If you are an avid player of Pokémon Go, you are no doubt aware of the Adventure Sync feature. It is a really cool feature that allows users to get rewards and in-game credits even when they are not actively playing the game.
The main point of Adventure Sync is to promote physical activity and fitness levels and the fact that it is tied into Pokémon Go makes the whole process fun.
Adventure Sync first became a prime part of Pokémon Go in November 2018 and despite the numerous rewards designed to make the game more enjoyable, there have been a lot of questions raised about this feature.
Some people are unaware of how it works and others are uncomfortable with the tracking process Adventure Sync employs.
If you are still uncomfortable with Adventure Sync, keep reading for a detailed guide to this cool feature and how you can make it work for you.
Pokémon Go Adventure Sync feature was first introduced in November 2018. Users can choose to enable the feature from the Pokémon Go settings.
The feature then tracks the player's GPS movements when the game is not running and when they relaunch Pokémon Go, they get rewards based on the distance Adventure Sync has measured.
Therefore, to get these rewards, you will need to have your phone with you so your movement can be tracked.
Adventure Sync will use various sources to track GPS movement including the device's GPS signal along with any fitness tracking apps that may be installed on the device.
But there is a defined speed limit, meaning that your movement will not be measured if you move too fast.
Niantic has released various updates of this feature over the last two years. A recent update in 2020 allows Adventure Sync to provide rewards for indoor walking and running on the treadmill.
You get Adventure Sync rewards are distributed on a weekly basis and you will get a reward based on the distance logged in the last week. The rewards are in three tiers;
Weekly Walking Distance |
Adventure Sync Reward |
5KM |
20 Pokéballs |
25KM |
20 Pokéballs, 500 Stardust, 1 Rare Candy or 5km eggs |
50KM |
20 Pokéballs, 10 great balls, 5km eggs, 1500 stardust, 3 rare candy or 10km eggs |
Note that 50km per week is the maximum limit and exceeding this distance will not result in additional rewards.
Adventure Sync is a great way to earn Pokémon Go awards and make the game more enjoyable. But not everyone has time to walk the distance required to get the rewards.
You can however use the ultimate cheat sheet to trick Adventure Sync into thinking that you did walk the distance. The best way to do that is to spoof your location to simulate GPS movement.
To do this on an iOS device without having to jailbreak the device, you would need a third-party program known as MockGo. With this tool, moving your device's GPS to anywhere in the world can be done in just a few clicks.
It will be however more useful to you with Adventure Sync when you use it to fake GPS walking along a specified route, so your Adventure Sync activity continues to log even though you don't take a single step.
To accomplish this, MockGo employs a number of features that include the following:
Step 1: Download and install MockGo onto your computer. Run it when installation is complete and then select "Start" to begin the process.
Step 2: Connect the iPhone or iPad to the computer and when prompted, tap "Trust" in the popup that appears on the device. You may also need to enter the passcode to be granted permission.
Step 3: When the computer detects the device, you will see a map indicating the current location of the device. Select the "Multi-stop mode" at the top right corner of the screen.
Step 4: Select the route to simulate movement by placing pins on the map one after another. You can also simply use the search bar to enter the address or coordinates for each location.
Step 5: The selected locations will appear on the side bar. You can then set the speed by dragging the slider to the desired speed and then click "Move Here" to begin the simulated movement.
Your GPS will begin to register this movement and Adventure Sync will log the movement, allowing you to collect the rewards in Pokémon Go at the end of the week.
According to the statistics, the optimal speed for hatching a Pokemon egg is about 10.5 KM/H.
You can go slower than this, but the time required to hatch a Pokemon egg will increase.
The only thing you shouldn't do is go over the top limit which is 35 KM/H as you can get a speed lock.
Based on the change in GPS position, Pokémon Go calculates distance in a straight line. So, in order to achieve the most distance, you need also travel in a straight path.
However, it's thought that Pokémon Go records distances more frequently. Approximately one to four times every minute. So, after a minute or so, you could theoretically swap directions and still have good results.
To fake the GPS location on Android, you would need to install the Fake GPS Location - GPS Joystick on your device and then follow these steps to tweak the device's settings and simulate GPS movement;
Pokémon Go determines in-game actions based on how far you walk or travel. But as soon as you begin moving at 10km per hour or above, the process stops as the game assumes that you are driving. If you have an Apple Watch, you can override this feature.
To do this, begin a workout on the Apple Watch and the Pokémon Go app. Then as you drive, keep tapping your hand on your knee over and over. Doing this will trick Pokémon Go into thinking that you ate engaging in some form of physical activity. Avoid moving your hand too fast as Pokémon Go will catch on to your deception.
Another way that you can gain an advantage in Pokémon Go while making the game more enjoyable is to use game accessories for Pokémon Go. There are a number of pretty good ones including Poké Ball Plus, Pokémon Go Plus, and even Go-Tcha.
One of the earlier accessories Step Counters was used by players to trick the game into thinking they were moving. Players would tape their devices to a ceiling fan or something.
But this didn't work for most people since Adventure Sync logs steps and not the movement. These accessories could also register an impossible 8,000 to 10,000 steps an hour.
You should also watch out for fake versions of Pokémon Go Plus that claim to offer you better battery life and connectivity even when managing more than one account.
You should be careful with these tools even if they have great reviews as they may affect your device in numerous ways, not to mention the risk of getting banned.
Do you need to have Adventure Sync open in the background for it to count the distance?
No! The best thing about Adventure Sync is that it can count your Pokémon GO distance even when you don't have the app open in the background.
Will Adventure Sync give distance for biking or running and can you accumulate distance faster than the speed cap?
You will get distance from Adventure Sync, but you will have to stay under the speed cap limit (10.5 km/h) for the distance to count.
Can you walk on a treadmill and do wheel pushes count?
If you want to walk on the treadmill, you will have to close the game for the distance to count - but yes, that is a possibility.
Unfortunately, wheel pushes (chairs with wheels) won't count in the distance you cover.
What day is the start of the week and which day is the end of the week?
Even though it's not confirmed, the updates will be established on Mondays.
Can you sync Adventure Sync in airplane mode and does the app make the GPS signal drift?
There isn't a lot of data on the airplane sync mode, but in theory, it's possible. Regardless of the loss or drift of the GPS signal, you'll never experience GPS wobbles.
Can you pop a Lucky Egg before it hatches?
Unfortunately, no. Eggs hatch as soon as the game opens.
Can you get distance credit without having Google Fit installed?
Yes, you can get distance credit since Pokémon GO does normal distance tracking when Pokémon GO is open or minimized even if you don't enable Adventure Sync.
The need to keep moving while playing Pokémon Go is further increased by the Adventure Sync rewards system. But sometimes you just don't have the time to walk around just so you can get the rewards.
The strategies outlined above can help you take advantage of the Adventure Sync reward system when you don't want to walk around too much or you don't have time to move just to get the weekly Pokémon Go Rewards.
As always, we welcome any feedback, questions, and comments that you may have on this topic. Just use the comments section below to ask or share anything with us and if you need any help with this process or any other Pokémon Go-related issue, we'll do our best to help.