Pokémon GO Remote Trading and Forever Friends explained
Remote Trading finally lets you trade Pokémon without standing next to the other player — as long as you’re Forever Friends. These two features are closely linked and work as a long-term system rather than a one-time unlock, so understanding how they interact matters if you want to use them efficiently.
Both features are rolling out progressively by region. If you don’t see them yet, that’s normal. Once available, they’re added directly to your existing Friends experience.
What is Forever Friends?
Forever Friends is a new Friendship level that sits above Best Friends. Reaching it takes more effort than previous tiers, but it introduces something entirely new: access to Remote Trades.
Instead of counting days like before, Friendship now progresses through Friendship Points. You can earn up to one point per day per friend through standard interactions such as:
- trading,
- sending or opening Gifts,
- battling together,
- raiding together.
You can also earn extra Friendship Points by completing Weekly Challenges with friends.
Once you reach Forever Friends with someone, the familiar heart system disappears and is replaced by a progress bar. This bar is important — it tracks your next Remote Trade opportunity.
How Remote Trading actually works
Becoming Forever Friends with a player unlocks one Remote Trade between you and that specific friend. You can earn additional Remote Trades over time, but they are not unlimited and do not stack.
To earn another Remote Trade with the same friend, you must gain 90 Friendship Points after the previous one. If you unlock a new Remote Trade and don’t use the previous one, it’s lost. Timing matters.
Before any trade can happen, you must prepare:
- You need to tag Pokémon in your storage with a special Remote Trade tag.
- Only Pokémon with this tag will be visible to your Forever Friends during the Remote Trade process.
When the trade starts, both players take turns:
- You choose up to three Pokémon from your friend’s tagged list that you would be happy to receive.
- Your friend does the same from your list.
- Each player selects one Pokémon to offer.
- Both sides review and either confirm or cancel.
Either player can cancel at any stage. If the trade is cancelled, nothing is consumed and you can restart the process.
Important rules you shouldn’t ignore
Remote Trading comes with several gameplay rules that affect planning:
- Lucky Friends still apply. If you are Lucky Friends, your next trade will be a Lucky Trade — even remotely.
- Remote Trades do not count as Special Trades, regardless of the Pokémon involved. You can still perform an in-person Special Trade the same day.
- A Remote Trade is tied to each Forever Friend individually, not globally.
Certain Pokémon cannot be traded remotely. This includes Pokémon that:
- were caught in the last 30 days,
- have already been traded before,
- are Shadow Pokémon,
- are Mythical Pokémon,
- are currently defending gyms or Power Spots,
- are set as your buddy,
- are actively Mega-Evolved,
- are fused Pokémon,
- are Crowned Sword Zacian or Crowned Shield Zamazenta,
- are placed in Pokémon Playgrounds.
If a Pokémon falls into one of these categories, it won’t appear during Remote Trade selection.
Earning more Remote Trades over time
After completing a Remote Trade, the Forever Friends progress bar resets automatically and starts tracking toward the next Remote Trade. You don’t lose progress — you’re simply working toward another opportunity.
That said, it’s smart to use your Remote Trade before the bar fills again. Since trades don’t stack, waiting too long can waste one.
This system rewards consistent interaction rather than grinding everything at once. If you regularly play with the same people, Remote Trades become a repeatable, long-term benefit instead of a once-off feature.
Why this matters for everyday play
Remote Trading changes how distance affects your collection. You no longer need to travel or coordinate meetups just to complete important trades, especially for regional Pokémon or Lucky Trades.
Forever Friends also brings smaller passive bonuses when playing together, like lower Stardust costs and improved raid performance, which makes long-term friendships more meaningful beyond XP grinding.
If you treat Forever Friends as something to maintain — not just unlock — Remote Trading becomes a reliable tool rather than a rare perk.
Remote Trading isn’t fast, flashy, or unlimited — and that’s intentional. It fits naturally into Pokémon GO’s existing friendship loop, rewarding steady interaction while giving players more flexibility than ever before.
