'Pokémon Go' Update 0.63.4 and 1.33.4: APK datamine is small, gets fans hyped for what's coming

Niantic tends to be pretty tight-lipped about Pokémon Go updates. Some of the biggest hints at changes have happened in Wired Germany, the Brazilian newspaper O Globo and an acceptance speech at the Webby Awards. Each of these were disseminated by fans hungry for any news about updates.

To counteract the relative dearth of said updates, Pokémon Go fans have started to datamine the game's APKs, since they contain valuable information about what might be coming in the game.

The latest one, 0.63.4, might be small, but fans are hopeful that it's a prelude to something bigger.

Pokémon Go APK 0.63.4: Fans are hopeful for bigger changes on the horizon

According to the Silph Road, the current APK was very light, and contained only two minor updates. Changes were implemented to handle PTC login errors, and the system now runs closer to the Unity engine than it used to.

Android versions of the game now have a new variable each, but it's unclear what these are used for, if anything. Assuming they're not just a relic from another update, the Silph Road thinks that they may be used to file bug reports, though there's no way to verify that.

Although the APK was extremely light, the Silph Road still seemed positive about them. Part of this is because there's always the supposition that these might be anti-botting measures, however unlikely that may be.

There are bigger updates on the way this summer, such as the rumored Fire and Ice event taking place in mid-June, and Niantic's promise of big changes this summer. It stands to reason that a less-than-exciting APK datamine isn't as disappointing to the community as it otherwise would be.

Hopefully a smaller APK update means that Niantic is just getting their Psyducks in a row to prep for their bigger summer events — which will likely require a good bit of tweaking as well — but until we're in the thick of those, it's still too soon to say.

More Pokémon Go news and coverage

If you're just booting up your Pokémon Go account, check out our first impressions of the Gen 2 update. You'll also want to learn more about the Unown and new evolutionary items like the Sun Stone and more. If you're looking for a list of evolutions that weren't initially revealed by Niantic, this article is your guide.

If you're more interested in the main games, here's the latest on a possible Pokémon title on the Nintendo Switch: Pokémon Stars. And if you're itching to learn about the other mobile Nintendo games, check out our coverage of Fire Emblem Heroes and Super Mario Run.