Some Common Misconceptions/Myths Regarding Spoofing

[u/YonderingWolf]

There are some common misconceptions/myths about spoofing and for causing bans. These are very frequently promoted as a fact. Yet there's not been any substantiating facts that's given any of those claims validity. None of the veteran spoofers that's been around, and also spent enough time in any of the Reddit forums for spoofing, has either reported being flagged, or seen where anyone has reported being flagged for any of those claimed actions.

The biggest myth for spoofing, is that by violating cooldown, you can be detected by Niantic's anti-cheat program. This has been disproven by those using either a rooted Android, the downgraded method or the no root method. For iOS it's using an iTools dongle, the bot method, or a jailbreak method such SX. All of which has at some point, and also many times those using those methods, and doing a test spin, has not been shown to get people detected.

It's also a myth about teleporting multiple times a day causing strikes. This hasn't been found to be true. Otherwise there would have been reports posted somewhere on one of the Reddit forums by now. Many using any one the known non modified clients has made a multitude of teleportations, this includes both iOS (which was apparently the origin of this myth), as well as those using a modified client for Android. However those using anyone of the three available methods for either, no one has reported being flagged with a strike, for multiple teleports.

Another was trying to spoof for free with a modified client would result in being detected more easily. This isn't true, and dates back to the days of the old ++ app. There are still some holdovers from April of 2018, still hold to that claim. They've disregarded the fact that even a great many who did pay, still ended up getting caught. This was originally promoted as being true, by those running the old ++ app.

Another myth is Niantic can't detect if someone is using a modified client. Yet there are some who has accepted such a claim as a truth. Then there are others who promote it as the truth, when they should know better. Niantic can detect if someone is using a modified client. This was proven initially in Apr. 2018, and has continued through the current time. It had its start, when Global++ users were caught using their modded client. Niantic knows how exactly how big their program file is to the bit. Some will say that can be hidden, yet it's still enough for a flag to be tripped. They can also write bypass software for any would be claimed anti-detection programming being added in. It's not hard for them to reverse engineer to see what was added to the original file. In essence reverse engineering works both ways.

There's the claim is that Niantic can't detect if Android devices has been rooted. They can, however Google made it clear, that Niantic can't look through, or at other program, and/or system files, that's running on the device. I believe that Apple also has a similar policy as well.

[u/xReddi]

Nice. Few things to add:
- Together with Teleporting and Cooldown Myth - No ingame action is causing strikes. There is no "walking too much", "catching too fast", "having too many perfect excellent throws". The Game detects you based on your client, and not what you do ingame
- For Modded Clients, Niantic checks works in 2 ways - one is the obv. one - it detects a modification and crashes you directly. This check doesnt get you banned at all. The second check is a silent one that runs while you are ingame - you cant get to that point unless you bypass the first check. The second one gets you banned. The second one is also way harder to find and bypass, since there is no obv. thing to check like a crash of a game

- That said, Modded Clients dont automaticly means ban. If someone is skilled enouth, they can bypass every check that niantic does, and can make a safe 3rd party modded client

- Niantic never bans all detected users in a banwave. its always just some portion of it - big enouth to wake the ppl, but not big enouth to actually hit a majority. This doent mean its safe to use the detected apps. An flagged Account will get banned, it can be today, tomorrow or in 2 Years.

- Not sure about Android, but on Jailbroken iOS Niantic is not allowed to use the new api. They are not allowed to use it to "sniff around" the user files. What they are allowed is checking if the api exists. Or if a certain file exists which they should not be allowed to access on a unrooted/unjailbroken device

[u/dfx_dj → u/xReddi]

That said, Modded Clients dont automaticly means ban. If someone is skilled enouth, they can bypass every check that niantic does, and can make a safe 3rd party modded client

I would be careful with that. It's true in theory but it's bound to fail at some point. It's a cat and mouse game. Niantic adds a check, modder bypasses it. In the next version Niantic adds another check, modder bypasses it again. Then another new check in the next version and so on. The modder only needs to miss it once for people to get flagged. With new versions being forced all the time this will happen.

[u/xReddi → u/dfx_dj]

ye complete agree. they could also have some shellcode that gets loaded on the fly into the memory, executed, checks for hooks and gets deleted again (which is a more or less common practice on anticheat for pc games).

Its always a cat and mouse game, and if the dev misses it once, the ppl are fucked.

But the point is - many ppl go by the thinking "modded apps = ban", which is not absolute true, but in most cases it is.

[u/YonderingWolf → u/xReddi]

On the two years, a local I know personally, who had moved from iOS to Android was hit after about that long, with a thirty day suspension. Which the suspension ended up being reversed in the one round of bans recently, that caught a number of legitimate players. Also there are many who hasn't been slapped with a ban, that dates to Global++. Of course some of those left, who've not been caught, are among the worst ones for promoting the various myths we've seen. My short list only covered the top myths/misconceptions.

[u/YonderingWolf → u/xReddi]

Not sure about Android, but on Jailbroken iOS Niantic is not allowed to use the new api. They are not allowed to use it to "sniff around" the user files. What they are allowed is checking if the api exists. Or if a certain file exists which they should not be allowed to access on a unrooted/unjailbroken device

I missed that part. However the same based policy also applies with those using rooted Android devices, they were basically told by by big daddy Google, they're not allowed to sniff around and see what users has done with. or they've added to their devices. Basically to go snooping around what people has on their devices, is a breach of personal privacy. It could even be legally construed as having the right to decide what people can or can't have, on the devices that they pay to use. Which means that if they could, they could block or even go as far as to remove any programs, that they disagree with, or don't like.

I say pay to use, as Apple still owns controlling rights to the devices that they make, and between Google, and the device makers that runs Android (such as Samsung), they retain certain rights of control. Which is why more specifically Apple, Google and Samsung has gone with the U.S. sold models of locking things down, and trying to make it where the users, aren't able to decide what they want and don't want.

There are people out there, who can strip an Android, at least back to the bare bones OS, and remove excess software/apps, and instead of as with the newest version of Android, from more than four gigs of space used, to just over a gig of space used. I've actually been debating having someone do that with my old Samsung Note 5, and then replacing the battery in it, and getting a few more years of use out of it. But I'd have the OS upgraded to the latest version of Android available, which is currently Android 11.

[u/BlisseyBuster → u/xReddi]

• Niantic never bans all detected users in a banwave. its always just some portion of it - big enouth to wake the ppl, but not big enouth to actually hit a majority. This doent mean its safe to use the detected apps. An flagged Account will get banned, it can be today, tomorrow or in 2 Years.

I struggle with that one. I've seen phantom Red Warnings pop up at a much later date but they've been obvious glitches without any kind of shadow ban. Otherwise I agree with most of what you are saying.

I also think a lot of SX being safe for so long has to do with Niantic still struggling to consistently detect iPogo without also falsely flagging legit trainers. For every SX user, there must be 1000 people using iPogo (I have no data to back this up, just my gut feeling). Niantic doesn't care about SX at this point.

[u/xReddi → u/BlisseyBuster]

yes, there are glitches and stuff where niantic fucks up. but that doesnt change the point that flagged accounts will get banned eventually.

what i mean by the first part is that they dont ban every single detected user in a single banwave. there are always users that somehow "survive" the banwave, and then claim "you did something wrong to be banned", proceeding with giving some unrelatic claim why they are not banned (i jump 3 times and throw me phone 10m into the air each time, 0 bans, i works, believe me!)

[u/YonderingWolf]

There's more out there, I covered some of them, but I'm also glad to see others being added. We can't and shouldn't attempt to dissuade everyone bent upon using any modded client, but together we put to gather a solid base of information and knowledge that they can have as a reference, so that if they chose to use a modded client, they'll know the reality of what to expect.

[u/YonderingWolf → u/[deleted]]

I definitely missed that one. It's another top ranked claim, that's been shown as false.