The Pokémon Company probably sees the circuitousness of Pocket ’s trading system as a clever way to make the game stickier. But compared to other tactics like Pocket ’s regular events built around battling, it feels somewhat predatory and like something that doesn’t offer much value to players.

Good news! You can finally trade cards with friends in Pokémon TCG Pocket. Bad news! It sucks. It feels even more limited and backwards than when it was originally teased, and fans are in full revolt over the long-anticipated feature’s completely bungled rollout.

Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has launched its anticipated new trading update, but it has generated increased disappointment rather than satisfaction. The launch of the trading feature in the Pokemon TCG angered players beyond their initial disappointment from learning the update one week ago.

Prior to trading, make sure your Pokémon TCG Pocket app is updated to the latest version. Go to the Pokémon TCG Pocket store page on either the App Store on iOS devices or Google Play store on Android devices and update it. To trade, head over to the “Social Hub” tab and click on the unlocked “Trade” button.

The next major Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket update, dubbed Space-Time Smackdown, is scheduled for Jan. 29, but several cards are already starting to appear online, presumably through datamining. Let’s break down some highlights.

Pokémon TCG Pocket is set to release it's long awaited trade feature alongside anew set of card packs titled "Space-Time Smackdown".

In this Pokemon TCG Pocket Trading Guide, we’ll go over how to trade your pokemon, detailing how the process works. Furthermore, we’ll explain what resources you’ll need in order to complete a trade and earn new pokemon.