The good news is that the one Pokemon feature so many players have been waiting for is finally available. You can trade Pokemon characters inside the app, which means you don’t have to catch them all! The bad news is that the one Pokemon feature so many players have been waiting for is not yet available to all players. In fact, the majority of you can’t use it. So go back to catching them all.
“We’re gradually rolling out Friends and Trading,” Niantic said on Twitter. “Currently, Trainers who are level 40 can now use these features. Thanks for your patience as we work to make these features available to a larger number of Trainers.”
We’re gradually rolling out Friends and Trading. Currently, Trainers who are level 40 can now use these features. Thanks for your patience as we work to make these features available to a larger number of Trainers.
— Niantic Support (@NianticHelp) June 21, 2018
Level 40 happens to be the highest level in Pokemon Go right now, which means both you and the friends you want to trade Pokemon with have to reach it. But if you’re already level 40, chances are you’ve played the game for so long, or cheated at it, that you don’t even need to trade anything.
Yes, Niantic could have managed this launch better, and been more transparent about this particular feature that will only be available to a select few. On the other hand, this is Niantic’s way of telling us that it still needs time before making the feature available to a broader audience. It’s coming to more Pokemon Go fans, as you can see in the tweet above. Trading is being rolled out “gradually,” and a “larger number” of Trainers will get it down the road.
But if you were excited to be able to finally swap Pokemon monsters with your friends, you’d better dial down the celebration. It’ll be a while until you get to use the feature.
