How To Assign Buddy Pokemon And Earn Candies For Rare Monsters

Niantic has rolled out version 1.7.0 for Pokemon GO for iOS, which includes the Buddy Pokemon feature. Trainers can now assign one of their favorite Pokemon as a Buddy and earn candies specific to the monster’s species, the same way egg hatching works. This means that once a companion is assigned, Trainers have to walk around the PokeMap and gain distance. Depending on how rare the creature is, the more or less mileage is needed to earn a candy. Remember, the candies are used for Evolving and Powering Up. The only other way to collect candies is by catching Pokemon from the same species, which takes a huge amount of time in case of the rare breeds.

The Buddy Pokemon feature isn’t the only change implemented by this update. Niantic has also added support for the Pokemon GO Plus hardware. A ring that you can physically purchase. It helps you to play the game without needing to stare at your iPhone or iPad. It sends small vibrations when a monster or a PokeStop is nearby and you can catch and check these objectives without grabbing your iOS device. Other changes represent bugs and grammar fixes. Check the update log, available below, for more info.

How To Download The Buddy Pokemon Update
The easiest way is to tap this Pokemon Go App Store link and hit the Update button available next to the Pokemon GO label. Your iPhone will grab the latest software package and install it on your device.
If you’re a first time Pokemon GO user, simply tap GET, an App Store label that appears if the game wasn’t downloaded to your iPhone yet.

How To Set Up A Pokemon As Buddy
Step 1: Open Pokemon GO and take a look at the Map. Tap on your avatar’s logo available in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Now hit the Menu icon (bottom-right corner), available your avatar’s description page.
Step 3: Select Buddy, the middle option, and pick the desired creature from your Pokemon list.
Step 4: A prompt confirming your selection is displayed on your screen, followed by info about the walking distance needed in order to earn a candy.
Step 5: Tap the “check” sign to close the Buddy window and start walking!
Tip: On the PokeMap, the Buddy Pokemon avatar will be displayed next to your logo, confirming that you currently travel with a companion.

How To Switch For Another Buddy Pokemon
When you hatch enough Candies to be able to evolve or power up your rare Pokemon, you might wanna switch your Buddy assignment for some other strong and rare monster from your roster. Editing Buddy Pokemon is done as follows:
Step 1: Open Pokemon GO and tap your avatar logo, available in the bottom-left corner of the screen.
Step 2: Next, hit the Menu icon (bottom-right corner) and select the Buddy option.
Step 3: The current companion is displayed. Tap the Switch button available in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
Step 4: Pokemon Go asks you to confirm the swap and informs you that any distance traveled with the current creature, since the last earned candy, will be lost.
Step 5: Tap Yes, and pick the new Buddy from your Pokemon list. Make a wise selection and build your strategy around it.
Tip: The best moment for a switch is immediately after the current buddy hatches a candy.

5 Facts About The Pokemon Buddy Feature
1. Mileage for Candy award is achieved the same way Trainers gain Incubation kilometers. This means that you can apply the same egg hatching tricks and reach the required distance faster.
2. Not all Pokemon require the same amount of walking. Rarer creatures have to walk up to 5 km to earn a breed specific candy, while the most common ones need only 1 kilometer of movement to hatch a Candy.
3. Once the Candy is awarded, the mileage counter is reset. Walk again for another award, or switch your Buddy Pokemon and collect candies for other species too.
4. Yes, the Pokemon GO app has to be opened for your walked distance to be counted. If you worry about battery drainage you can activate the battery saving feature and the iPhone’s screen will dim in case you don’t use the phone.
5. Choose rare Pokemon from your monster list for the Buddy option. Candies are hard to find for these creatures. You can catch common monsters much easier and get Candy rewards for your hunt.

Pokemon GO 1.7.0 Full Update Log
As mentioned in the introduction, you can find other changes too besides the introduction of the Buddy Pokemon feature:
– Egg hatching missing animations are a thing of the past. The bug is fixed and now all egg hatching is confirmed by the animation.
– Network reliability issues have been fixed too.
– Minor text fixes couldn’t miss from the list!
– Pokemon Go Plus support is now available.
– Buddy Pokemon implementation.