How to Earn More Candy in Pokémon GO

Pokémon Candy is normally tied to an evolution family and is used for evolution, power-ups and unlocking second Charged Attacks. The most dependable ways to earn it are catching the family, transferring duplicates, hatching relevant Pokémon and walking with one as your Buddy.

Candy is not a premium currency and does not need to be generated by an outside tool. Events, Berries and selected game features can increase the normal amount.

1. Catch Pokémon from the same family

A standard catch usually awards Candy for that Pokémon's evolution family. Event bonuses, Mega Evolution bonuses and other modifiers can change the total. A Pinap Berry increases the Candy from a successful catch, while a Silver Pinap Berry combines an enhanced Candy reward with improved catch odds.

Use Pinap Berries when you can still catch the target reliably. For a rare or difficult encounter, a Razz Berry or Golden Razz Berry may be more valuable because no Candy is awarded if the Pokémon escapes.

2. Transfer unwanted duplicates

Transferring a Pokémon to the Professor normally awards Candy for its family and permanently removes it from your collection. The correct term is transfer, not transform.

1. Open the Pokémon storage screen.
2. Select a Pokémon and review its appraisal, moves and tags.
3. Open the action menu and choose Transfer, or use multi-select for ordinary duplicates.
4. Read the confirmation and complete the transfer.

Favorite valuable Pokémon to protect them from accidental selection. Shiny, Legendary, Mythical, event and other special Pokémon may require individual confirmation or may not be eligible for a standard group transfer.

Transfer-Candy events can improve the return, so tag non-urgent duplicates and wait when storage space allows. Do not hold so many that you cannot participate in the next catch event.

3. Hatch Eggs

Hatching an Egg awards Candy for the Pokémon that emerges, along with Stardust. The amount varies. Egg distance and hatch pools change with seasons and events, so tap each Egg to review its current possible hatches.

4. Walk with a Buddy Pokémon

Set a Pokémon as your Buddy and walk the distance required for that family. When eligible distance is recorded, the Buddy can find Candy. The distance requirement varies by species, and excited Buddy status can reduce the distance needed for a Candy reward.

Adventure Sync can help record compatible walking while the app is closed. Verify the necessary activity permissions if progress is not updating.

5. Use trades strategically

Trading awards Candy based partly on the distance between the locations where the two Pokémon were caught. Event bonuses can change trade rewards. A traded Pokémon cannot be traded again, and every trade costs Stardust, so confirm both Pokémon and the cost before proceeding.

6. Complete Research, raids and other rewards

Field Research, Special Research, Timed Research, raids, GO Battle League and other features may award species encounters, Candy or Rare Candy. Availability changes, so check the reward shown in the game instead of assuming that a particular task always grants Candy.

7. Use Rare Candy carefully

Rare Candy can be converted into Candy for a selected Pokémon family. Because the conversion is one-way, save it for a family that is difficult to catch, hatch or walk. Rare Candy XL is a separate high-level resource and should not be confused with ordinary Rare Candy.

Does Gym defense award Candy?

The current Defender Bonus is based on PokéCoins when a defender returns, not a package of XP, Stardust and Candy. Feeding Berries to Pokémon at a friendly Gym awards Stardust and has a small chance to provide that defender's Candy, but it is not a reliable primary Candy method.

What Candy can be spent on

• Evolving a Pokémon.
• Powering up with Stardust.
• Unlocking a second Charged Attack.
• Purifying a Shadow Pokémon.
• Selected form changes, Mega-related actions or other species-specific features.

Before spending a large amount, review the Pokémon's intended role, appraisal, moves and evolution requirements. Catching and transferring duplicates supplies common families quickly; Buddy walking and Rare Candy are better reserved for families that are genuinely difficult to obtain.