Pokemon Go Starts Rolling Out Adventure Sync Feature, Is Disabled by Default

Last week, Niantic announced that Pokemon Go is getting a new feature called Adventure Sync that essentially counts steps of users even in the background, and syncs with health apps on Android and iOS to allow for measurement of data. At the time of announcement, the company said that it would roll out worldwide soon, and now it has started rolling it out to select users. First, higher level players will get the benefit of Adventure Sync, and later all players past level 5 should get Adventure Sync activated in their gameplay.

In order to activate Adventure Sync, users must enable location permissions and sync to Google Fit or Apple Health. To activate Adventure Sync, click on the Main Menu > Settings > Adventure Sync. This will prompt users to grant permissions, and allow for access to Apple Health and Google Fit data. You can disable Adventure Sync anytime you want, if you wish the game to not count your steps in the background. Currently, only trainers above level 35 will see the Adventure Sync option, and other players should get it soon.

Before Adventure Sync, Pokemon Go allowed counting of steps only when the phone was awake, but after you activate Adventure Sync, it will count steps in the background as well. Adventure Sync will record activity and movement in the background during the regular morning commutes, walks around town, or even evening jogs to let players earn rewards like Candy found by Buddy Pokémon or Eggs hatching more efficiently. It will also allow players to participate in weekly milestones for walking and earn rewards for these milestones as well.

"Adventure Sync provides offline capabilities to all users-everyone will now have the ability to gain the benefits of walking with Pokémon GO whenever they are on the move. They can capitalize on the dead time that manifests when they forget to launch the app, earning credit for exploring the world and developing a solid motivation loop that requires nothing except a smartphone," Niantic explains on its latest blog.

Apart from Adventure Sync, recently Pokemon Go also introduced an AR+ mode that will allow ARCore compatible phones to see and interact with Pokemon in a modern and immersive manner.