PokeStop descriptions not escaping HTML/XML tags?
I recently visited a PokeStop in Dobbs Ferry, NY which had a what looked like HTML or XML tags in its description:
I'm using iPhone 6, app version 0.29.3. Is the app not escaping these tags properly? Is this a known issue? I've also opened a support ticket with Niantic.
Best Answer
Pokemon GO does not have an HTML parser inside their description management code.
The reason you are seeing these tags is because Ingress (used to) supports HTML tags in Portal descriptions, which is where Pokemon GO is pulling this data from.
HTML tags are likely ignored entirely as a catch-all to prevent any form of XSS or "annoying" formatting.
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Answer 2
When a new pokestop is added, the user who adds it can write a description for it. I don't know why Niantic hasn't fixed it, because as one of the comments states, Pokemon GO nor any of Niantic's other published games are known to allow HTML inside the text. HTML is most commonly used for Internet pages... <center> isn't even in HTML. The user must've done that on purpose or copy+pasted it from a website that has that included with the description...
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