Pocket Edition unused features

This article is about Pocket Edition unused features. For the PC edition, see Unused features.

This page is about features that were added to Pocket Edition, but have no actual use or are simply placeholders for new features.

Blocks & Items

Glowing Obsidian

Main article: Glowing Obsidian

Glowing Obsidian blocks were part of the now obsolete Nether Reactor. It emits a soft red glow at light level 12, and drops a single obsidian when broken with a diamond pickaxe. It can only be obtained using inventory editors or Silk Touch. As of 0.12.1, this block doesn't generate anymore. The block may still be obtained using inventory editors or by retaining it from previous worlds before the update.

reserved6

reserved6

Type	Unknown
Physics	No
Transparency	No
Luminance	None
Tool	Any tool
Data value	dec: 255 hex: FF bin: 11111111
Name	reserved6

reserved6 is an unused block present in Pocket Edition. It acted as a placeholder block for Fire between Alpha 0.3.3 and Alpha 0.6.1, due to a bug in fire spreading mechanics that caused fire to spread to any block. The block looks like a gray stained clay. In Alpha 0.7.0, fire was returned with fixed spreading mechanics, replacing it. Its data value, however, changed to ID 255. Currently, it can only be obtained through inventory editing, however in Alpha 0.15.0, the reserved6 was removed completely and the texture was shown as info update block.

Nether Reactor Core

Main article: Nether Reactor Core

The functionality of the Nether Reactor was removed in Pocket Edition 0.12.1. However, the reactor core block still exists in game, and can be obtained through inventory editing or by retaining it from previous worlds before the update. It now drops its ingredients (unless mined with Silk Touch), allowing players to recover them.

Paintings

There are four 2×2 tile paintings with no clear purpose or use. Using IDA and the Android libminecraftpe.so file, it has been found that the paintings are referenced from the game code, particularly in the Motive::getAllMotivesAsList(void) method (get all paintings), but the Painting::setRandomMotive(int) method excludes them as possibilities for a random painting. Artist and purpose of these paintings are both unknown.

Canvas	Size	Name	Description
	2×2 blocks 32×32 pixels	Earth	A light brown square on a brown background.
	2×2 blocks 32×32 pixels	Water	Split in half with a jagged line, the bottom half is light blue, the top half being blue.
	2×2 blocks 32×32 pixels	Fire	Three orange isosceles triangles on a yellow background.
	2×2 blocks 32×32 pixels	Air	A beige circle on a white background.

Stonecutter

Main article: Stonecutter

The Stonecutter is a Pocket Edition exclusive block which is obtainable in creative mode only and is just used for decorative purposes. It can exist in survival worlds where one existed prior to Alpha 0.13.0.

info update

info update

Type	Unknown
Physics	No
Transparency	No
Luminance	None
Tool	This block can be broken with any tool, but a shovel is the quickest
Data values	update! dec: 248 hex: F8 bin: 11111000 ate!upd dec: 249 hex: F9 bin: 11111001
Name	update!: info_update ate!upd: info_update2

info update blocks are a set of two similar placeholder blocks present in Pocket Edition. These blocks are placed in the world when the game detects an invalid block ID. They take the appearance of a dirt block with the text "update!" and "ate!upd", which would form a readable word when placed next to each other. They were introduced in Alpha 0.1.3.

Status effects

Main article: Status effects

Some of the status effects in Pocket Edition are unobtainable and can only be obtained using inventory editing.

Blindness

Blindness was added to the game in 0.12.0 development version. It creates a black fog around the player. It currently has some rendering issue with moving objects and colored text.

History

Pocket Edition Alpha
0.1.3				Added info update block
0.3.3				Removed fire due to a spreading error. It is replaced with reserved6.
0.7.0				reserved6 is replaced with fire in-game due to reimplementation of fire. Its data value changes to ID 255 though.
0.11.0				Added Ghasts. They can not be spawned legitimately in-game and require hacking to be spawned in.
				Added Magma cubes. They do not spawn naturally due to no Nether, but can be spawned in with a spawn egg in Creative.
0.12.0		build 1		Added blindness effect.
0.12.1				Nether reactor core becomes unavailable in inventory by default.
				Ghasts and magma cubes can now spawn in the Nether.
0.13.0				Stonecutter removed completely from survival, and only now exclusive to creative as decorative block.
0.14.0				Added camera with ID 439, and ender pearl without ID
0.14.2				Camera ID changed to 498, but can't be spawned using the item. But they can be spawned using spawn egg with data value 62.
0.15.0				The reserved6 block was removed, causing its texture to be shown as info update block.
0.16.0		build 1		Reserved6 and info update can now be placed using /setblock command.
				Camera now has a block form in inventory, but placing it spawns the entity. The block can be placed using commands (/setblock ~ ~ ~ camera) or editing.
		build 2		Removed cameras. They now exist in Education Edition.