In a post on the Pokémon GO website, developers Niantic confirm that an update bringing Buddy Pokémon to the popular mobile game is now rolling out worldwide.
Following on from the recently released Pokémon Appraisal feature – which does a fine job of showing which Pokémon are best equipped for battle – Niantic have confirmed that the Buddy Pokémon feature is part of the newest update; Version 0.37.0 for Android and 1.7.0 for iOS.
The new feature lets players choose a Pokémon to become their buddy. The selected pocket monster will then take their place alongside your profile page avatar and help collect candy as you walk.
The new update also squashes a few bugs including non-animating egg hatches and brings reliability improvements when switching networks.
Support for Pokémon GO Plus – the watch-like device which lets you play Pokémon GO without looking at your phone – is also included. Last week the device was confirmed for UK release on 16th September and can be ordered from the Nintendo Official UK Store.
