The new Adventure Sync feature syncs with Google Fit and Apple Healthkit, which lets the app run in the background and still record steps. Something that wasn’t possible earlier.
One of the key gameplay features in Pokemon Go is walking. This has been there since the beginning and is not only needed to catch new Pokemon, but also hatch eggs. However, in order to do that, players needed to keep the app open in order to record their steps. With the new Adventure Sync update, players will be able to record steps while the app is running in the background. Before this, the game had to be the active app on the phone in order to record steps.
The Adventure Sync system works by syncing with either HealthKit on iOS or Google Fit on Android. It then uses data from that and translates it into the game. This should definitely be a handy feature for all the players still playing Pokemon Go as they no longer have to keep their app open everytime they are outside. Niantic also notes that trainers will be able to participate in weekly milestones. Besides this, it will of course, reward players with Candy found by buddy Pokemon as well as eggs hatching event now without the need to keep the app open.
In its blog post, Niantic cites an international survey of 2,000 trainers, out of which 70% felt that playing Pokemon Go motivated them to walk more on average. Further, 47% of the Trainers felt that their physical activity had increased, and the same number believe that playing Pokemon go helped them connect with other people. “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,” the developer stated.
While the popularity of Pokemon Go has dwindled since launch, it is good to see Niantic still supporting the game for die hard fans. The company recently unveiled new parental control options in the form of Niantic Kids. A week or so back, the company finally added ARCore support to the game. The addition of ARCore helped ensure that the app was at par with the iOS version, which was updated to support Apple’s ARKit nearly a year ago.
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