Remote Trades and Forever Friends in Pokémon GO

The Remote Trades feature is coming to Pokémon GO! Starting today, Monday, December 8, 2025 (PST), the feature will start rolling out, beginning with New Zealand. The feature will be made available globally at a later date. However, right now, you need to know you will be able to remote trade only with your Forever Friends.

Who is a Forever Friend in Pokémon GO?

A Forever Friend in Pokémon is someone you are already a “Best Friend” with in the Pokémon GO app, and who you have achieved a higher level of friendship with, beyond the Best Friend level.

If you are familiar with the Friendship system in Pokémon GO, a Forever Friend is the fifth level of friendship in Pokémon GO. The existing friendship levels are as follows.

• First level: Good Friend, achieved after your first interaction.
• Second level: Great Friend, achieved after earning seven (7) total interaction points together.
• Third level: Ultra Friend, achieved after earning thirty (30) total interaction points together.
• Fourth level: Best Friend, achieved after earning ninety (90) total interaction points together.
• Fifth level: Forever Friends, achieved after earning one hundred and eighty (180) total interaction points together.

In summary, you can have a Forever Friend in Pokémon GO after earning 180 friendship or interaction points together. It obviously means you will reach Forever Friends level quicker with an existing Best Friend than a new Good Friend.

Friendship Points

Friendship points (previously referred to as interaction points) are the new way to track your friendship progression with other Trainers. Trainers can earn up to one friendship point per day with each friend by completing activities together.

Bonuses after achieving a Forever Friends level in Pokémon GO?

In addition to the bonuses you get for achieving a Best Friend level, you will also have access to the following

• Ability to do Remote Trade with each other.
• Additional attack boost when Battling together.

Remote Trades in Pokémon GO

As mentioned, you will be able to remote trade once you achieve a Forever Friend level with another Trainer in Pokémon GO. However, just like “Lucky Trade” works, you will be able to trade remotely only once after earning an additional 90 interaction points with your Forever Friend.

Consequently, you can keep engaging with your Forever Friends to earn friendship points. Earning more friendship points nets you additional Remote Trades.

In summary, you can only have one Remote Trade with a Forever Friend after every additional 90 friendship points. Which means, you will need to use your Remote Trade immediately after you get it if you want to minimize how long it takes you to get another ability to Remote Trade.

Other important details about Remote Trades and Forever Friends

Progress bar

The hearts displaying your Friendship level will be replaced by a progress bar after becoming Forever Friends. This bar will track your progress towards earning additional Remote Trades. Once you have accumulated 90 friendship points with your Forever Friend, your progress bar will be full again, allowing you to perform another Remote Trade. The progress bar then resets after completing the Remote Trade.

Even if you do not perform a Remote Trade once your progress bar is filled, your progress bar will reset and continue to accumulate friendship points towards another Remote Trade. Your earned Remote Trades will still be available, which will be indicated on the Friends list by a Remote Trade icon and will be in an active state on your Forever Friend’s profile.

You can increase your progress bar (i.e., your friendship interaction points) by completing activities with your friend. Some of these activities are participating in Weekly Challenges, battling, trading, and sending and opening Gifts.

Remote Trade tag

You will need to create a special Remote Trade tag to mark the Pokémon that you would be willing to trade with your Forever Friends. Once you become Forever Friends with someone, you’ll each be able to see the Pokémon that the other person has marked with the Remote Trade tag. These should be the Pokémon that either of you is willing to trade.

Remote Trade turns

Each Trainer takes turns selecting up to three of their friend’s tagged Pokémon. These should be the Pokémon that either Trainer would be happy to receive from the trade. A list of the selected Pokémon is sent to the other Trainer. Each Trainer then selects one of the requested Pokémon to offer to the other. Both Trainers then review the final offerings and have the chance to confirm or cancel. Throughout the Remote Trade process, either Trainer has the option to decline the current request and start the process over.

Lucky Friends

If you’re Lucky Friends, your next remote trade will be lucky. So, choose wisely. However, Remote Trades would not count as Special Trades, regardless of which Pokémon were traded remotely.

Tradeable Pokémon

All Pokémon can be traded except for 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

Additional updates

The max number of friends is being increased from 450 to 650 over the next several weeks by increments of 50.

Timed Research

There will be a free Timed Research opportunity available to Trainers starting Monday, December 15, at 10:00 a.m. to Monday, December 29, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. local time.

Complete the Timed Research to encounter a Scatterbug. Timed Research tasks will also award XP, Stardust, and more!