'Pokémon Go' Will Soon Track Distance Traveled Without Opening The App

“Pokémon Go” tasks players to walk around in order to find monsters and hatch eggs, but the latter requires the app to be active in order to track distance traveled. Developer Niantic Labs has announced that it’s bringing a solution to address the issue.

“Today, we’re excited to introduce Adventure Sync, a new Niantic Real World Platform gameplay system that will give our players even more reasons to get outside, explore the world and lead more active lifestyles,” the company revealed on its blog. “Adventure Sync, which is first being implemented in ‘Pokémon GO,’ gives players the ability to record their steps with just the phone in their pockets.”

Adventure Sync works by having the “Pokémon Go” app sync with HealthKit on iOS devices and Google Fit on Android. “Pokémon Go” will be able to have access to a weekly summary that shows the distance traveled by the player on foot and on other stats. This may include calories burns or steps counted, depending on whether or not their devices support those features.

Adventure Sync provides players the option to apply their tracked activities for their commutes or jogs. This makes it a lot easier to hatch eggs and be rewarded with candy found by their buddy Pokémon. Players who use the new gameplay system will also be able to participate in weekly milestones for walking, which will grant them more rewards.

Niantic revealed that many “Pokémon Go” players have become quite active and are walking a lot more. The developer said that players are actually walking 53 percent more when playing “Pokémon Go” in 2018 than in 2017. In a survey, the developer also discovered that 70 percent of nearly 2,000 players were motivated to walk more on average while playing “Pokémon Go,” while 64 percent said that playing the game motivated them to go outdoors.

“Additionally, 47 [percent] of Trainers indicated that they felt their physical activity level had increased since playing, and the same number felt that playing Pokémon GO helped them connect with others,” the developer said. “This type of response from the community reinforces our commitment to not only create innovative real-world games, but also to invest in features like Adventure Sync, which provides a gentle but effective motivation loop that encourages people to get outside and be active every day.”

Niantic didn’t reveal when exactly Adventure Sync will be available to players, but it will roll out globally soon, according to Android Police.