As of June 2018, Pokémon GO implemented a new ffriend system. This friend system encompasses various different features, each will be detailed here.

Friend System

The friend system works in a similar manner to the friend system in many games across many formats. In the game, you are given a unique Trainer Code. If two players enter eachother's Trainer Code, they become friends. Once friends, players can keep track on each player's accomplishments. However, there is far more to the friend system.

With each friend, you have got a Friendship Level. As you do various things with friends including Trainer Battles, battling Gyms, battling in Raid Battles, trading and gifting items to them, your Friendship Level with your friend will increase. There are four levels and you can only raise your friend level with a particular friend once per day. With the Friendship Level, you can get various bonuses. The levels are as follows

Level Requirement Bonus
Good Friend 1 Day of Activity 3% Gym/Raid Attack Bonus
3,000 EXP each Good Friend
Great Friend 7 Days of Activity 20% Stardust Discount on Trades
5% Gym/Raid Attack Bonus
+1 Premier Ball in Raid Captures
10,000 EXP each Friend
Ultra Friend 30 Days of Activity 92% Stardust Discount on Trades
7% Gym/Raid Attack Bonus
+2 Premier Ball in Raid Captures
50,000 EXP each Friend
Best Friend 90 days of Activity 96% Stardust Discount on Trades
10% Gym/Raid Attack Bonus
+4 Premier Ball in Raid Captures
100,000 EXP each Friend
Lucky Friend Random Chance after Best Friend Activity Guaranteed Lucky Trade

Lucky Friends are only possible with Best Friends. Each time you have your daily interaction with a Best Friend, you have a chance of becoming Lucky Friends and will have a note by them on your friend list and in their screen stating that they are Lucky Friends. With this, the next trade you make will be guaranteed to be a Lucky Trade and you will stop being Lucky Friends. There's no limit to how many Lucky Friends you can have at one time

Gift System

Sometimes, when you spin a Poké Stop or a Gym disc, you will receive a gift. These gifts cannot be opened by yourself but you can send them to friends. These gifts contain a lot of useful items, but most notably they contain 7km Eggs which contain Alola Form Pokémon

You can only send 1 gift per person per day and open no more than 20 gifts a day. If you wish to have an Alolan Egg as a gift, you need to have an open slot in your Eggs. Below is a list of all the items you can get in Gifts

Picture Name Description
Dragon Scale Evolves Seadra
Great Ball Used to capture Pokémon. Has a higher chance of capture.
Hyper Potion Used to heal Pokémon by 200 HP.
King's Rock Evolves Poliwhirl and Slowpoke
Max Potion Used to completely heal a Pokémon.
Max Revive Restores a fainted Pokémon and provides full health.
Metal Coat Evolves Onix and Scyther
Nanab Berry Slows a Pokémon's attack movement.
Pinap Berry Doubles the candy obtained by capturing the Pokémon.
Poké Ball Used to capture Pokémon. Has a standard chance of capture.
Potion Used to heal Pokémon by 20 HP.
Razz Berry Makes it so the next Ball has a higher rate of capture.
Revive Restores a fainted Pokémon and provides half health.
Sun Stone Evolves Gloom
Super Potion Used to heal Pokémon by 50 HP.
Ultra Ball Used to capture Pokémon. Has a higher chance of capture.
Up-Grade Evolves Porygon
Trades

Trading is also a feature utilised only among friends which allows for you to trade Pokémon through to other players

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