‘Pokémon Go’ Update: This event bug that unstars your favorite Pokémon needs to be fixed

Pokémon Go’s legendary event to celebrate the one-year anniversary really shows how far the game has come. In 365 days, we got raids, shiny Pokémon and legendaries, but it hasn’t been without its hiccups.

The latest bug to hit Pokémon Go is an especially bad one that may result in you giving away your strongest and rarest Pokémon. Users on Reddit’s r/SilphRoad have noted that Pokémon previously marked as “favorite” with a star are being unstarred upon being sent back from the gym.

Pokémon Go event bug: Niantic is stopping you from playing favorites

For the uninitiated, Pokémon Go lets you designate your favorite catches with a star in the top right of the status screen. This ensures that you can’t accidentally transfer your favorite Pokémon, at least not quickly.

You can assign a Pokémon a star by tapping it on the top right of the status screen. The problem for many Pokémon that recently return from a gym is that the star disappears without the user doing so themselves. With many players using their best Pokémon in these PoGo gyms, it’s easy to see how quickly this can become a disaster.

Reddit user T1nhead was among the first to notice the issue. When viewing a favorited Pokémon’s screen in the app, the favorite star is noticeably gone. ZombimManGeezus notes that not only is the star removed while the Pokémon is in the gym, but after it returns from the gym as well.

The problem is a relatively recent one, but it may not have originated out of the Pokémon Go legendary event. According to Nightling88, viewing a Pokémon that is defending a gym will remove the star. The post was added to the site on July 19, which was well before the Chicago Pokémon Go Fest.

The bug extends to Pokémon in close proximity to the gym entrant in your roster, according to user IAmA_Wicked_Child. The Pokémon Go player noticed one Pokémon, Blissey, lost its favorite designation. Once they reset Blissey’s star status, the Gyarados next to it lost its star. Tapping on Gyarados’s star resulted in Blissey once again losing its favorite mark.

Something tells us this experience was soundtracked by the classic Yakety Sax.

Pokémon Go event bug: A year later, the game is still buggy

Setting a Pokémon to favorite shouldn’t have to be a Scooby Doo chase scene, and players should be able to use gyms without being faked out. Pokémon Go is the best mobile game we’ve seen from the series, yet launched as bug-ridden app.

A year later, we have some of the best new features to come to the game and some of the worst bugs yet, which is made even worse when considering players have spent the year perfecting their collection. While PvP battles and trading Pokémon are at the top of everyone’s wish list, maybe Niantic and the Pokémon Company should start with stability.

Check out more Pokémon Go news and coverage

Raids are here, and so are Articuno and Lugia! See how to locate the best ones and why they may be the key to legendary Pokémon. Find out how to determine how long it will take you to reach level 40, and see what we think of the Gen 2 Pokémon added to the game. Here are the kinds of Pokémon you get from 10-kilometer eggs, and here’s where you can check out what you missed during the Water Festival and Solstice events.