“Pokémon Go” has a brand new 0.37 and 1.7 update rolling out for Android and iOS, and it chiefly includes the new Buddy System feature. We’ve already explained its main concept a few different times, so here are five more specific tips once the patch is installed.

1) Buddy Pokémon Have Limited Gym Access: It’s well known that buddy Pokémon can’t be placed at gyms, but that doesn’t mean they’re totally blocked from combat. Reddit user jawarren1 has discovered that buddies can still find candies even after training and fainting in battle. They can be used to attack enemy gyms too.

It’s sort of weird to think that you can essentially drag around a dead monster, but it’s a cool tip to know.

2) Swapping Has No Impact On Total Distance Progress: Buddy Pokémon can be swapped out at will in “Pokémon Go’s” latest update, but, as Bioreactivist notes, doing so has no impact on your total kilometers walked stat. It will, however, reset progress toward your next candy. Just

make sure all incoming candies are earned before making a switch.

3) Sometimes Buddies Find Two Candies: Typically a buddy Pokémon will only find one candy after walking a preset distance, but AryanFire of The Silph Road Reddit has photo evidence of a traveling Vulpix finding multiple treats at the same time. It’s unknown if this is just a glitch or if “Pokémon Go’s” developers at Niantic have left in an occasional surprise for players.

4) Pikachu Easter Egg: This Easter egg has been pretty well documented, but it’s a cool tip for those that missed the news. Apparently after walking 10 km with a buddy Pikachu they will sit on the player’s shoulder in an obvious callback to the “Pokémon” anime series!

5) How To Fix Problems With Rooted Android Devices: This last tip doesn’t apply to everybody, but it’s worthwhile for some. Following previous anti-cheat initiatives, this “Pokémon Go” patch has been blocked from running on rooted, or jailbroken, Androids.

A full guide to fixing any install errors can be found here, but it essentially involves using a mod called Magisk. Magisk is a workaround for the SafetyNet API that stops the latest “Pokémon Go” build from running. In short, those with a previous root will have to remove all traces of it and re-root using the Magisk software. There are quite a few steps involved, but it should be fairly straightforward for anyone that understands these two paragraphs.

“Pokémon Go” is available now on Android and iOS. The new update is progressively rolling out now.

What do you think of these tips and the Buddy System update? Does it rejuvenate the game? Tell us in the comments section!

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