Buddy Pokémon

Buddy Pokémon is a game mechanic that allows Trainer to choose a Pokémon from their collection that after walking certain distances will reward trainer with specific Candy.

The chosen Pokémon will appear next to its trainer's avatar on the profile screen. The Buddy will be able to be swapped out with another Pokémon at any time, 20 times per day. A Buddy cannot be assigned to a Gym nor transferred.

An elevated experience Buddy Adventure was introduced on December, 2019. Trainers can play with their Buddy and increase their Buddy Level.

Candy
Each Pokémon that is assigned as Buddy has specific amount of kilometers to be walked after which trainer is rewarded with a Candy. There are currently four different distances to be walked for a candy reward: A list of all Pokémon sorted into the Candy distance categories here: Buddy Pokémon rewards.
 * 1 kilometers - distance mostly for common Pokémon and their families,
 * 3 kilometers - distance for most of Pokémon and their families,
 * 5 kilometers - distance mostly for rare Pokémon and their families,
 * and 20 kilometers - distance for Legendary and Mythical Pokémon.

Additionally, distance requirements are halved when the Buddy Pokémon is Excited (see Readable Mood below for more information).

Candy XL (Trainer level 31+ only)
Once a Trainer reaches level 31, their Buddy Pokémon have a chance to find a Candy XL every time it finds a Candy. The odds of a Buddy Pokémon finding a Candy XL increase with the level of the Pokémon. Evidence from communities suggest that it also factors the level of the buddy, so far the recommendation is to power up at least to level 31.

Mega Energy
If the Buddy Pokémon belongs to a family with a Mega Evolution that has been performed previously (registered in the Pokédex), it will also find 5 Mega Energy per km in addition to Candy rewards (e.g. any Charmander can earn Mega Energy as long as the Trainer has Mega Evolved any Charizard).

Buddy Pokémon types
Every Pokémon has its specific type of Buddy Pokémon that defines where it is placed relatively to Trainer's avatar on the profile screen. There are five Buddy size types:
 * Medium - Buddy Pokémon is placed to the right of a trainer and it is smaller or equal to trainer's size,
 * Big - Buddy Pokémon is placed behind to the right of a trainer and it is bigger than trainer,
 * Shoulder - Buddy Pokémon is small enough that can be placed on trainer's right shoulder,
 * Baby - Buddy Pokémon is small enough to be held in hands of trainer,
 * and Flying - Buddy Pokémon flies, floats or hovers behind the trainer. Unlike four other types of Buddy Pokémon, this type doesn't define any range of Pokémon's size so Pokémon's size might differ. Most of Flying-type Pokémon have Flying as type of Buddy Pokémon as well, but not all of them.

A list of all Pokémon sorted into the Buddy Type categories here: Buddy Pokémon types.

Buddy Adventure
Buddy Adventure is a name of revamped Buddy Pokémon featured that expands initial feature with more mechanics and perks to it than just assigning buddy and finding candy.

Selecting and changing Buddy
To select a Pokémon as a Buddy Pokémon for the first time, Trainer needs to:
 * tap on Trainer’s portrait in the bottom left corner of the Map View,
 * in the Trainer's profile screen, tap the Buddy button to select a Buddy Pokémon.

After selecting, the first Buddy Pokémon, it cannot be removed but only swapped with another Pokémon.

Once Trainer selected a Pokémon as their Buddy, they can access their Buddy Profile screen in two ways:
 * by tapping Buddy’s portrait next to the Trainer’s portrait in the Map View.
 * by tapping onto Buddy displayed next to Trainer's avatar in the Trainer's profile screen.

To swap out Buddy Pokémon, Trainer needs to:
 * go to their Buddy Profile screen and tap the Swap Buddies button at the very bottom of the page.

Trainer can view Pokémon they have previously set as their Buddy by tapping the Buddy History button that is located below the Trainer level progress bar in the Trainer's profile screen. Trainer can also Swap Buddy Pokémon from the Buddy History page.

Trainers can only swap out their Buddy Pokémon 20 times per day.

Daily Activities and Affection Hearts
Engaging in Activities allows a temporary increase of Buddy Pokémon's mood and rewards Affection Hearts. The Today's Activities in the Buddy profile screen lists each way to interact with Buddy. Each time trainers engage in a listed activity with their buddy, the hearts will turn from gray to pink, indicating a heart was earned in that category.

When Buddy's Mood is Excited, the Affection Hearts that could be earned are doubled, except for the Bonus category. Extra earned Affection Hearts remain even if the Buddy is no longer excited.

Already obtained hearts will not be doubled, and the base set of hearts is filled in first. For example, if a snapshot was already taken before, it will require another snapshot to earn the bonus heart. If that is not the case, only one snapshot will be needed to earn both hearts at once. If an individual action will make the Buddy Excited, that action's heart gain will also be doubled.

Daily activities reset at midnight local time.

There are following types of Buddy Activities:
 * Buddy Walking.png Walk together
 * Buddy Pokémon will appear when hunger meter is full until it is fully depleted. One Affection Heart is earned for each 2 km walked with a Buddy walking on the map.
 * Progress on this activity is reset when swapping buddies or when the daily reset occurs.


 * Buddy Feed.png Give your buddy a treat
 * Feeding Buddy fills up the hunger meter. One Affection Heart is earned when the hunger meter is filled by feeding three berries (once every 30 minutes) or all six Hearts are earned by feeding one Poffin.


 * Buddy Play.png Play together
 * Playing with Buddy in AR mode until the light flare and heart bubbles are seen from the buddy.


 * Buddy Battle.png Battle together
 * Using the Buddy in a Battle Party when battling in Gyms, Raid Battles, Trainer Battles, Training, or against Team GO Rocket. (It does not have to be active in the battle, nor do you have to win; it only has to be in the party.)
 * When battling in a Gym, each separate Pokemon defeated counts individually.


 * Buddy Snapshot.png Take a snapshot
 * Taking a photo of the Buddy.


 * Buddy Visit.png Visit a new place
 * Visiting a PokéStop or Gym that has never been visited before.


 * Buddy Bonus.png Bonus
 * There are three possible Bonus Hearts, which are earned only once each per day when your Buddy gives either a present or souvenir or Trainers visit a PokéStop or Gym that your Buddy wants to visit. This activity is not visible until receiving an Affection Heart on this category. Also, this category is not affected by the Excited state, so you can only earn up to three hearts (one for each Bonus), not six.

Feeding Buddy
Buddy can be fed from the same screen that the Playing with Buddy feature uses but can be also done by tapping onto Berry icon above the Buddy Pokémon display in its profile page.

Feeding Buddy Pokémon is very similar to catching Pokémon with a Poké Ball, as Trainer has to pick a Berry or Poffin and then throw it at the Buddy Pokémon. However, unlike catching Pokémon, if the thrown Berry misses the Pokémon the item is not consumed from the Trainer's Items Bag.

There is also a "Quick Treat" option when the AR mode message is displayed before entering the feature. This option allows players who use AR+ to quickly feed Pokémon without finding a flat surface to summon it first. However, this option is only available when the hunger meter is empty. The player can not take snapshots or play with their buddy in Quick Treat mode.

Poffins
Poffins are special items which are food exclusive for Buddy Pokémon as they cannot be fed to wild Pokémon while catching them. When a single Poffin is given to Buddy Pokémon its Hunger Meter is completely filled up, it gets instantly Excited (unlocking the ability to earn double the Hearts of all non-Bonus categories for the duration of its effect), and instantly earns all six hearts for feeding your buddy treats.

When filled by a Poffin, the Hunger Meter becomes yellow instead of pink. This state lasts 6 hours (1 hour for each bar), so the Buddy would be active on the map for twice as long compared to fully feeding them with berries. During this time, the Buddy always remains Excited, and the player cannot feed them another Poffin. Berries can still be used but they will not fill the Meter.

Obtaining Poffins is more limited, as it is available either from in-game shop, a possible reward from AR Mapping Field Research tasks, or from Special Research (such as ticketed Community Day Special Research, which always yield one Poffin).

Playing with Buddy
To play with Buddy Pokémon, player needs to tap on the button below the Buddy's display in its profile page.

Playing with Buddy Pokémon requires a device camera permission given to the game app.

There are several gestures that can be used in this mode:
 * taping on Pokémon makes it perform its Charged Attack animation
 * double tapping on Pokémon makes it perform its Fast Attack animation
 * quickly swiping at Pokémon to the left or right makes it turn around
 * slow swiping at Pokémon is considered a patting and can result in getting an Affection Heart if done persistently and in the right area (varies by Pokemon)

Playing with Buddy feature also allows Trainer to take a snapshot the Buddy Pokémon, feeding it with Berries or Poffin or open gifts.

Buddy levels and perks
Earning Affection hearts allows Trainer to progress toward improving their Buddy Level. Similarly to Friendship Levels, each Buddy Level unlocks special perks.

Unlike Buddy’s Mood, Buddy Levels do not decrease over time, much like Friendship Levels.

Good Buddy
Following perks are available for Good Buddy level.

Adventuring Buddy
Buddy will appear on the Map when it is fed enough and their hunger meter is full. While on the Map, buddy will earn Candy at a reduced walking distance.

Readable Mood
Interacting with Buddy improves their Mood. It decreases over time. Swapping buddies reset it back to Normal. Excited is the most positive mood, which doubles the Affection Hearts that could be earned and the candy walking distance is halved when excited.

Once Buddy achieves Good Buddy level, the Mood indicator appears on the Buddy Profile screen. If Buddy is on the map, Trainer can also tap their buddy to see its Mood.

Great Buddy
Following perks are available for Great Buddy level.

Buddy presents
When Buddy Pokémon reaches Great Buddy level it can occasionally bring Trainer a present which are items inside of floral sack.

To open such present, Trainer has to open Buddy profile page and they will see a sack in front of their Buddy. Once they tap on it, the items will be received. These presents can contain items, such as Poké Balls, Potions, Berries, Revives, and stickers from Gifts.

Catch assist
Upon reaching the Great Buddy level, Buddy will at times help Trainer catch wild Pokémon. Specifically, if a thrown Poké Ball bounces off of wild Pokémon while it attacks, there is a chance that Buddy will partially appear in the Encounter screen and hit the deflected Poké Ball right back at the target.

Along with wild Pokémon, this may also occur while rescuing Shadow Pokémon after successful battle against Team GO Rocket members and even while catching defeated Raid Boss Pokémon, saving the trainer a Premier Ball.

Ultra Buddy
Following perks are available for Ultra Buddy level.

Souvenirs
After achieving Ultra Buddy level, Buddy Pokémon can gift Trainer with Souvenirs. The kinds of Souvenirs Buddy will find vary depending on Trainer's local environment, and each Souvenir indicates the location where the Buddy found it. Receiving a Souvenir will grant an Affection heart in the “Bonus” category.

Once Buddy finds the first Souvenir, they can be viewed from the Buddy profile screen, which gains special section with Souvenirs right above Swap Buddy button.

Locations
Buddy may draw Trainer's attention to a nearby PokéStop they find interesting. If Trainer visits the PokéStop and spin its Photo Disk while there is an indicator above the PokéStop, Trainer will earn bonus items and an Affection heart in the “Bonus” category.

Best Buddy
Following perks are available for Best Buddy level.

CP Boost
After achieving Best Buddy level, Pokémon gains a CP Boost, making it more powerful in Raids, Gym Battles, Team GO Rocket, and Trainer Battles. CP Boost is equivalent to CP after two extra power ups, if the boosted Buddy Pokémon is at level 40, it will have CP equivalent to level 41. This works for maxed Pokémon, putting a level 40 or 50 Pokémon at level 41 or 51 respectively depending on your level.

The CP Boost is only applied if the Pokémon is currently set as Buddy.

Best Buddy Ribbon
Best Buddy wears a special ribbon indicating Trainer has reached its Best Buddy status.

Some Best Buddy Ribbons may be not correctly aligned on the Pokémon's body due to a vast variety of Pokémon models.

This feature can be opted out by changing respective setting in the game settings.

Best Buddy Ribbon Pokédex
A Group on reddit created an are continuing to update a Pokédex of Best Buddy Ribbons. For an almost full Pokédex of Best Buddy Ribbons(External Link): Click here

Buddy gifts
Regardless of Buddy level, when a Trainer is low on Gifts in their items bag, their Buddy will up-to three times per day notify them next to the buddy icon with an exclamation point symbol. Once clicked on, the Trainer will receive from 1 to 5 gifts from the closest PokéStops from their current location.

These Gifts do not count toward the 100 daily limit for receiving gifts from PokéStops. Trainer will not receive Gifts from their Buddy if they already have 20 (or more Gifts if an ongoing event that increase the limit is active) in their Items Bag. Unlike Buddy presents and Souvenirs, receiving Gifts from Buddy will not reward Affection hearts.

This feature was introduced due to COVID-19 pandemic to allow Trainers obtain Gifts without travelling to PokéStops if they do not have any near their residences.

Pokémon Evolution
The following Pokémon require progressing as a Buddy Pokémon to be able to evolve: The following Pokémon require performing particular tasks while being an active Buddy Pokémon to unlock their evolution, but are not affected by their Buddy Level (beyond earning a single heart to be a Good Buddy to unlock the status as a Buddy). If they are switched for a different Buddy then the progress is not lost but will not be continued until they are set as active Buddy again. Walking a particular distance:
 * To evolve Eevee into Sylveon, it must have earned at least 70 Hearts (Great Buddy).
 * If an Eevee has earned 70 hearts before Sylveon release, then it has to earn an additional 70 hearts in order to evolve into Sylveon.
 * To evolve Floette into Florges, it must have earned at least 20 Hearts.
 * Galarian Slowpoke requires catching 30 Poison- or Psychic-type Pokémon to evolve into Galarian Slowbro and Slowking respectively.
 * Galarian Farfetch'd requires making 10 Excellent Throws to evolve into Sirfetch'd.
 * Hisuian Qwilfish requires winning 10 raids to evolve into Overqwil.
 * Galarian Yamask requires winning 10 raids to evolve into Runerigus.
 * Pancham requires catching 32 Dark-type Pokémon to evolve into Pangoro.
 * Spritzee requires using 1 Incense to evolve into Aromatisse.
 * Swirlix requires being fed 25 treats to evolve into Slurpuff.
 * 1 km: Woobat
 * 7 km: Hisuian Sneasel (and daytime)
 * 10 km: Eevee (unlock Espeon or Umbreon, which then alternate based on if it is day or night when choosing to evolve as a Buddy)
 * 15 km: Mime Jr., Bonsly, and Happiny
 * 20 km: Feebas

Trivia

 * There is an Easter Egg about Buddy Pokémon. Initially when a Pikachu or Eevee is assigned, it will show up on the ground beside the trainer. However, if a trainer walks a distance of 10km or more with either one, then all Buddies of that same species will appear on top of the trainer's shoulder instead.
 * This Easter Egg refers to how Pikachu sits on Ash's shoulder in the anime, despite originally not doing so as he didn't like Ash that much yet.
 * It also refers to the Partner Pikachu/Eevee in Pokémon Let's Go.
 * There is significant relation between Buddy distance for candy reward of specific Pokémon and what egg it hatches from, as:
 * Pokémon that hatch or originally hatched from 2-km Eggs have to walk 1 km for candy reward,
 * Pokémon from 5-km Eggs have to walk 3 km for candy reward,
 * Pokémon from 10-km Eggs have to walk 5 km for candy reward
 * and Legendary Pokémon that do not hatch from any egg have to walk 20 km for candy reward.
 * Shadow Pokémon or even fainted Pokémon can be assigned as Buddy Pokémon.
 * Since the introduction of Buddy Adventure, swapping Buddy Pokémon no longer resets progress toward earning Candy.
 * Best Buddy medal was introduced on March, 2020. It requires the Trainer to have 1, 10, and 100 Best Buddies.
 * A Best Buddy Pokémon currently assigned as Buddy Pokémon cannot be powered up if the CP boost already boost them to at least level 40. They can still be powered up once unassigned.
 * Flying Pokémon such as Zapdos and Rayquaza do not appear beside the Trainer in the map but fly in the sky instead. They operate on the same plane as Team GO Rocket balloons and have priority; they would push away the balloon if their paths intersect.
 * Prior to the Buddy Adventure update, flying Buddies did not differ from the other types of Buddy, running about instead of flying over the map.
 * At release, berries thrown at Buddy Pokémon always fly in a straight line. This makes it difficult to feed certain Buddy Pokémon with small hitboxes, like Moltres. After an update, the berries would automatically curve towards the Buddy Pokémon if close enough.