Niantic Labs recently released an update and a fix for Pokemon Go, removing the 3-step glitch and the tracking system. However, they managed to create a really weird effect on the Pokemon you catch, which sometimes turns them into completely different Pokemon.
According to Polygon, some users are reporting that following the most recent Pokemon Go update some of the Pokemon they catch will sometimes turn into different Pokemon. It's not really explained what's going on other than that catching a Pokemon may change it into a completely different type of Pokemon species.
Over on the Pokemon Go sub-Reddit, there's a video posted up from user even-worse who shows a quick demonstration of the glitch in action. They don't say if the glitch ever reverses itself or if it's permanent, but we do get to see some aspect of video evidence proving that catching a Pokemon can turn it into another Pokemon. Check it out below.
So in the video, even-worse attempts to get his hands on a Poliwag. After failing to capture it the first time around, he throws the Pokeball once more and manages to snag the Poliwag. The only problem is that directly after capturing it, when he goes to check on it in the inventory the Poliwag has turned into a Rattata.
According to the post on Reddit, this has happened three times to this player.
Others within the thread mentioned something similar happening to them as well following Pokemon Go's most recent update. One user recounts capturing a Weedle only for it to turn into an Electabuzz.
A couple of other people mentioned that it also happened to them; they were just minding their own business, catching Pokemon when all of a sudden they ended up with entirely different Pokemon from the ones they caught.
I'm sure Niantic will roll out a hotfix for this issue, but if they're pressed enough by the public they might even issue a statement about it. The 3-step glitch attached to the game's tracking system actually did warrant a statement from the developers, as they had to explain that the tracking wasn't working the way that they intended and that it was also being abused by third-party apps using their own means to read the Pokemon Go tracking data in order to create radar systems so gamers could easily find other Pokemon within the vicinity by knowing exactly where they were.
Funnily enough, after removing the tracking system and the 3-step setup, as well as limiting the amount of use players can get out of the Pokemon Go radar apps, Niantic managed to create a whole new kind of glitch that has gamers running around, catching Pokemon that turn into different Pokemon. Some people said it was cool, others are a bit peeved, some even said that this was just Niantic trolling everyone.
I expect the developers to roll out a patch soon enough to fix this new issue in Pokemon Go that will allow for the Pokemon to stay as they are after you catch them.
