Today, in efforts to continue prioritizing game experiences that can be enjoyed from home, Niantic announced that Remote Raid Passes will be coming soon to Pokémon GO. With a Remote Raid Pass, initially accessible via a limited 1 PokéCoin bundle or a special discounted price of 100 PokéCoins, players will be able to battle in nearby raids remotely. 

Along with the Remote Raid Pass details, Niantic revealed that Trainers will soon be able to power up their Pokémon faster, receive a daily bonus Field Research task without having to spin a PokéStop, have their Buddy Pokémon bring them Gifts to send to friends, and much more.

Trainers,

We’re excited to announce upcoming changes to Pokémon GO. In our continued efforts to prioritize Pokémon GO experiences that can be enjoyed in individual settings and from home, you’ll soon be able to enjoy the following.

• With a Remote Raid Pass, you can access Raid Battles you can see on the Nearby screen from wherever you are.
• You’ll receive a bonus Field Research task daily without having to spin a PokéStop.
• As you run low on Gifts, your Buddy Pokémon will venture to nearby PokéStops and bring some Gifts back for you to send out to your friends.
• You’ll be able to power up your Pokémon to the desired CP by using all the required Candies and Stardust at once.
• After using a Star Piece, Lucky Egg, or Incense, you’ll be able to use more of the same item to extend the item’s effect beyond the usual 30-minute limit. No more waiting for an item effect to expire before you can use another one!
• Look out for other updates, including improved battle-screen design.

Access Raid Battles that show up in your Nearby view

With a Remote Raid Pass, an upcoming new item, you’ll be able to join any Raid Battle you can see on the Nearby screen or that you can tap on the map. Only one Remote Raid Pass will be required to join each raid, and you’ll be able to hold a limited amount of Remote Raid Passes at a time. Twenty Trainers can join the same Raid Battle, with a limited number of Trainers using a Remote Raid Pass. Raid Battles that you complete with a Remote Raid Pass will count toward any raid-related research tasks or achievement medals.

At launch, Trainers battling in raids remotely will have the same attack power as Trainers who are able to battle at the raid location in person. At a later time, the attack power for Trainers battling remotely will be reduced. Afterward, a Trainer battling at the raid location in person will have higher attack power than a Trainer battling remotely.

We’ll be making adjustments to this feature over time, including changes to the number of Trainers who can join remotely, the ability to invite friends to raids regardless of their location, and the mentioned adjustment to attack power for Trainers battling in a raid remotely. We’ll announce all changes and improvements via official channels, so please stay tuned for further announcements and updates to this feature.

Want to give this new feature a try? Keep a look out for a 1 PokéCoin bundle that will feature Remote Raid Passes, coming soon to the shop! At launch, Remote Raid Passes will be available to buy individually at the special discounted price of 100 PokéCoins.

Receive one daily bonus Field Research task

At midnight every day, you’ll receive a bonus task without having to spin a PokéStop! These tasks will be different from Field Research tasks you receive from PokéStops and will focus on activities that you can complete from home. If you don’t have an open Field Research slot, then a fourth slot will open up to accommodate the bonus task for you. However, if all four Field Research slots are filled, you won’t receive the bonus task.

Your Buddy Pokémon will bring you Gifts to send if you start to run low

Gifts are an important way to stay in touch with friends and share items. Your Buddy Pokémon wants to help you wherever it can, so it’ll soon be able to bring Gifts to you! As you run low on Gifts, your buddy will start going to nearby PokéStops to get more for you. You’ll see a notification above your buddy’s portrait when it’s returned with Gifts in hand (or paw). A buddy of any Buddy Level will be able to do this for you!

Power up your Pokémon faster

Currently, powering up your Pokémon can take quite some time. With this update, you’ll be able give your Pokémon all the Candies and Stardust needed to power it up to your desired CP level at once. Now you can focus more of your time on honing your battle skills in the GO Battle League!

Activate multiple Star Pieces, Lucky Eggs, and Incense at a time to extend effect durations

Trainers who enjoy playing Pokémon GO for extended periods of time and optimizing active bonuses will soon be able to rest easy. Each Star Piece, Lucky Egg, and Incense still has a 30-minute duration, but this update will allow you to activate more Star Pieces, Lucky Eggs, or Incense before the items’ effects have worn off, which will extend the durations of the items’ effects. You’ll be able to activate 200 of each item at once, but be careful! Once an item is activated, it will disappear from your Item Bag and cannot be returned. Use your items wisely!

Other updates

Here are some other updates to Pokémon GO that you’ll be able to experience soon.

• Battle screens have been polished. The way HP bars appear will be updated to be consistent across battle systems. Pokémon types will also now appear on the battle screen, along with text that tells you whether a move is super effective or not very effective.
• The shop icon in the Poké Ball menu will soon show a notification if there are updated boxes or new items in the shop.

Thank you, Trainers

As we work to continue improving your gameplay experience, we wanted to express our gratitude for your continued support. Our team is working hard to address your feedback, as well as create new and exciting gameplay that can be enjoyed both from home and  when we’re able to go out and explore together again.

Please be aware of your surroundings when playing Pokémon GO. Upcoming events are subject to change. Be sure to follow us on social media, opt in to receiving push notifications, and subscribe to our emails to stay updated. For the latest on in-game events and feature updates, be sure to check this help center article.