Niantic has announced Adventure Sync, a new “Pokémon Go” gameplay system that allows players to track their steps while their phones are in their pockets.
The new feature is part of the Niantic Real World Platform, offering a way for players to get inspired to get out and walk without being distracted by the game or using up battery power. The new feature will sync in the background with iOS HealthKit and Android Google Fit, and will also offer a weekly fitness summary that records distance traveled on foot, steps counted, and calories burned according to players’ devices.
Adventure Sync will offer players the ability to apply movements from just about everything they do during the day toward in-game rewards like weekly milestones. Candy and Eggs will still be part of the various rewards for players who get out and get active. Trainers, according to Niantic, have made astounding gains when it comes to being motivated to walk more, and according to a survey of nearly 2,000 players, 70 percent felt that the game had indeed pushed them to walk more overall, with 64 percent reporting that they felt more motivated to go outdoors because of the game.
Additionally, there’s the 47 percent of Trainers who felt that their physical activity level had gone up since starting to play the game and the same amount who felt that the game helped them connect with others. Niantic has taken this feedback to mean it’s an important idea to continue to invest in features like Adventure Sync that encourage players to get out and see the real world and stay active just as much as they spend time with “Pokémon Go.”
The feature is starting to roll out to Trainers across the world “soon,” according to Niantic.