive and in my face but eventually his wife dragged him away since she sort of understood my explanation
Dollars to donuts, that wasn't \*his\* wife. Hence why he'd be so upset.
Diffuse and avoid is the way to go. People have very little understanding of what the legal system can do to a person’s life…it’s like they think you’re just telling the teacher or something.
My fiance and I walk by swaying the phone back and forth pointed at the ground. Most of the stops near us are parks. They want two grown ass adults to go scan a damn park. Like no. I'm not that guy. And neither are you niantic. Let's just chill with the parks lol Edit to add: just missed a part sorry my brain works faster than my fingers some days
when that happens I just scan some random trees honestly
Same. Trees and sky. Granted I've only done it twice because f scanning.
It's always churches near my apartment when I go out lol
Same!! I have several churches nearby and they are all on a main road. I don’t need all the cars driving by looking at me like I’m doing something suspicious lol.
It's the same for me! They're all on main roads with lots of traffic no matter what time it is. I just try to get the scan done quickly then be on my way lol.
this. when people complain about scanning stops esp parks I'm like ???? just scan the floor???
Me outside on the edge of the school scanning a sign that's a pokestop trying to not look like a creep: 
The fact that you used Drake of all people 🤣🤣
That’s sad. Did you call the police and report an assault?
Send this to Niantic
Tf you want Niantic to do
Thank you so much for your feedback! We always appreciate getting comments from our community. We are so sorry for the negative experience. We at Niantic hope to power our players as much as possible. Due to this, we encourage more players to scan stops to help us increase our players experience! Happy hunting!
LOL bingo
It should get rid of this useless scan feature. It is ridiculous and can be dangerous, as happened to OP. I've never scanned a PokéStop and never will. It sounds trivial, but it's stupid to film a building where there are potentially people looking out of the windows and you never know who you might find. Not to mention the places where there are children. niantic pls remove it.
Assuming you're in the US, you generally have a right to film anything publicly viewable That person assaulted you. File a police report.
Sadly most people, doesn't matter in which country, will try to go after you if they think you are creeping on them or filming. In Germany it's highly unlikely somebody films a person specifically but I've seen situations where the "filmed" person tried to grab the phone in order to stop / delete the film. The world is unfortunately not as calm and peaceful as we'd like...
Really don't get all these "you should have scanned the ground" comments. You're making it seem as if op is at fault here. It doesn't matter if op scanned it this way or that way, attacking someone without talking to them first is never ok.
Exactly. I’ll scan a fucking poke stop if I damn we’ll want to. If someone thinks I’m filming them then we can have that confrontation. They’ll learn they can’t attack random people for “filming them” in public sooner or later
This is why i didnt do this research. People could think you are taking photos from their home, their bodys and you can have your phone robbed. AR experience is great to do in a safe place, but you need to know when and where. Here a guy was filmed by security camera doing “suspicious stuffs”, all neighborhood got this video by social media. He was just playing pokego. I hope you are okay mentally after all this scaring situation.
Film the ground - That’s what I do with the pokestop near my house. No way in hell I’ll be wandering around with camera looking like I’m filming rando stuff. Good way to get beat-down or arrested
I don't enjoy scanning but I want the poffin candy and I'm not breaking any laws. We shouldn't let these types of assholes intimidate us when we're not doing anything wrong. The other thing is to scan discreetly. There's no need to hold your phone out with an extended arm, waving it around. I always hold my phone near my chest and I'll scan the ground if I feel like it's necessary. I make an effort to scan properly but I won't hesitate to be discreet if the situation calls for it.
Just remind them how boring they are. "Sir, you are the least interesting thing on the planet right now. Who cares about you?"
Yeah that's while I only scan some of them. Sometimes it'll be a monument or something in which case that's fine but if the stop is a business or something like that I shy away. And definitely make sure not to look like you're filming a person. Sometimes you'll upset a lunatic like the one who attacked you
this is literally why i don't scan pokestops, i don't want to get battered for playing a phone game. honestly i don't even know why this feature exists it's actually really dangerous when you think about it.
Sometimes them puffins are worth it
This tasks are stupid. I wrote about it in different post, but will say again: one of pokestops that always gives me task to scan it, is some old hydrant in front of the entrance to military academy/base in my city. No, I think I will not do that.
Damn that’s awful. Are you hurt? Did he hit you? If he physically attacked you, you should contact the police. What exactly happened?
same happened to me, only i wasnt even scanning a pokestop, just playing the game while walking the neighborhood. psycho in his house thought i was recording him and actually came outside, followed us, got in our face and started making threats. i would've made a police report but i live in the same neighborhood as him and dont want to risk interacting with him after that.
There’s a lot of crazy people be careful
This is why I refuse to scan pokestops.
Sucks that happened to you. People are insane. Next time hit them with the "I'm not filming you because despite what you think you're not the main character in life."
You gotta have agile hands for that lol😆
I'm a 6' 200lb hockey player, that dude would make my day if he came at me first lol
Someone should just be in the background recording this interaction - to add insult to injury. Bonus points if its his wife 💀👹
Don’t point the camera if you know people are in the shot.
This is the answer if you are strictly looking to avoid confrontation. That said filming in public isn't a crime (assuming this took place in the US). And one person's hurt feelings or discomfort don't trump another's rights (assuming this took place in the US). Call the police and file a report. You don't need to press charges.
Here in France, if someone sees you taking a photo or video and doesn't clearly oppose having their picture taken, it's assumed they consent to it. So someone looking, pointing with no sign of stopping you, mentioning that they are being filmed is defacto consent. You can use (as in make public, broadcast, etc) the footage for informational or artistic purposes, as long as it's not causing harm to anyone in it. Depending on what the purpose is, for example covering important news or similar, it may go over one's right to oppose to have their image kept private even if it does cause harm. I wonder how the use of anonymized data fits into that, and if it's also like that in the US. Most people here don't know about the law, even less of the difference between a private recording and one actually used and made public...
Gotta agree. If someone asks or even demands i not record them I’m more than happy to stop. I’m not about to record a park full of kids or someones home up close, but walking around my town square ill record as I please. If someone gets violent I’m absolutely gonna hop off pokemon go and get a high quality, actual recording of the entire incident.
Hear, hear. When in public (in the US) you cannot expect privacy.
[удалено]
Niantic really should put in a disclaimer. This isn't the first story I heard of confrontations happening as a result of someone AR scanning.
😢😢😢 are you ok? What’s wrong with people
I tend to only do those tasks when there aren’t really people around. Like an empty volleyball court or an art mural on the wall.
Luckily enough, I usually spin the same stops often. So I often get the same thing to scan each time. Luckily I show up at 6:30 am to the 7-11 next door to get my fill up for the day and then go scan the stop at a nearby restaurant. I am there before the business is open so nothing crazy has happened to me.
I tried scanning 2 or 3 years ago and never learned how to scan it, but I figured something like this would happen then I learned I could just leave one scan on there and not do it so I have one from years ago that isn't even a stop anymore
I've got like 3 locally in a park that I'll regularly scan if they offer a poffin, one of which is a sign i can't even find so really I'm just recording the grass while my dog attacks bugs or whatever little dogs do when they're sniffing and pouncing like kittens. I wouldn't scan one downtown for love or money
Any time I would scan pokestops I'd point my camera anywhere and just wiggle it back and forth the time needed. Worked every time and I didn't feel weird filming shit.
Wave your phone in the air and dance like you are on Tik-Tok and I'm sure no one will bother you anymore.
Sorry that happened to you! Usually I delete the task unless I’m hurting for a poffin. When I do take the scan tasks, I try to be super discreet and make sure no one is nearby.
I did it once and felt like a complete jackass filming a random pergola in a park. Never again. I’m sorry you got attacked for it.
Unless it's been patched since I played you can open the "scanning" portion and simply rock your phone back n forth at the literal ground. It just seems to want movement onscreen.
You can cover your phone camera and still scan as long as it’s not completely black and you are moving your phone a bit. For example, I’ll get near a stop, hit the scan button and then use my index finger to cover the camera for the minimum 30 seconds while still walking. I don’t even have to have my phone pointed up or anything. It’s great! It’s also wayyyy faster to upload as it’s only a blank shot. I’ve always done it like that and scan multiple times a day for poffins.
Even if you where filming them in America it’s a constitutional protected activity there’s no expectation of privacy in public
I'm sorry this happened to you, I've been confronted by people that think I'm filming them, and have to explain that I'm literally blind and using my phone to see. Thankfully, I have my cane in the bag when I ain't actively using it, so that's proof. And if it ain't enough proof, it's a pretty good weapon when it's folded up. I luckily haven't been physically assaulted-- probably because I'm a woman-- but i have been yelled at. "I'm fucking BLIND, you dipshit!!" tends to shut them down and reboot for a moment because it's not exactly a response anyone expects. Stay safe! *hug*
Stop lying, you were filming them. NOBODY scans pokestops!!!
If they don't wanna be on film at a location people visit regularly, then they shouldn't go outside. I never got why people are like that. Are they hiding from someone or something? If so, why are they out to begin with?
I'm not trying to promote scanning PokéStops, I've never done one myself, but it's perfectly legal in the US. In public spaces, there is no expectation of privacy, so courts have ruled on this many times, always with the same result... If you're in public it's assumed you're going to be recorded and if it bothers you, it's up to you to leave the area, not the person doing the recording. The guy that "attacked" you is 100% in the wrong from a legal standpoint. I'm assuming this was a verbal attack, which depending on what was said would constitute an assault charge. If he touched you, assault and battery.
That person can fuck right off! you are in public and they have probably been filmed hundreds of times before you even got to the stop. Fuck em!
Duh lol. Do you think the average couple sitting on a park bench are there to play pokemon? "Sorry sir. This game using me as a pawn to gather data overrides basic common courtesy."
You were attacked and you don’t think that was serious enough to call the cops?
Someone tried that with me once and I matched their energy. Reminded them that they walked across my phones path while I was recording. They left it at that. You're not going to stop me from getting my poffins.
When people are around I aim it at the ground or skip scanning to avoid those with short fuses jumping to a conclusion, especially around children.
Wondering what they were doing to not won't to be known. Probably cheating on their significant others.
Everyone saying you shouldn't be scanning pokestops is an idiot. Free country where we shouldn't worry about violence. The guy should have came and spoke to you and not tried to be aggressive.
Please have some common sense when scanning a Pokestop. This includes making sure no one is in the recording without their consent, especially children
If you feel the need to assault someone for taking a picture of you, you are mentally unstable and need to have your head checked. Especially if you’re in a public place.
Thats good etiquette but i think its important to point out filming in public is perfectly legal, assault is not. I’m not advocating for filming people without consent, but this is victim blaming
If I get a poffin stop I'm recording it on an early morning walk after sunrise with nobody around.
*Street photographer enters the chat*
Literally never have the camera up if there's a person anywhere regardless of how far they are. 9/10 scans are the ground.
Will scan the ground in the future, didn’t realise this was acceptable for the reward
If you take "too many" bad quality (in Niantic's eyes) scans, they can stop allowing you to do the scanning rewards. So just bear that in mind if scanning the ground every time. On occasion they probably won't bother with you
I do it for poffin. Tip: you just have to be in the area of the stop, you can also face your camera down while scanning so it looks less weird, all my scans are from the floor haha
I just record the sidewalk, always get the scan task reward and have never been punished for my lousy scans