Trading rare Pokémon with friends across the globe no longer demands a face-to-face meetup-Niantic’s remote trading feature reshapes how trainers connect, share, and complete their Pokédex from anywhere.
How to remote trade in Pokémon Go
Remote trading in Pokémon Go allows players to exchange Pokémon with friends without meeting in person. To use this feature, both players must be at least Good Friends and have a stable internet connection. A Remote Trading item or sufficient Stardust is required, and the cost varies depending on friendship level and whether the traded Pokémon is already in each player’s Pokédex. Players can initiate the trade through the Friends List, select a Pokémon, and confirm the exchange to complete the process.
In order to remote trade, you’ll need to be Forever Friends with the player you’re trying to trade with. This is a newly added tier above Best Friends, so you’ll need to raise that friendship before you can even think about remote trading.
Based on Niantic’s blog, this is how to remote trade:
- Reach Forever Friends with the friend you’d like to trade with.
- Mark up to three Pokémon that you’d like to offer in your trades with the “Remote Trade” tag. Your Forever Friends will be able to see the Pokémon you have tagged.
- Select the Pokémon on your Forever Friend’s list that you’d like to receive and wait for their selection.
- If you are both OK with that offer, you can confirm the trade.
- Once the trade is completed, you will need to earn 90 friendship points to do another remote trade with that same Forever Friend.
Yes, if you want to do multiple trades with one friend, you’ll need to recharge a remote trading gauge with friendship points, effectively putting a lengthy cooldown on each trade you make with individual players.
If you areLucky Friendswith your friend, the remote trade will still be lucky, so you don’t have to worry too much about that.
Additionally, no matter what Pokémon you trade remotely, remote trades will never eat up a Special Trade for that day, so you can freely swap legendaries, shinies, and new Pokédex entries.
Notably, you cannot trade the following:
- Pokémon caught in the last 30 days
- Previously traded Pokémon
- Shadow Pokémon
- Mythical Pokémon
- Pokémon defending Gyms or Power Spots
- Pokémon currently set as your buddy
- Actively Mega-Evolved Pokémon
- Fused Pokémon
- Crowned Sword Zacian and Crowned Shield Zamazenta
- Pokémon placed at Pokémon Playgrounds
How to unlock Forever Friend status in Pokémon Go
Forever Friend status in Pokémon Go is the highest friendship level, unlocked above Best Friend to enable remote trading. It requires accumulating 180 total friendship points with another trainer through consistent daily interactions.
Requirements
Reach Best Friend status first (90 points), then earn 90 more points via shared activities like opening gifts, battling in raids or gyms, trading Pokémon, or completing weekly friendship challenges together. This typically takes about 90 additional days of regular interaction.
Activities to Earn Points
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Open a received Gift daily (1 point).
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Raid or gym battle together (up to 2 points per day).
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Complete weekly challenges with your friend (multiple points possible).
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Trade Pokémon (1 point per trade).
Points reset daily at midnight, and the progress bar appears after hitting Forever Friends for tracking extra remote trades.
Bonuses
Forever Friends retain Best Friend perks (Stardust discounts, extra Premier Balls, attack boosts) plus one initial remote trade, with 90 more points needed for each subsequent trade (one active at a time per friend).
How many friendship points needed for Forever Friends
Forever Friend status in Pokémon Go requires a total of 180 friendship points with another trainer. This builds on the 90 points needed for Best Friend status, followed by 90 additional points.
Progression Breakdown
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Good Friend: 1 point
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Great Friend: 7 points
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Ultra Friend: 30 points
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Best Friend: 90 points total
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Forever Friend: 180 points total (90 more after Best Friend).
Ongoing Points for Trades
After reaching Forever Friends, the progress bar resets, requiring another 90 points for each subsequent remote trade opportunity (one active per friend at a time). Points earned beyond Best Friend before the update do not count retroactively.
