As we all know, Niantic has announced that some pandemic-related bonuses will be wound back. This includes buddies only bringing gifts once a day. Niantic should delay this change until after it has introduced the long awaited giftable search function.

While people are generally able to go out for walks even in areas with hard lockdowns, it's quite unlikely you can spin 20 stops on a short walk in the suburbs. Because of the walking distance between stops, I usually use as many pokeballs as I gain. I only gain pokeballs when I sit in a place with multiple stops and keep spinning, usually when I'm at the shops or waiting for a bus. In Melbourne at least, it is not permitted for you to stop while exercising and you can only travel 5km from home.

So it's quite difficult for those under lockdown to gain enough pokeballs without people sending them gifts. The poor UI makes it difficult for us to send them gifts. The new grey arrow feature is helpful, but it's annoying to scroll up and down. If you leave the window to catch something you need to scroll again. Which takes forever. Giftable makes gift sending easier.

I'm fortunate enough to be in a place that is not lockdown. But I remember what it was like under lockdown. The distraction of catching Pokemon is nice. With the mental health challenges, receiving gifts from friends is nice. And I have an underlying medical condition so I self impose lockdown when cases rise - there will be many who do the same thing.

Niantic, help us help those who are in lockdown by sending gifts. I know it's just a game, but a little fun is important in these dark times. What benefit is there to cause those already suffering hardship further difficulties?