A recent Pokemon GO update has introduced a frustrating glitch: players are finding their avatar's skin and hair colors unexpectedly altered. This is just the latest in a series of avatar-related issues that have angered many players.
On April 17th, Niantic released an update intended to "modernize" player avatars. However, the community overwhelmingly considered the changes a visual downgrade.
Now, a new update has compounded the problem. Numerous players report logging in to find their characters sporting entirely different skin and hair colors, leading some to suspect hacking. One player's post vividly illustrates the drastic changes: their avatar went from light skin and white hair to dark skin and brown hair—a completely different person. While a fix is hopefully imminent, Niantic has yet to officially address this issue.
New Pokemon Go Update Altered Avatar Skin and Hair Color
This latest glitch continues the controversy sparked by April's avatar update. Rumors quickly circulated that the update was rushed, prompting speculation about the reasons behind the perceived visual decline compared to older models.
Niantic further fueled the fire by using the older, better-received avatar models in advertising for paid clothing items. This was seen by many as a tacit admission that the new avatars were inferior.
The resulting backlash included review bombing on app stores. Despite this, Pokemon GO maintains relatively high ratings—3.9/5 on the App Store and 4.2/5 on Google Play—demonstrating a surprising resilience to the negative feedback.
