Adventure Sync not Working

Adventure Sync stops tracking your distance in the background, which means no steps are counted for egg hatching or earning Buddy Candy. This feature connects Pokémon GO to Google Fit or Apple Health to track your walking even when the app is closed.

The most common reason this happens is because location permissions are turned off or battery saver settings are limiting background activity. Sometimes, this can also happen after app updates or if Adventure Sync was accidentally turned off in the game.

Basic Troubleshooting

Before you try the solutions below, please do the following basic checks:

1. Make sure Adventure Sync is enabled and connected in your Pokemon Go settings.
2. Restart your device and open your health app (Google Fit or Apple Health) to see if it’s recording steps. Then open Pokemon Go and check if Adventure Sync is working.
3. Verify that your device is compatible with Adventure Sync and any required health apps. Some older phones, like the HTC One M8, are not compatible with Google Fit and thus Adventure Sync won’t work on them.
4. Keep in mind there can be a delay of several hours (sometimes up to 24 hours) for Adventure Sync to transfer your step data from your device’s health app to Pokemon Go.
5. Note that manually entered data in Google Fit or Apple Health does not count for Adventure Sync. Data from third-party apps won’t count unless they use the official Google Fit or Apple Health APIs.
6. Check whether Google Fit or Apple Health (whichever you use) is actively tracking your physical activity.
7. Make sure Pokemon Go is fully closed. If the app is running in the background with a Go+ connected, Niantic’s own distance tracking is used, and Adventure Sync will not function.
8. Check if your device has the necessary sensors to record distance and steps.
9. Adventure Sync has a speed cap of 10.5 km/h. Any distance covered faster than this will not be recorded.
10. Log out of both Pokemon Go and your health apps (Google Fit/Apple Health). Then log back in and see if the issue is resolved.

1. Update Pokemon Go App to the Latest Version

The Pokemon Go app is updated regularly to keep up with new technology and fix known bugs. Your issue might already be resolved in the latest version, so updating can often fix the problem. The app is available for both Android and iOS. The steps below use Android for example; if you use iOS, just follow similar steps in the App Store.

1. Open the Google Play Store and tap the Menu (three horizontal lines).
2. Tap My apps & games.

   

3. Find Pokemon Go in the list and tap it.
4. If an update is available, tap Update.
5. Once updated, check if Adventure Sync is working.

2. Turn Off Battery Saver Mode of Your Device

Modern smartphones use battery saver modes to make the battery last longer by limiting background activity. But if Pokemon Go, Google Fit, or Apple Health are affected by this, Adventure Sync may stop recording your movement. Try either turning battery saver mode off entirely, or exempting these apps from battery optimization.

1. Open your device’s Notifications by swiping down from the top of your screen.
2. Tap to Turn Off Battery Saver.

   

3. You can double-check this by going into your device’s Battery or Power Saver menu and making sure Pokemon Go and Google Fit/Apple Health are not being optimized.
4. Keep in mind Adventure Sync is not affected by Pokemon Go’s own in-game battery saver mode.

3. Change Your Device’s Timezone to Automatic

If your phone’s timezone is set manually, and you travel to a different timezone, this can interrupt Adventure Sync. Switching your timezone to “Automatic” may solve the issue. Here’s how on Android (steps for iOS are similar):

1. Close Pokemon Go.
2. Go to your device’s Settings.
3. Scroll down and tap on Date & Time.
4. Set the “Automatic Time Zone” option to ON.

   

5. Open Pokemon Go and check if Adventure Sync is now working.

4. Change Your Device’s Location to High Accuracy

If your location setting is set to low accuracy, your steps might not get recorded correctly by Adventure Sync. Switch your location mode to high accuracy to improve tracking. Here’s how (using Android as an example):

1. Close Pokemon Go.
2. Open the Quick Settings menu by swiping from the top (or bottom) of your screen.
3. Press and hold Location.
4. Tap Mode and then select High Accuracy.

   

5. Open Pokemon Go and check if Adventure Sync works.

5. Relink Google Fit and Pokemon Go

Sometimes, communication issues between Google Fit and Pokemon Go can stop Adventure Sync from working. Also, if you accidentally link the wrong Google account, steps won’t transfer correctly. Unlinking and relinking can resolve this:

1. Close Pokemon Go.
2. Open Google Fit and go to the Profile tab at the bottom.
3. Tap the Gear (settings) icon.

   

4. Under Google Fit Data, tap Manage Connected Apps.

   

5. Find Pokemon Go and tap Disconnect. Double-check you’re using the right Google Account (it should be listed under Connected apps).

   

6. Confirm disconnecting the Pokemon Go app.
7. Close Google Fit.
8. Wait 5 minutes.
9. Open Pokemon Go, go to Settings, then tap Adventure Sync and Enable it.

   

10. You’ll be prompted to connect Adventure Sync with Google Fit.
11. Link the services and check if the problem is resolved.

For Apple Health, open Apple Health → Sources → Apps and make sure Pokemon Go is listed as a connected app.

6. Change Permissions for Pokemon Go and the Required Health App

If Pokemon Go or your health app (Google Fit or Apple Health) is missing any permissions, Adventure Sync won’t work. You must allow all the necessary permissions for step tracking.

6.1. For Android

Your steps may vary a little depending on your device’s brand and Android version.

1. Open quick settings and long-press Location, then set it to ON.

   

2. Open quick settings again and tap the Gear icon to go to Settings.
3. Go to Apps (or Application Manager).
4. Find and tap on Pokemon Go.
5. Make sure all permissions are set to On—especially Storage permission.

   

6. Do the same for Fit (Google Fit app).
7. Ensure all permissions for Fit are toggled to On (especially Storage permission).

   

8. Repeat these steps for the Google app as well.
9. Repeat for the Google Play Services app, making sure all permissions (especially Body Sensors or Motion Tracking) are enabled.

   

6.2. For iPhone

1. Open the Health App and select “Sources“.
2. Choose “Pokémon GO“.
3. Tap “Turn on every category“.

   

4. On your home screen, go to your account settings.
5. Find the Privacy Section and tap Apps.
6. Tap Pokemon GO and enable all permissions.
7. In the Privacy Section, open Motion & Fitness.
8. Tap Fitness Tracking and turn it ON.
9. In Privacy, go to Location Services.
10. Tap Pokemon Go and set its location permission to Always.
11. iOS might also display reminders or prompts even after you set it to “Always Allow”, just to confirm Pokémon GO is using your location.

    

7. Uninstall and Reinstall the Pokemon Go App

If none of the above steps worked, try uninstalling Pokemon Go, restarting your device, and then reinstalling the app. This will often resolve any lingering issues and allow Adventure Sync to work properly.

If, after reinstalling, Adventure Sync still isn’t working, you may run Pokemon Go in the background with a Poké Ball Plus connected. This device can also help to log your physical activity while you play.