TL;DR
- Reach Ultra Buddy level by accumulating 150 hearts daily over minimum 8 days
- Maximize heart gains through walking, feeding, battling, and exploration activities
- Collect souvenirs every 48 hours once Ultra Buddy status is achieved
- Souvenirs serve as friendship tokens rather than functional battle items
- Strategic heart farming can accelerate your progress toward souvenir eligibility

The Buddy Pokémon feature transforms your Pokémon GO experience by creating meaningful connections with your chosen companion. These digital friendships evolve through consistent interaction, eventually unlocking the ability for your Buddy Pokémon to present you with special mementos that commemorate your journey together.
Introduced in 2019, the Buddy Pokémon system enables trainers to select a Pokémon companion that accompanies them throughout their adventures. As your bond strengthens through various interactions, you’ll progress through distinct affection tiers that unlock exclusive benefits, including the coveted souvenir collection feature.
Souvenirs represent tangible symbols of your growing friendship with your Buddy Pokémon. While these items don’t provide combat advantages or statistical boosts, they hold significant sentimental value as personalized gifts from your trusted partner. Many trainers actively pursue these keepsakes despite their non-functional nature because receiving a present from your favorite Pokémon creates memorable gaming moments.

How to get a souvenir from your Buddy Pokémon
To become eligible for souvenir collection, your Buddy Pokémon must achieve Ultra Buddy status or higher. This requires accumulating 150 hearts through daily interactions, with the absolute minimum timeframe being eight consecutive days of maximum heart earnings. Many trainers require additional time due to inconsistent play patterns or incomplete daily heart quotas.
Strategic planning significantly impacts your progression speed. The eight-day minimum assumes perfect efficiency in collecting all available daily hearts, which requires dedicated gameplay sessions and geographical mobility. Urban players typically advance faster due to greater access to PokéStops and Gyms compared to rural trainers.
Optimizing your daily heart collection requires understanding all available methods and their limitations. Here’s your comprehensive guide to maximizing affection points:
- Walking together: Earn one heart per 2 kilometers traveled with your buddy, capping at three hearts daily. Using Adventure Sync can maximize distance tracking even when the app isn’t actively open.
- Give your buddy a treat: Feeding your companion berries generates three guaranteed hearts per day. Pro tip: Stock up on berries during Community Days for consistent feeding.
- Play together: Enter AR mode and interact with your Pokémon by tapping the screen to summon them. This playful engagement provides one heart daily and strengthens your visual connection.
- Battle together: Participate in GO Battle League matches, Team Rocket encounters, or training sessions. Each battle awards one heart, with a maximum of three hearts available through combat activities daily.
- Take a snapshot: Using AR camera functionality, capture photos of your Pokémon to earn one heart. This also creates shareable memories of your adventures.
- Visit a new place: Discovering previously unvisited PokéStops or Gyms grants one heart per day. Plan routes through unexplored areas to consistently claim this bonus.
Once your Buddy Pokémon attains Ultra Buddy status, they’ll begin presenting you with souvenirs approximately every 48 hours. The timing isn’t perfectly synchronized, so checking regularly ensures you don’t miss these special gifts.
The available souvenir collection includes charming items like a lone earring, beach glass, pretty leaves, stepping stones, tropical shells, and small flower bouquets. Each souvenir type appears randomly, with some being rarer than others based on community reporting and data analysis.
Common mistakes include neglecting daily heart quotas after reaching Ultra Buddy status, which can delay souvenir eligibility. Additionally, some trainers mistakenly believe souvenirs provide gameplay benefits, leading to disappointment when they discover their purely cosmetic nature.
Action Checklist
- Select your ideal Buddy Pokémon based on personal preference or walking requirements
- Complete all six daily heart-earning activities: walking, feeding, playing, battling, snapshotting, and exploring
- Track heart progress toward 150-heart Ultra Buddy requirement
- Check for souvenir gifts every 48 hours after achieving Ultra Buddy status
- Document your souvenir collection to track rarity patterns and completion goals
No reproduction without permission:Game Guides Online » How to receive a souvenir from your Buddy Pokémon in GO Master the art of earning Buddy Pokémon souvenirs with strategic heart collection and Ultra Buddy requirements
