Description of the Issue: I am submitting this appeal to request the restoration of a recently removed Wayspot. This situation is highly confusing to me and our local player community for the following reasons:
Timeline of Approval: This nomination was initially rejected by reviewers a month ago. However, after I submitted a formal appeal, Niantic staff reviewed it and officially approved it. Based on this professional validation, I established a Gym at this location.
Sudden Removal: Despite being vetted and approved by Niantic just a month ago, the Wayspot was suddenly removed today without any clear reason. This has caused the local Gym to relocate to an entirely inappropriate location, disrupting the local game balance.
Map Discrepancies and Evidence:
Google Maps: The Street View is extremely outdated and does not reflect the current reality.
Local Map (Naver): The most recent update (Jan 2026) shows a “Boiler Company (KyungDong Navien)” sign because that business occupied the space briefly.
Current Status: I have uploaded photos taken today (with date stamps). As you can see, it is currently a Cafe with a proper sign.
Request for Clarification: If there was a fatal issue with this spot, the initial appeal should have been rejected. Since Niantic staff already confirmed its eligibility, I am confused as to whether this removal was due to a malicious report or a misunderstanding of the outdated map data.
Our local community is very disappointed by this sudden change. Since the attached current photos and the previous appeal history prove this is a valid and existing location, I respectfully request that you restore this Wayspot and the associated Gym.
Important Update: Explanation of Signage Changes and Map Discrepancy
To ensure the review team has the full context, I want to clarify the timeline of this location’s signage, which explains why local maps (Naver/Kakao) might appear inconsistent:
Original State: This location was originally operated as a cafe.
Temporary Tenancy (Boiler Company): The cafe went on a temporary hiatus, and the building was leased to a boiler company, “KyungDong Navien.” They installed their own sign, which was captured in the January 2026 Naver Map update.
Restoration of the Cafe: After the lease ended, the boiler company moved out and removed their sign. The original cafe signage was then re-installed/uncovered.
Current Status: Although the sign may look identical to the one from years ago, it is the current, physical sign present at the location today.
It appears the Wayspot was removed because the “Navien” sign on the outdated map was mistaken for the current status. However, Niantic’s own appeal team already verified the restored cafe and approved it just a month ago.
I am providing the most recent photos as evidence that the location has returned to its identity as a cafe. Please rectify this error and restore the Wayspot and its Gym status.
The wayspot may be able to be restored, but the wayfarer team generally don’t have any control over bringing something back as a gym, especially when another gym has already replaced a removed gym. So if it does get reinstated, it will likely be as a Pokéstop and not a gym.
I am deeply questioning the internal process of the Niantic review team. Why would Niantic approve an appeal only to remove the same Wayspot a month later?
Is there absolutely no communication or record-sharing between your review teams? When a change is made to a Wayspot, its historical data—including recent appeal approvals—should be visible. Ignoring your own previous decision is a major administrative flaw.
Simply restoring it as a PokéStop is meaningless in this context. Since the removal was a direct result of Niantic’s inconsistency, I expect a full restoration of its Gym status.
I am not looking for a generic response that says “the decision is final.” I want a clear explanation of this error and a manual correction to fix the game infrastructure that was broken by your mistake.
Only the Wayfarer Team will know exactly what happened here.
Evidence is required for a removal and they will be able to review that.
You write:
I don’t know if I am reading this correctly but it sounds as though you tried to manipulate the outcome of triggering a gym to be at a location of your choosing.
It has been stated by Niantic that this is not considered to be acceptable behaviour, and could be subject to sanctions. This because you are trying to weight things in game in your favour.
Just because you find the new gym location inappropriate for your plans does not mean there is an issue.
For now you have to wait for the wayfarer team to review all the evidence around this POI and reach a conclusion. I think it unlikely that they will provide any details, so perhaps consider that during the waiting period and try not to expect too much.
To clarify, there was no ‘manipulation’ involved. I am a single-account user who contributes to the local community by nominating valid POIs. The community members who use these spots daily chose to interact with the photos and vote based on their own preferences using legitimate in-game features. This is a natural part of community engagement, not a violation of terms.
The core issue here is not my ‘plans’ or ‘preferences’—it is Niantic’s administrative inconsistency. This spot was personally vetted and approved by Niantic’s appeal team as a valid, permanent business.
If Niantic’s official staff deemed it a valid and high-quality location, it should not be removed based on an erroneous report or outdated map data. Shifting the focus to my ‘intent’ does not change the fact that a Niantic-approved location has been wrongly deleted. I am simply asking for a fair review of the evidence I’ve provided
I’m glad to hear the clarification of what you wrote.
You will have to wait for the review, to see if the evidence you have provided is now sufficient for the wayspot to be restored. Staff only remove if evidence is provided.
If you suspect malicious intent p,ease do complete this form.
I appreciate the restoration of the Wayspot, but the following issues must be addressed to ensure the integrity of the game:
1. Clarification of Removal Cause: Was this removal caused by a malicious user report or an internal error? Since a Niantic staff member had already manually verified and approved this location a month ago, this deletion should never have happened. If it was a false report, I expect appropriate sanctions against the reporter.
2. Restoration of Gym Status: The original Gym status was transferred to an unintended location due to this erroneous removal. As this was a mistake on Niantic’s part, I request a manual correction to restore the original Gym status to this Wayspot to fix the broken local gameplay balance.
3. Preventing Future Abuse: If the community sees that even a Niantic-vetted Wayspot can be easily removed through false reporting or inconsistent reviews, it will encourage malicious users to abuse the system to eliminate rival Gyms. This case needs to be handled as a serious precedent to prevent such “system gaming.”
I look forward to your professional resolution on these matters.
I don’t understand the question. There is no fault of yours. I was showing you how Niantic had replied to similar requests to return the restored Wayspot to gym status. They have said that they are unable to do that.
“I’ve lost all motivation. My efforts feel pointless when the system ignores user-voted Gyms. Let me know when the system is actually improved. I’m done until then.”
