If you’re a Pokémon Go fan who has stayed on with the popular mobile game, you’ve probably hoped for remote trading. Maybe you’d even given up hope that Niantic, typically adverse to remote gameplay, would add it. Well, every Growlithe has its day. Niantic has announced that Pokémon Go will receive remote trading this month.
That said, remote trading will come with some caveats. For starters, remote trading will arrive alongside a new friendship type called Forever Friends. The Forever Friends feature, one level above Best Friends, will offer additional rewards and XP. These will allow players to earn Friendship Points to work towards accessing Remote Trades. Players can earn points by battling, trading, sending gifts, and completing weekly challenges together.
Once Forever Friends get enough points for a remote trade, they can trade Pokémon from anywhere. Again, Niantic will add a few new mechanics and restrictions. Players must mark Pokémon with a tag and then select up to three Pokémon from the other player’s list to make a “wish list.” After reviewing the proposed exchange, players can trade away!
Note that like regular trades, remote trading will not allow players to trade every Pokémon. Ineligible Pokémon include those caught in the last 30 days and Shadow Pokémon as well as those ineligible for any trading listed here.
So when can players start remote trading? Niantic has planned a phased rollout for the new feature. Currently, New Zealand has access to remote trading. More regions will receive access to the feature in the next few days. You can check the Niantic Support account on X (formerly Twitter) for updates.
As a much-requested feature from ever since Pokémon Go added trading in 2018, remote trading has certainly taken a Slowpoke’s time to arrive. The announcement of the new feature comes as a surprise, as Niantic has mostly focused on updating raiding. The company may have decided to add it to bolster the new weekly challenge feature among friends. But either way, this long-awaited change looks to be a welcome addition to the game.
Source: Niantic Press Release
