After months in development, Pokémon HOME, the cloud storage system for Pokémon games, has finally become compatible with Pokémon Go; however, there are some limitations to the service.
For starters, only level 40 trainers can use Pokémon HOME through Pokémon Go. This may just be a temporary level cap, as Niantic usually releases features gradually, allowing higher-level players to use new features before they are released to most.
Also, there are a handful of Pokémon that cannot be transferred to Pokémon HOME. for example, Spinda, a Pokémon known to have approximately four billion different potential versions in the main games (and only nine in Pokémon Go) cannot be transferred.
Pokémon GO earned $1 billion in 2020 and is having its best year
According to some data miners, Kyurem Black and Kyurem White are also non-transferable, but as neither of them has been introduced to Pokémon Go yet, we cannot confirm this.
Certain Pokémon with various forms will change when transferred. Castform (Sunny, Rainy or Snowy), Cherrim (Sunny), Giratina (Origin) and Genesect (Burn, Chill, Douse or Shock) will revert when transferred, as will Darmanitan (Zen), Meloetta (Pirouette) and Keldeo (Resolute) will also reverse shapes when transferred.
Usage is not free
The biggest surprise, however, is the cost. While Pokémon HOME is technically available for free with very limited usage, most players using HOME pay for the service.
In addition, most players using HOME are also paying for their Nintendo Switch online subscription. While using HOME through Pokémon Go is technically free, using the game's transporter requires energy and that energy can be used up very quickly.
In fact, a single Legendary or Mythical Pokémon will deplete all of its energy during the week. Given that the service allows players to transfer as many Pokémon as HOME can contain at any given point in the main games, this limit is surprising (and disappointing) to many players.
