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'Pokémon Go' will track your activity without launching the app

Adventure Sync uses HealthKit and Google Fit to track your steps.

Pokémon Go has encouraged more than a few people to step up their physical exercise, and Niantic wants to reward that. It's launching an Adventure Sync feature in its augmented reality games (starting with Pokémon Go) that syncs with Google Fit and iOS' HealthKit to translate steps into game progress without having the app open or using a smartwatch. If you regularly go for a run before work, you'll see that reflected in more Pokémon candy or more efficient egg hatching. You'll get weekly milestones, too.

Adventure Sync will be available "soon" to Pokémon players around the world. Niantic didn't outline the other projects that would adopt the fitness-friendly tech, but it wouldn't be surprising if Ingress, Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and similar titles use it in the future. The feature is as much about promoting healthy activity as it is frequent gameplay -- there's little to lose by making it commonplace.