Pokémon Go will finally let you track distance without the game being open

Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.

While Pokémon Go has yet to reach its initial launch success again, the game continues to do well and offer more ways to play and enjoy the mobile game. But one thing it has been strangely missing since launch is the ability to track your steps while having the game closed.

In Go, walking with the game open is the only way to hatch eggs that you get from Pokéstops. Having to keep the app open is a pain, and it will often cause people to get frustrated with the system, especially when that person knows they have traveled much further by foot than the game indicates.

Walking is also a way to earn candies for your Pokémon that you have set as a buddy. This is especially helpful for more rare Pokémon.

The walking feature is about to change in Pokémon Go

Announced by Niantic, Adventure Sync will let you use the app in conjunction with both iOS HealthKit and Android Google Fit to make sure you’re getting credit for all of those steps you take during the day. Niantic says it the feature will be coming to more games from the service, but Pokémon Go will be the first to have it implemented.

Adventure Sync will also give plays a way to track their activity by providing weekly summary reports that highlight distance traveled on foot and other stats, as well as calories burned and steps taken (if the device supports it).

While to those on the outside, who may not play, this change seems small, but to trainers everywhere working to hatch eggs or build up candies, this will surely be a big hit.

No word yet on when this will release, but Niantic says it will be soon.

What do you think? Is this a welcome change? Let us know below.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Review Roundup: Red Dead Redemption 2 – 2018’s game of the year?
• PlayStation users take heed, changing your PSN name can result in lost DLC and save points
• Microsoft’s Xbox Game Pass is coming to PC, but will anyone care?

Josiah Motley

Former KnowTechie editor.