Pokémon GO Tricks: A Complete Guide to Secrets and Tips

Alpha Guide » Games » Pokémon GO Tricks: A Complete Guide to Secrets and Tips

Pokémon GO has been one of the most played mobile games on the planet for years, and yet it still holds a ton of secrets, shortcuts, and little details that many players overlook. Knowing these tricks makes all the difference between an average trainer and one who gets the most out of every minute of gameplay , saves battery, gets more items, and catches much rarer Pokémon without spending real money.

In this mega guide, you'll find all the tricks, easter eggs, and key tips that are repeated in the best guides on the internet , but explained in new terms, expanded upon, and organized so you don't miss a thing. You'll see how to get started with Pikachu, control Eevee's evolutions, save battery and data, make the most of PokéStops, master research tasks, level up much faster, take advantage of raids, catch special Pokémon like Ditto, Zorua, or Kecleon, and even the risks of using fake GPS.

Basic tips to get off to a strong start in Pokémon GO

Before we get bogged down in advanced tricks, it's a good idea to have a few basic ideas about how Pokémon GO works on a daily basis , because the game is designed for you to progress by walking, exploring and playing constantly.

Remember that Pokémon GO is a dynamic game that's constantly changing : limited-time events, new research tasks, rotating raid bosses, wild Pokémon changes, and seasonal bonuses. That's why it's a good idea to check the game's news and events sections from time to time so you don't miss out on easy rewards.

First, you need a stable internet connection and GPS enabled : the game uses mobile data the entire time it's open, so if your data plan is limited, you'll have to be very careful with your usage and use Wi-Fi whenever possible.

You should also be aware that the core gameplay revolves around physically moving around your city: walking to spin PokéStops, hatch eggs, and find Pokémon . If you're not keen on going out, the game will likely fall short for you, because there are no classic turn-based battles like in console games, but rather a simpler tap-and-swipe system.

Finally, it's important to understand that you don't need to spend real money to progress effectively . Most useful items (Poké Balls, potions, revives, lure modules, etc.) are obtained by spinning PokéStops, completing research tasks, and leveling up. Using PokéCoins can help speed things up, but it's not essential.

How to save battery and mobile data while gaming

One of the biggest problems with Pokémon GO is that it drains your battery and can eat up your mobile data faster than you think . Since you'll have your screen on, GPS active, and data enabled, it's a good idea to use a few tricks to extend your session as much as possible.

Within the game settings, you'll find the battery saver mode . When activated, the screen dims when you turn your phone face down (for example, while walking with it in your pocket), but the game continues to track distance and detect nearby Pokémon. It's a simple way to reduce battery consumption without interrupting your gameplay.

Another key point is to reduce screen brightness and disable augmented reality (AR) during captures. Playing with AR uses more battery and often makes the capture process more awkward, so leaving the "classic" camera with a generic background is a practical decision.

To manage your data, avoid automatic background syncing or downloads from other apps while you're playing. If possible, use your home or work Wi-Fi network to manage storage, download game updates, or clear the cache before heading out to hunt.

Finally, try closing apps you're not using and avoid constantly searching for Wi-Fi networks . The fewer things running in the background, the longer your battery will last and the more stable your connection will be while spinning PokéStops and doing raids.

Choose Eevee's evolution and all its forms

Eevee is one of the most beloved Pokémon because it can evolve into a wide variety of forms. In Pokémon GO, you can force which evolution you get using a nickname trick inspired by the anime and other games , as well as other special methods.

The classic trick involves changing Eevee's name before evolving it . Each name guarantees a specific evolution, but be aware: this trick only works once per form. Ideally, choose an Eevee with good IVs and enough CP to get the most out of it. The nicknames are:

• Vaporeon (Water) – Name: Rainer.
• Jolteon (Electric) – Name: Sparky.
• Flareon (Fire) – Name: Pyro.
• Espeon (Psychic) – Name: Sakura.
• Umbreon (Sinister) – Name: Tamao.
• Leafeon (Plant) – Name: Linnaeus.
• Glaceon (Ice) – Name: Rea.
• Sylveon (Fairy) – Name: Kira.

When you can no longer use the name trick, there are other methods. To obtain Espeon and Umbreon in a controlled way , you'll have to set Eevee as your Buddy, walk 10 km with it (until you get at least 2 candies), and, without changing your Buddy, evolve it during the day for Espeon or at night for Umbreon.

In the case of Leafeon and Glaceon, the key lies in special Lure Modules . If you evolve Eevee while within range of a Mossy Lure Module at a PokéStop, Leafeon will appear as an evolution option. If you do so under a Glacial Lure Module, you'll get Glaceon. If multiple modules are active, the evolution will depend on the last PokéStop you spun with a Lure Module.

To get Sylveon without using the name , you have to raise your friendship level with Eevee a lot: gain 70 hearts by having it as your Buddy (walking, feeding it, taking pictures and battling with it) and, when you reach that bond, when you evolve it will become Sylveon.

Getting Pikachu as your starter Pokémon and other buddy tricks

If you want to replicate the anime experience and start your game with Pikachu as your starter Pokémon , the game has a little trick designed precisely for that, although it's not explained anywhere.

When you create your account and first appear on the map, the three classic Kanto starters— Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle —will appear around you . Instead of tapping them, walk away until they disappear. After a moment, they'll reappear. Repeat this process of ignoring them four or five times, and eventually, a fourth option will appear on the screen: Pikachu. You can then tap and capture it to make it your first Pokémon.

As you progress through the game, you can take advantage of another fun feature: Pikachu will climb onto your shoulder when it's your Buddy . When you set it as your Buddy, it will appear walking beside you, but if you travel 10 km with it, the icon will change and it will appear on your avatar's shoulder. This change is saved for each individual Pikachu.

This shoulder trick also works with certain small Pokémon like Caterpie, Weedle, Pidgey, Spearow, and Eevee . You'll need to walk with them for a few kilometers (usually 10) before they'll be willing to hop on your avatar, which visually indicates that you've already shared quite a few steps with them.

The strongest Charmander and Tyrogue's evolutions

Besides Eevee, there are other Pokémon with interesting tricks related to their evolutions and moves that can be very useful for PvP or to strengthen your raid team.

In the case of Charmander, there's a trick that increases the chances of Charmeleon learning a really powerful combination of fire attacks . If you rename your Charmander to "Zippo" before evolving it, you'll increase the likelihood of it learning moves like Ember and Flamethrower. It's not a guaranteed trick, but it's widely known among the community as a little easter egg.

With Tyrogue, the situation is different: its evolution isn't entirely random . Tyrogue can evolve into Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, or Hitmontop, and the specific form depends on which of its stats (IVs) is highest.

• If your attack is the highest value, will evolve into Hitmonlee.
• If your defense is the highest, will become Hitmonchan.
• If your resistance/health is dominant, will become Hitmontop.

When all three attributes are equal, the evolution is decided randomly , so there's no way to trick your Tyrogue. You can use the team leader's evaluation or external IV calculators to check which stat your Tyrogue has the best score on before spending any candies.

Pokémon with special capture methods: Ditto, Zorua, Kecleon, Inkay, Gimmighoul…

There are several species in Pokémon GO that don't behave like ordinary wild Pokémon. Some are disguised, others camouflage themselves on the map, or require unique tricks to capture or evolve them , so it's worth reviewing them.

Ditto is a classic example. It never appears as such on the map; instead, it hides behind the guise of other common Pokémon. When you catch one of these "candidate" Pokémon, the Poké Ball might shake again, and the creature will transform into Ditto. The list of species it can disguise itself as changes over time, but the general trick is to catch many of the Pokémon that the community identifies as possible Ditto forms and be patient.

Something similar happens with Zorua , the Mischievous Fox Pokémon. On the map, it often appears mimicking your Buddy Pokémon, especially if it's a Legendary or a rare Pokémon. When you touch it, you'll think it's your wild Buddy, but when you catch it, it will reveal itself as Zorua. You can then evolve it into Zoroark with the appropriate candies.

As for Kecleon , this chameleon-type Pokémon camouflages itself within PokéStops. Sometimes, when you try to spin the Photo Disc, a transparent silhouette appears, preventing you from doing so. By repeatedly tapping this silhouette, Kecleon will detach from the PokéStop and appear on the map, allowing you to easily capture it.

Inkay is a different story altogether: its evolution into Malamar uses a very original method. After collecting the necessary candies and meeting the level requirements, you must tap "evolve" while holding your phone upside down . It's a direct reference to console games, where the console was also inverted to activate evolution.

Finally, Gimmighoul and its evolution Gholdengo are linked to the connection between Pokémon GO and Pokémon Scarlet/Purple on Nintendo Switch. By linking both accounts, you can obtain special coin chests and encounters with Gimmighoul's Chest Forme. Once you've accumulated enough coins, you can evolve it into Gholdengo. The trick here is to make the most of sending Mystery Gifts and the console connection bonuses to speed up coin acquisition.

How to play Pokémon GO without leaving home and the risks of fake GPS

Officially, Pokémon GO is designed for you to move around the real world, but third-party methods exist to simulate your location using Fake GPS and VPN apps . These systems trick the game into thinking you're in another city or even another country, allowing you to spin distant PokéStops and catch regional Pokémon without leaving your couch.

On Android, the process usually involves enabling developer options, authorizing mock locations, and using a fake location app along with a VPN that matches your connection's IP address to the region where the fake GPS "places" you. Then you select a point on the map with the Fake GPS app, set the location, and when you open Pokémon GO, your avatar will appear there.

The problem is that Niantic actively pursues this type of cheating . If it detects serious inconsistencies between your actual location, your location history, and your movement patterns (impossible jumps between countries, unnatural routes, etc.), it can issue strikes, temporary suspensions, or even a permanent ban.

Furthermore, constantly forcing location changes can cause synchronization errors, temporary PokéStop and Gym locks, or "you've gone too fast" messages , which makes the game quite frustrating. Therefore, it's best to avoid these methods and play by the rules.

Pokémon Radar Trick and Quick Capture

The proximity radar in Pokémon GO shows you which creatures are around you, either associated with nearby PokéStops or simply based on proximity . But sometimes it's frustrating because you see the Pokémon you want and you're not quite sure where to go.

A common trick is to mark one of the PokéStops where the silhouette of the Pokémon you're looking for appears (by tapping it on the radar) and let the game guide you. If you move away and the silhouette disappears from that PokéStop and moves to a nearby one, you can adjust your route until you're in the area where it remains visible on the radar the longest; this usually indicates that you're quite close to the spawn point.

As for the quick catch , it's one of the most useful tricks for saving time when you're farming a lot. It involves starting the catch as usual, but after throwing the Poké Ball, instead of waiting for the entire animation, you tap the Poké Ball icon at the bottom, drag it to the side, and while holding it down, tap the run away button . You'll return to the map almost instantly, and if everything went well, the Pokémon will appear as captured in your inventory. If it escaped, it will remain on the map for you to try again.

This trick doesn't increase the probability of catching Pokémon, but it does dramatically reduce the time it takes to catch dozens of Pokémon in a row , which is key during events with candy bonuses, double experience, or when using Lucky Eggs and Star Pieces.

Pokémon with hats, costumes, and special Alolan forms

One of the most curious details of the game is the Pokémon with special outfits: party hats, Christmas hats, themed costumes, etc. These costumed Pokémon usually only appear during specific events (Christmas, Halloween, anniversaries, collaborations, etc.) and once those events end, they stop appearing.

Besides being highly sought-after collectibles, many of these Pokémon wearing hats or costumes can evolve while keeping their outfit , though not always. It's a good idea to check the evolution screen to see if the hat-wearing silhouette appears before spending any candies, in case you want to keep the previous form.

On the other hand, there are the Alolan forms of certain Kanto Pokémon . Some are obtained primarily from 7 km eggs, which are received as gifts from friends. The strategy involves spinning PokéStops or Gyms to get gifts, saving them, and sending them to friends. Opening these gifts will result in 7 km eggs with a chance of containing Alolan forms like Vulpix, Meowth, Sandshrew, or Grimer.

Other Alolan forms may appear in the wild during specific events, such as Alolan Diglett or Geodude at certain festivals, and some have even been raid bosses, like Alolan Raichu or Alolan Marowak . The important thing is to keep an eye on the list of featured Pokémon for each event so you don't miss out.

Research, special events and badges

Investigations are one of the best sources of rare items, special encounters, and extra experience . There are several types, and all are worthwhile if you want to progress quickly without spending money.

Field Research tasks are obtained by spinning PokéStops. Each one will give you a mission such as "catch X Pokémon," "win X Gym battles," etc. You can have up to three active at a time, and if you're not interested in one, you can cancel it to make room for another. Completing them will reward you with items, experience, and sometimes encounters with special Pokémon.

Each day you complete at least one field task, you'll earn a daily stamp . Collecting seven stamps will unlock a research achievement stage with a featured encounter (often a rare or legendary Pokémon in rotation), along with bonus items.

Special Research tasks are longer mission chains tied to Professor Willow's story, divided into several stages. These often unlock unique encounters with very rare or even Mythical Pokémon , and can only be completed once per account. It's best to take your time with them, but don't neglect them, as many contain valuable items like Evolution Stones, Elite TMs, and more.

In addition to missions, as you play you will obtain badges or medals for different achievements : distance traveled, number of captures, types of Pokémon caught, raids completed… These medals grant experience upon completion and, in the case of type medals, give a passive bonus to the probability of capturing that type of Pokémon.

Type badges are typically divided into bronze, silver, and gold . The higher the badge level for a particular type (for example, Water or Dark), the greater your chance of catching Pokémon of that type when throwing Poké Balls. If a Pokémon has two types, the game calculates an average bonus based on your badges for each type.

Key items, PokéStops, and Lure Modules

Most of the game's resources are obtained through PokéStops. These are the blue dots on the map located at prominent real-world landmarks (monuments, murals, churches, parks, commemorative plaques, etc.). Spinning their Photo Disc grants you items and experience.

These PokéStops can spin every few minutes, so if you plan your routes through areas with many of them, you can easily farm Poké Balls, potions, revives, berries, and other items . Furthermore, if you visit a chain of at least 10 different PokéStops in under 30 minutes, the game will reward you with more experience and a better set of items, with a high probability of including an additional egg.

If you activate at least one PokéStop every day for seven consecutive days, you'll receive a weekly streak bonus with more items, a lot of experience, and a chance to obtain evolution stones or other rare items. After that, the counter resets, and you can start chaining streaks again.

At PokéStops, you can use Lure Modules , items placed on the stop to attract wild Pokémon to that location for 30 minutes (or longer, if there's an event). The effect is shared with all players in the area, so it's ideal if you're meeting up with friends. There are different types of modules, some standard and others specialized (Mossy, Glacial, etc.), which also allow certain special evolutions like Leafeon or Glaceon.

In general, items are divided into several categories: those used for catching or healing Pokémon (Poké Balls, berries, potions, revives) , rare items (Rare Candy, TMs, special stones), those that trigger specific evolutions (Sinnoh Stone, Unova Stone, etc.), special event items, and exclusive items that don't stack. Learning to manage your bag (which starts with 350 slots and can be expanded to 2000) is essential to avoid running out of space when you need the most items.

How to get regional Pokémon

Some species are region-locked and only appear in certain areas of the real world . These are called regional Pokémon. In theory, you could only obtain them by physically traveling to those locations, but in practice, there are several legal ways to acquire them.

The most direct way is to use the trading feature with other players . If you have a friend who has traveled to another region or lives in another country, they can trade you a regional Pokémon in exchange for one you have that they don't. Some of these trades are considered special and use up your daily special trade allowance.

From time to time, Niantic organizes global events or festivals where some regional Pokémon temporarily appear worldwide, either in the wild, in raids, or hatching from eggs. They can also appear at special PokéStops linked to in-person events that then rotate globally. If you want to complete your Pokédex, it's worth keeping a close eye on these announcements.

Quick experience: lucky eggs, Pidgeys and other tricks

Leveling up quickly has many advantages: you unlock new items, increase your Pokémon's maximum CP, and gain access to better rewards . Almost everything you do in the game grants experience, but there are more efficient ways to accumulate a lot of points in a short amount of time.

One of the classic tricks involves Pidgeys (and equivalents like Caterpie or Weedle) . They are very common Pokémon that require few candies to evolve. The idea is to catch a good number of them, accumulate candies, and when you have enough, activate a Lucky Egg (which doubles the experience gained for 30 minutes) and use that time to chain-evolve as many Pidgeys as you can.

Each standard evolution grants a fixed amount of experience, which is doubled with a Lucky Egg. If you prepare enough materials, you can accumulate tens of thousands of experience points in just half an hour . Furthermore, each previous capture will have earned you Stardust, which also helps to power up your team.

Another interesting trick is to accumulate research encounters before using a Lucky Egg or Star Piece . When you complete a task that rewards a wild Pokémon, you can tap "Claim Reward" to make it appear, use a Berry if you wish, and then run away from the capture. The Pokémon will be saved in a special pending encounters menu. You can accumulate up to 100 encounters and then claim them all in a row while using a Lucky Egg, maximizing your experience in a short amount of time.

Beyond these methods, you'll also gain a lot of experience by doing raids, spinning new PokéStops you've never visited before , completing daily catch and spin streaks, and raising your friendship level with other players (jumps to Ultra Friend or Best Friend give a ton of experience, especially if you activate Lucky Egg right before opening gifts or doing the first interaction of the day).

Trainer battles, PvP leagues, and rewards

Trainer battles (PvP) in Pokémon GO use a league system with CP limits to balance matches and prevent players from dominating with maxed-out Legendary Pokémon . Currently, the main leagues are the Great League (max. 1500 CP), Ultra League (max. 2500 CP), and Master League (no CP limit).

In each battle, you can use three Pokémon per team , selected before the start. During battle, you tap the screen to attack quickly, hold to charge a charged attack, and swipe to dodge in gyms (or respond to tap-based minigames in raids and PvP). You also have a limited number of shields to block your opponent's charged attacks.

To challenge another player in person, simply be physically close and scan the challenge QR code . You can also battle remotely against friends with whom you have Ultra Friendship or Best Friendship. There's also a battle mode against team leaders (Spark, Blanche, Candela) that also grants rewards.

PvP rewards include Stardust, evolution items like the Sinnoh Stone, Fast and Charged TMs, and even encounters with special Pokémon depending on the season. Regularly participating in these leagues is a good way to earn extra resources if you enjoy the competitive aspect.

Safety and common sense tips

Although it may seem obvious, Pokémon GO is played in the real world, which means it's easy to get distracted looking at the screen and cause trouble on the street . Niantic emphasizes the "be careful around you" messages a lot, and for good reason.

Always try to pay attention to traffic, traffic lights, and other pedestrians when walking while playing. Don't cross streets while looking at your phone, avoid playing while driving (the game already limits certain functions at high speeds), and don't enter private or dangerous areas just for a raid or a rare spawn point.

It's also important to be careful with your digital presence: don't share your account details with third parties, be wary of websites that promise free Pokécoins , and avoid unofficial apps that access your account, as they can lead to penalties or data theft.

And of course, set reasonable limits on playtime. Pokémon GO can be addictive, but it's still just entertainment to be combined with your daily life , not a substitute. Walk, socialize, and enjoy the outdoors, but don't forget everything else.

With all these tricks, techniques, and little secrets up your sleeve, it's much easier to get the most out of every outing, make better use of your items, complete research tasks faster, and build a competitive team without spending a fortune in the shop. Pokémon GO rewards those who understand its systems and combine them with a bit of consistency and strategy, so if you apply what you've read, your hunting sessions and raids will reach a whole new level.