Since its launch in July 2016, Pokémon Go used the same set of avatars to let players customize their own Trainer character. That changed with a massive April update, leaving thousands begging Niantic for a way to revert to the original designs.
On April 17, 2024, Niantic started rolling out its “Rediscover” update for Pokémon Go, which added various visual changes. This included a hefty overhaul to the game’s Trainer avatars for the first time ever, with the idea being the update was supposed to let players make their character look “even more like YOU!” Instead, fans have widely panned it for ruining their avatar, even though the patch added nice customization options, and demand for a way to go back to the older models has skyrocketed.
Can you still use the old Pokémon Go avatars? How to change back
As of the “Rediscover” update going live on April 17, there is no way to change your Pokémon Go avatar back to the original design. There is also no way to avoid having your avatar updated to the new model since it was part of an actual update for the game.
Essentially, now that these new avatars are in the game, you are stuck using them instead of the original designs created by legendary Japanese character artist Yūsuke Kozaki. Even with massive backlash toward this updated look, Niantic has not acknowledged the community’s negative takes or made any statement on a potential way to go back to the old avatars.
Just like with the controversial Remote Raid changes made in April 2023, Niantic will likely ignore most of the negativity since it is going to come from the vocal minority of players, leaving these new models as the only option now.
