Niantic Labs Will Finally Add Item Trading and Friends List Features to 'Pokémon GO'

As the game’s second anniversary approaches, developer Niantic Labs confirmed it is adding some of the top-requested gameplay features on “Pokémon GO,” including trading items and keeping a Friends List.

Reports noted that these features were some of those that Niantic Labs vowed to add after the game's official release in July 2016.

In a blog post on Monday, Niantic Labs confirmed that these features are arriving through an update “later this week.”

Players can invite anyone playing “Pokémon GO” as long as they have the other person’s unique Trainer Code. If the other Trainer accepts the invitation, their name will be automatically added to the in-app Friends List.

Meanwhile, being “friends” on “Pokémon GO” does not end there. Trainers’ level of friendship develops when they join various activities together. Friendship Level will go up every time Trainers send each other in-game gifts or when they team up in Raid and Gym Battles.

“For example, when you and a Great Friend participate in a Gym battle or Raid Battle together, you can earn an Attack bonus to give your Pokémon an edge! You can increase your Friendship Level once per day per friend,” Niantic Labs explained.

The new Trading gameplay is also tied to the new Friends List feature on “Pokémon GO.” According to developers, Trainers who are at least at Level 10 and “near a friend” can trade a Pokémon. However, the blog post indicates that Trainers can only trade a Pokémon that was caught with their friends whom they want to make the trade with.

“Pokémon GO” will have four Friendship Levels, starting with Good Friend on day one, Great Friend after a week, Ultra Friend after a month, and Best Friend after three months.

According to IGN, Trainers can only add a maximum of 200 friends upon the update’s release. But Niantic Labs is open to increasing that in the future.