Flares and Flare Chat are tools that you can use in Campfire to indicate to nearby players that a Raid or Gym is active.
Flare Chat
To use Flare Chat, open the Campfire app and select a Raid or Gym. By tapping “Chat,” you will automatically be added to the Raid or Gym’s Flare Chat. Click on “Light a Flare” to notify nearby players.
Flare Chat is an individual chat room based at each Raid or Gym. You can join a Flare Chat from anywhere in order to coordinate in-game events with other players. You can only be in one chat room at a time. Flare Chat’s chat history resets when all users leave the room.
Lighting Flares
Light a Flare in Flare Chat to indicate to mark Raids or Gyms as active and encourage nearby players to participate in in-game activities!
To light a Flare, tap on “Light Flare” at the bottom of the screen from the Flare Chat. You must be in a Flare Chat in order to light a Flare. The PokéStop or Gym marker on the map will change from gray to orange, indicating that the Flare has been lit. Flares stay lit for 15 minutes. You can only light one Flare at a time and you cannot light a Flare without first entering a Flare Chat. You must be within 1km from the gym to light a flare.
Flare Notifications
You can customize the types of push notifications you receive about Flares your friends light and Flares you light. Go to the specific Games Channel > 3 Dot Icon (top right).
“Someone lights a Flare near me”: You can toggle on/off the default notification to receive a push notification when a friend or non-friend lights a Flare near you.
Note: You will receive these notifications if someone lights a flare within 0.5km of you.
“Someone lights a Flare I have lit”: You can also toggle on/off and specify whether or not you want to receive a notification when a friend or a non-friend user lights a Flare at a raid or gym where you have your Flare lit.
“Who receives notifications for my Flares?”: You can select who should be able to receive a notification when you light a Flare (Nobody, My friends only, Anyone). Note: your username will appear on the push notification.
Adding Friends from Flare Chat
If you want to add someone from a Flare Chat as a friend, just tap on the three dots and “View All Players in Chat”. From there you can select “Add Friend” to those you want to send a friend request to.
What information can others see about me in Flare Chat?
Participants in a Flare chat will be able to see the following information about you should you enter a Flare Chat, from the members list:
Niantic ID
Display Name
Profile Photo
When you send chat publicly in the chat room, other users will be able to see your profile information directly in the chat room.
For information on how to block and report please visit our “Controlling your Experience in Campfire - Blocking and Reporting” help center article.