Pokemon Go Favorites: What It Does & How to Use It

Favoriting a Pokémon in Pokémon GO marks it with a star icon in your collection, making it easy to find and protecting it from accidental transfers or power-ups. It does not boost stats, increase catch rates, or affect gameplay in any other way—it is purely an organizational tool. Here is everything you need to know about using favorites effectively.

What Favoriting Actually Does

When you tap the star icon on a Pokémon’s summary screen, it becomes a favorite. The star appears next to its name in your storage list, and you can filter your collection to show only favorites using the search bar (type favorite or use the star filter icon). The key functions are:

Prevents accidental transfer: The game will ask for confirmation before you can transfer a favorite Pokémon, and you cannot mass-transfer it via the multi-select feature.
Prevents accidental power-up: You cannot power up a favorite Pokémon past a certain point without unfavoriting it first, which stops you from wasting stardust on a Pokémon you meant to keep untouched.
Quick sorting: Favorites appear at the top of your list when you sort by “Favorite” in the storage screen.
Visual cue: The star icon helps you spot important Pokémon at a glance, especially when scrolling through hundreds of creatures.

How to Favorite and Unfavorite

Favoriting is simple and reversible:

Open your Pokémon storage by tapping the Poké Ball icon and then “Pokémon.”
Tap any Pokémon to view its summary screen.
Tap the star icon in the top-right corner (next to the CP and HP display).
The star will turn yellow, indicating the Pokémon is now a favorite.
To unfavorite, tap the star again; it will turn gray.

You can also favorite a Pokémon immediately after catching it by tapping the star on the catch summary screen. There is no limit to how many Pokémon you can favorite, and you can change your mind at any time.

Why You Should Use Favorites

Favorites are especially useful for organizing your collection. Common strategies include:

Marking battle teams: Favorite the six Pokémon you use for raids or Gym battles so you can find them quickly.
Protecting shinies and rares: Shiny Pokémon and high-IV Pokémon are often accidentally transferred; favoriting prevents that.
Tracking trade candidates: If you plan to trade a Pokémon with a friend, favoriting it prevents you from accidentally transferring it before the trade.
Distinguishing duplicates: When you have multiple of the same species, favoriting the one with better stats helps you decide which to keep.

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions

Many players think favoriting gives a gameplay advantage, but it does not. It does not increase catch rate, improve IVs, boost CP, or affect evolution. It also does not prevent a Pokémon from being traded—you can still trade a favorite, but you will get a warning. Another misconception is that favorites are automatically protected from being used as a buddy or in battles; they are not. You can still assign a favorite as your buddy, put it in a Gym, or use it in raids. The only protection is against transfer and accidental power-up.

A common mistake is forgetting to unfavorite a Pokémon before trying to trade it. The game will show a confirmation dialog, but if you are in a hurry, you might miss it. Also, when you mass-transfer Pokémon using the multi-select feature, favorites are excluded by default, so you may need to unfavorite them first if you want to clear space.

Favorites and Search Filters

The storage search bar supports several useful commands related to favorites:

favorite – shows only favorited Pokémon
!favorite – shows only non-favorited Pokémon
favorite&shiny – shows favorited shinies (combine with other filters)

You can also tap the star icon in the filter bar (the one with the funnel symbol) to toggle favorites on or off. This is handy when you want to review your favorite collection or when you need to find a specific Pokémon quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does favoriting a Pokémon increase its stats or CP?

No. Favoriting has no effect on any in-game mechanic. It only adds a star icon and provides transfer/power-up protection. The Pokémon’s stats, CP, IVs, and moves remain exactly the same.

Can I still trade a favorite Pokémon?

Yes, you can trade a favorite, but the game will ask for confirmation because it is a protected Pokémon. You do not need to unfavorite it before trading, but you will see a warning dialog. After the trade, the Pokémon is no longer yours, so the favorite status disappears.

Can I favorite a Pokémon I just caught?

Yes, on the catch summary screen, there is a star icon in the top-right corner. Tap it to favorite the Pokémon before you leave the encounter. This is useful for quickly protecting a shiny or a high-CP catch.

Is there a limit to how many Pokémon I can favorite?

No, there is no limit. You can favorite every Pokémon in your storage if you want. However, having too many favorites might make it harder to find the ones you actually need, so it is best to use favorites selectively.

Does favoriting prevent a Pokémon from being selected for a Gym?

No. Favorites can be placed in Gyms, used in raids, or set as your buddy. Favoriting only blocks transfer and power-up actions. If you want to prevent a Pokémon from being used in battle, you would need to keep it out of your battle parties manually.

What happens if I favorite a Pokémon and then try to transfer it?

The game will show a confirmation dialog saying “This is a favorite Pokémon. Are you sure you want to transfer it?” You must confirm twice before the transfer completes. This gives you a chance to change your mind and prevents accidental loss.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.

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