Niantic has announced that 2 new features will be coming to Pokémon GO in a update soon: Lucky Friends and avatar poses.

Lucky Friends and avatar poses! Let’s GO!

Trainers, We have some exciting updates coming to Pokémon GO to give you even more ways to play and customize your journey!

Lucky Friends
When you are Lucky Friends with someone, the next time you trade with each other, both Pokémon will become Lucky Pokémon!

How do you become Lucky Friends? Once you become Best Friends, you will have a chance to become Lucky Friends! You will have this chance once per day when you and your Best Friend trade Pokémon, open a Gift from each other, team up in raids and Gym battles, or challenge each other to a Trainer Battle.

How do I know if my Best Friend is now a Lucky Friend? Similar to when you level up your friendships, you and your Best Friend will receive a notification when you have become Lucky Friends. You’ll also be able to see that they’re your new Lucky Friend in your Friend List and on their friend profile page.

After completing the trade, your Lucky Friend status will return to Best Friend status. Don’t worry, Trainers—by doing the same steps, you can try to become Lucky Friends again!

Avatar Poses
Ready to stand out at the Gym or on your Friend List? We are introducing avatar poses that will allow you to customize how your Trainer is posed on your Trainer profile, in the Friend List, in raid lobbies, in Gyms, and in battle previews. Once you acquire an avatar pose, it will be available on your account for both male and female Trainer avatars.

Thanks for continuing to adventure with us, Trainers. We are excited to bring you new customizations and features for the game. Happy exploring!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/marchupdate2019/

Niantic has announced that players of Pokémon GO will be able to challenge Latios during a Special Raid Week which takes place from Monday, April 15th, 2019 until Monday, April 22nd, 2019.

Challenge Latios during this Special Raid Week!

Trainers, After your impressive efforts in challenging Latias, do you have what it takes to challenge the other Eon Pokémon? From Monday, April 15, to Monday, April 22, 2019, there will be a Special Raid Week, and the Legendary Pokémon Latios will be available in Raid Battles! Take a look at the details below:

Date + Time

• Monday, Apr. 15, 2019, at 1 p.m. to Monday, Apr. 22, 2019, at 1 p.m. PDT (GMT −7)

Features

• The Legendary Pokémon Latios will be joining Raid Battles!
If you’re lucky, you may encounter a Shiny Latios!

Do you have what it takes to challenge Latios? Get ready to GO, Trainer—and best of luck!

Stay safe, and happy exploring!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/weekraid2019-lati0s/

Niantic has announced that on Wednesday, April 10th, 2019 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m, players of Pokémon GO will notice that there is an increased number of five-star raids featuring Origin Forme Giratina.

Legendary Lunch Hour experiment: Origin Forme Giratina

Trainers, We had our first Legendary Lunch Hour together on March 13, and we thank you for your participation and feedback. More research is needed, and we need your help! On Wednesday, April 10, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in your local time zone, there will be an increased number of five-star raids featuring Origin Forme Giratina to test your battle skills alongside your friends, coworkers, and classmates.

Date + Time

• Apr. 10, 2019, from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. in your local time zone

Features

• There will be an increased number of five-star raids featuring Origin Forme Giratina during the event hour.

Thank you for your feedback as we create more ways for you to enjoy Pokémon GO—because of your input, we’re able to create new events like this one for your enjoyment. We are continuing to test this event to make it even better. We understand that not every Trainer can participate in every event, but these tests are the first step in creating more events focused on different play styles. As always, Trainers, be mindful of your surroundings and others around you while playing Pokémon GO. Stay tuned for more updates!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/letsgetlunchagain2019/

Niantic has announced preliminary details about the upcoming Pokémon GO Fest, Safari Zones and Community Days which will be taking place in the next few months of 2019.

You’ll Need a Bigger Bottle of Sunscreen for Our Pokémon GO Summer Events 2019!

Trainers, In 2018, we had an incredible year of live events for Pokémon GO, with our return to Chicago for Pokémon GO Fest as well as 4 Safari Zones, 12 Community Days, and tons of fun events for Trainers in between. This year, you can look forward to even more events in more locations!

We kicked off 2019 with South America’s first-ever Safari Zone event in Porto Alegre, Brazil, and we’ll have another Safari Zone in Sentosa, Singapore, in just a few weeks. Next, we’re excited to reveal that Pokémon GO Fest is coming to three cities around the world!

• June 13–16: Pokémon GO Fest Chicago
• July 4–7: Pokémon GO Fest Dortmund
• 2019 Summer: Pokémon GO Fest Asia (To be announced)

Stay tuned in the upcoming weeks for details on how to secure tickets to this summer’s biggest Pokémon GO events. A number of Safari Zone events are coming up in the second half of 2019, so keep your eyes peeled for more!

If you can’t make it in person to any of our summer events, don’t worry! There will be plenty of ways to participate in Pokémon GO Fest no matter where you are around the world. Stay tuned for more information on this soon!

Finally, for those interested in the upcoming worldwide Community Day events, mark your calendars for the following dates:

• May 19
• June 8
• July 21
• August 3

We can’t wait to see you at one of the many Pokémon GO events of 2019 and beyond!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/post/pokemongosummer2019

EGX Rezzed is the United Kingdom's biggest video game event and it takes place on April 4th, 2019 to April 6th, 2019 at Tobacco Dock, London, England. They have teamed up with Niantic to have a special Pokémon Go event during the event. Trainers can get some exclusive in-game bonuses including: Increased Pokémon spawns, Extended Lure duration for 3 days and Double Stardust for 3 days.


Source: https://twitter.com/EGX/status/1111571253884788738

Niantic has announced that players of Pokémon GO will be able to catch Bug-type more easily from April 2nd, 2019 until April 9th, 2019.

It’s time to bug out!

Trainers, Are you a serious Bug-type Trainer? Need to work on your Bug Catcher medal? You can get your Incense and catching nets ready for our first-ever Bug Out event!

Date + Time

• Apr. 2, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. PDT to Apr. 9, 2019, at 1:00 p.m. PDT (GMT −7)

Features

• Bug-type Pokémon will appear more frequently in the wild.
• Incense will last twice as long.
• More Pokémon will appear when using Incense.

Field Research

• Limited-time Bug-type Pokémon Field Research will be available during this event.

Time to head outside and see what amazing Pokémon you’ll encounter! Let’s GO!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/bugout2019/

Niantic have announced the details for the 15th Pokémon GO Community Day which takes place on April 13th, 2019 at 3:00 PM until 6:00 PM EST. The featured Pokémon for this day is Bagon. Bagon will appear in the wild more frequently for three hours that day. If you evolve Shelgon into Salamence during the three hour window, your Salamence will know the move Outrage. The 3x Catch XP and 3-hour Lures bonuses will also be available that day.

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/events/community-day/

Niantic has announced that on March 30th, 2019, there will be a Weather Based Limited Research Day in Pokémon GO with a specific focus on the Pokémon Lotad.

Weather-focused Limited Research, featuring Lotad!

Trainers, Professor Willow is looking to conduct Limited Research on the impact of weather on Pokémon, with a focus on the Water- and Grass-type Pokémon Lotad. Spin Photo Discs at nearby PokéStops to obtain Field Research tasks that lead to encounters with this Water Weed Pokémon. While you’re completing research, keep an eye out for other Pokémon that could be impacted by weather conditions, such as Castform! See more details below:

Date + Time

• Mar. 30, 2019, from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in your local time zone.

Features

• Pokémon that appear due to weather conditions will appear more frequently during the event.
• Limited Research tasks will be available when you spin Photo Discs at PokéStops.
• Completing the Limited Research tasks will award you encounters with Lotad.
• If you’re lucky, you may encounter Shiny Lotad and Shiny Castform in its Normal form!

Move

• The move Weather Ball for Castform will be permanently added to the game.

Remember, Trainers! As long as you’ve collected the Limited Research during the event window, you can complete it at any time. Don’t forget—you’ll need to venture onward to many PokéStops in order to get new Field Research tasks and encounter as many Lotad as possible!

We’re looking forward to seeing you out in the field! Stay safe and happy exploring!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/fieldresearch-mar2019/

Niantic has announced that Giratina will return to raids in Pokémon GO from March 28th, 2019 until April 2nd, 2019.

Giratina Returns, Ready to Transform!

Trainers, You did your team leaders proud back when you battled Giratina in its Altered Forme. However, there are still many mysteries to be unlocked about the Renegade Pokémon. Giratina has reemerged from the Distortion World to renew and transform. Starting March 28, Altered Forme Giratina will return to raids until April 2, when it will transform into Origin Forme to keep testing Trainers’ strength until April 29.

Date + Time

• Giratina (Altered Forme): Thursday, Mar. 28, 2019, at 1 p.m. PDT (GMT −7) to Tuesday, Apr. 2, 2019, at 1 p.m. PDT (GMT −7)
• Giratina (Origin Forme): Tuesday, Apr. 2, 2019, at 1 p.m. PDT (GMT −7) to Monday, Apr. 29, 2019, at 1 p.m. PDT (GMT −7)

Start prepping your teams to take on this Ghost- and Dragon-type Legendary Pokémon originally discovered in the Sinnoh region. Stay safe, and happy exploring!

Source: https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/giratinareturns2019/

The Corsair Dream League Season 11 takes place on March 22nd to 24th, 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden. They have teamed up with Niantic to have a special Pokémon Go event during the event. Trainers can get some exclusive in-game bonuses including: Increased Pokémon spawns, Extended Lure duration and Double stardust.


Source: https://twitter.com/DreamHackDota/status/1108070773325996033