Why is the “correct” distance often not displayed when hatching eggs in Pokémon GO?
The hatching of eggs in Pokémon GO causes frustration for many players. The reason is the distance measurement, which seems faulty to some Pokémon trainers. For example, you walk a distance of three kilometers, but the progress on the eggs only counts just over one kilometer. So is the distance measurement bugged?
The answer is: No, it is not a bug in the distance measurement – it simply works differently than many players envision.
Neither steps nor the exact distance are calculated
The former Ingress player “Davedamon” took a closer look at the distance calculation issue in Pokémon GO and explained it in detail on Reddit. He found out that the game does not count steps like some fitness apps do when he was sitting in the office playing the game. Due to a GPS error, his avatar ran down a street instead of displaying his actual location (stationary) in the office. Even before the GPS had correctly aligned, an egg reached the required distance and hatched. He had not moved his body at all. The hatching thus occurred due to a distance query and not through a step counter. This will be explained further below.
This distance query does not work like in apps where your jogging route is saved with every meter and curve. According to Davedamon, the distance measurement apparently works like in Ingress.
At certain intervals, it is measured how far you have moved away from your location since the last measurement. A straight line is drawn in the GPS system between two measurement points to connect them. The length of this line then corresponds to the distance you have traveled. An example:
- When you have opened the game, your current location is determined using GPS – this is a measurement point.
- The game then waits a certain amount of time before establishing the next measurement point.
- Your GPS position is determined again for the 2nd measurement point.
- A direct, straight line is drawn between these 2 GPS points.
- The direct, straight line is used as a measurement for your traveled distance.
If you run up and down a street and end up close to the starting point of the measurement, the total distance you ran will not be calculated. Only the direct connection of the two measurement points is used for the distance calculation. In many cases, this is less than the distance you actually ran.
On a straight route, you cannot “lose” meters since the straight line between the two measurement points remains on your path and there are no curves to skip. Thus, the measurement on a straight path is indeed more accurate than on a route with curves or bends. How to hatch Pokémon GO eggs while sitting, you can read here.
Why doesn’t Pokémon GO have a step counter?
There is hardly any system that is easier to manipulate than a step counter. Davedamon writes in his Reddit post that you could probably just attach your phone to a washing machine and it would merrily count the individual “steps.” Some fitness apps use step counters because you gain no advantage if you cheat. If you combine your fitness app with a washing machine, the clothes will get clean, but you won’t lose weight. In Pokémon GO, you would gain an advantage over players without a washing machine – just as an example.
My fitness app is more accurate without a step counter than Pokémon GO!
Many fitness apps that do not require a step counter use a GPS system that would not work as well in Pokémon GO. To put it simply: fitness app “X” downloads a map of your area and uses a GPS signal to mark the points you’ve run on the (offline) map while running. After your run, the GPS data is bundled into a package and uploaded as a whole to a server on the internet. Subsequently, your (total package) run is saved online. However, if the app crashes before uploading the total package, then your run is deleted.
In our Pokémon GO guide collection, you can find more tips and tricks!
