When I came home from work today, I noticed that one of the PokéStops in our village is missing. It was one of the older ones (accepted on 2021-07-08) and today it suddenly disappeared. At first, I asked in our local WhatsApp group if someone might have moved it or changed something, but nobody did. When I later went to the location itself, the PokéStop object was still physically there (it has not been removed or altered; it has been there permanently for several years now). On the in-game Pokémon GO map, however, it no longer appears.
Initially, I suspected it may have been moved to another cell, but that wouldn’t really make sense, because the original location matched the real-world location accurately, and it is placed exactly in the center of a cell, so that explanation doesn’t fit either. So I have to assume that it has been removed.
Unfortunately, I do not know the reason for this, because the PokéStop has been there for around 4 years. It is a small book exchange box mounted on a wall right next to the sidewalk (not on private property). It is one of several small community exchange stations in our village where people can swap books or seeds. The photos I originally submitted clearly show everything, which is why it was accepted immediately back then.
In my opinion, the PokéStop is definitely a point of interest and encourages people to stop by. Over the years, several similar exchange boxes have been built in the village because they are very popular, which is why I don’t understand why this one was removed. Are there any new rules or something similar?
I would really appreciate if a Niantic staff member or someone else here could help me. The PokéStop coordinates are 52.572045, 9.605789. The stop was placed about 10 meters offset from the exact object location, but still within the same cell. It has been like that for 4 years and you can see everything clearly in Street View. I have attached a few pictures as well.
Thank you in advance, and sorry for the long message haha.
Looking at the coordinates you provided and comparing them with the map, it actually looks more like 20 metres.
If the building that it’s attached to the wall of is a single family private residence, then it would be ineligible and should not have been accepted (regardless of whether it was originally placed in the correct position or not).
Thank you for the comment!
I understand your concern, but I’d like to clarify that the little book exchange is not located on private residential property, but directly next to the public sidewalk. It’s fully accessible to everyone without having to enter any private area or pass through a gate.
The book exchange was actually built by local residents with the permission of the property owners, specifically so it could be used by the public. The intention from the beginning was for it to be a community feature, open to everyone.
I agree that the current marker on the map isn’t placed exactly on the real-world location, but it’s definitely not 20 meters away either. I’ve attached a screenshot showing the correct position more accurately. The real location is right on the wall facing the sidewalk, outside the private property line.
If you check the area in person (or in Street View), you can clearly see that it’s accessible directly from the street and not within private residential grounds. That’s why I believe this place still meets the criteria for a publicly accessible Point of Interest.
Even if the property owner gave permission for the LFL to be built, if the property is SFPFP, it’s ineligible per Wayspot criteria:
It’s also against criteria to misplace Wayspots in order to get a game play location. This is considered manipulating the game board, which is considered abuse.
Thank you for the clarification and for explaining the criteria! I really appreciate it.
I just want to make clear that I never intended to abuse the system or manipulate the game board in any way. When I originally submitted this nomination back in 2021, the marker was simply placed a few meters off by mistake not intentionally. It has always been within the same cell, so gameplay-wise it wouldn’t have made any difference.
My only goal was to represent the real-world location accurately, as the book exchange is publicly accessible right next to the sidewalk. But I understand the clarification about the rules and appreciate you taking the time to explain it.
Also, thank you for pointing this out, because in the past I have personally approved similar nominations as a reviewer, thinking that such locations wouldn’t count as private property. Your explanation really helps me understand the criteria better, and it will definitely help me make more accurate judgments on future nominations.
