Here are some frequently asked questions related to Mission creation, the approval process, and some tips to help you understand common rejection reasons.

Regardless of the rejection reason, consistently resubmitting the rejected Mission without attempting to fix issues, or submitting a Mission multiple times in an effort to get a different outcome may result in your Mission authoring permissions being suspended or permanently revoked


Mission Review Timeline

Agents should allow 10-15 business days for Mission review.

 

Fast Tracking

First Saturday and Second Sunday

We highly recommend Agents submit their Missions with enough time to be reviewed via the normal process. We may consider removing privileges to Agents who abuse the Fast Track system.

To be considered for fast tracking, Missions must

  • Include the following hashtags in the title

    • First Saturday: #IngressFS

    • Second Sunday: #Ingress2S or Second Sunday

  • Be submitted by the Monday before the event; Missions submitted after the Monday before the event may not be reviewed in time.

  • If submitting a banner, it must be a 6 or 12 mission banner; First Saturday and Second Sunday banners larger than 12 missions will be immediately rejected.

    • Submitting Missions from multiple accounts to create a larger banner will also result in rejection of the whole set.

Mission Day

Agents may create complementary banners to support a Mission Day event or provide additional missions for participating Agents to complete. Banners for standalone Mission Days not tied to another Niantic event are not eligible for the fast track at this time.

 

General Tips

  • Mission approval guidelines can and do change over time, similar to Portal (Wayspot) guidelines. Do not assume that because a title, description or picture was used on an existing live Mission, new Missions using the same materials will be approved.

  • Each Mission is reviewed individually regardless of whether it's a single Mission or part of a banner. Each Mission needs to meet Mission criteria and follow Mission guidelines. This means there can be cases where a few Missions in a banner may get approved while others may get rejected if there are issues with the images, text, Wayspots, or passphrases/custom descriptions.

 

Quality Issues

A lack of a clear and informative description and/or title

Agents should 

  • be able to read a Mission’s title and know its theme and general location, and whether it is part of a series or banner, and

  • be able to read a Mission’s description and know why the area or Portals are interesting or how the Portals relate to the theme of the Mission.

Mission Image, description, and/or title are unrelated to the Waypoints chosen

Pick unique Waypoints for your Missions and ensure the description includes context on why these Waypoints were chosen (eg, visit all parks in this town).

Ensure that the Mission image is related to the theme of the Mission, ties in to the title/description of the Mission, and the Wayspots chosen.

Do not use single letters or characters in a Mission image. If you wish to include text in the image, ensure that at least two (or zero) characters are prominent per image.

 

General Tips for Quality Issues

Pick a theme for your Mission. For example, Missions that allow Agents to learn about cultural aspects of a city... the best food, the coolest art, top tourist attractions and other memorable locations.

Create Missions that encourage Agents to explore an area by visiting interesting locations, learning about local history and culture, or enjoying special attractions. Include Portals that showcase the best features, if possible.

Someone unfamiliar with the area should

  • be able to read a Mission’s title and know its theme and general location, and whether it is part of a series or banner,

  • be able to read a Mission’s description and know why the area or Portals are interesting; how the Portals relate to the theme; and if the Mission requires more than a simple short walk, what they need to do to complete it.

Additional Tips for the First Mission of a Banner or Series

Consider providing insights in the very first Mission to allow Agents to determine whether they will be able to complete all missions in the set before starting and getting stuck.

  • Consider mentioning if the set is particularly challenging (e.g. a strenuous hike along the way).

  • Consider informing if Agents should consider driving or biking between locations due to distance.

  • Consider noting if Missions may be difficult or impossible to complete for someone who has a mobility impairment.

 

Promotional Content

Text contains URLs, email addresses or HTML

Update the Mission content and remove URLs, email addresses, or HTML code.

Trying to sell/advertise a product or service

Remove promotional content from the Mission and resubmit for review.

 

Trademark and Copyright Issues

Use of an image or text that isn't yours or that you don't have rights to use or that contains a logo

Ensure you use your own images, or images that are in the Public Domain. Do not download images from the Internet to use as Mission assets without written consent from the creator - EVEN if that asset is already being used in another Mission. Assets that require credit to be given to the author to be used will not be able to be accepted as that violates Promotional Content guidelines.  

"Free to use" does not necessarily mean free for commercial use. Having a license also does not necessarily grant permission to use an asset commercially.

Don’t use logos (for example, of a team or store) or other copyrighted content in your Mission image.

If you have proof of permission to use an asset for commercial purposes, please submit it via a support ticket by clicking Something Else > Events & Missions > Missions.

Use of official Niantic logos or event names (NL1331, Mission Day, etc.)

Do not use official Niantic logos except the First Saturday and Second Sunday Logos and the Enlightened and Resistance Logos. 

Do not use Ingress Medals (achievement medals, event medals, character medals etc.) as Mission images.

Exceptions may be made for unedited assets provided by Niantic explicitly for the use of Mission assets.

Use of Image or Text that claims the Mission as “official", otherwise implies it has special designation, or is endorsed by Niantic (e.g., “The Official Ingress London Mission”)

Do not use Mission names that suggest sponsorship or affiliation. For example, instead of naming your Mission "The Niantic Mission", try "A Mission near Niantic's Office".

Missions that are complementary Missions intended to be done in conjunction with a Mission Day cannot reference Mission Day or MD in the title.

 

Personal Information

Text or images that reveal information about a person’s identity, including (but not limited to) real names, phone numbers, addresses, etc.

Update the Mission content (title, description, passphrases) to remove the personal information.

An image with identifiable people or faces

Modify imagery to blur or hide any identifiable people or faces.
Public figures and fictional characters are permitted.

Full or partial codenames/Agent names (e.g., "Mission idea from @neo" or "this is neo's favorite lunch spot," etc.)

Update the Mission content (title, description, passphrases) to remove the personal information.

 

Inappropriate Content

Defamatory text or image

Primary intention of trolling, harassment, abuse, attack or ridicule

Inappropriate images (including curse words/obscenity)

Remove the offensive/inappropriate content. 

If it seems like context was misunderstood, submit an appeal to provide context and have your Mission re-reviewed. Submit a support ticket by clicking Something Else > Events & Missions > Missions.

 

Incomplete or Spammy Content

Text that implies the Mission is incomplete, involved little effort, or is not ready to be published (e.g., "test Mission")

If the Mission is not ready to be reviewed yet, do not submit it. You can edit the draft version at any time in the Mission Authoring Tool. 

Mission series/banner has repeated Waypoints

A Mission series or banner should encourage exploration; avoid reusing the same Portals or Waypoints multiple times throughout the series or banner.

Ensure the description includes context on why these Waypoints were chosen (eg, visit all parks in this town).

 

Multiple Issues

Missions may have more than one rejection reason. Review the tips above to help address these issues. 

Note: Do not resubmit a Mission without attempting to fix issues. Being a Mission Author is a privilege for Agents who abide by the Mission Criteria. Repeated transgressions may result in Mission authoring permissions being suspended.