How to Evolve Inkay in Pokemon GO? [Quick Guide 2025]

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Inkay and Malamar were first introduced in Pokemon GO during the Psychic Spectacular event in 2021. While many players have since caught an Inkay, this Pokemon remains unique due to its unconventional evolution method.

This guide covers exactly how to evolve Inkay in Pokemon GO, explains why its evolution mechanism is different, and answers the most common questions trainers have about evolving Inkay.

Quick Guide:

Use 50 Inkay Candies, then rotate your phone through 180°.

Inkay Overview: Type, Weakness, Stats & Best Moveset

Inkay is a Dark- and Psychic-type Pokemon in Pokemon GO. This unique type combination makes it both tricky and interesting in battles. While Inkay is not a top-tier fighter, knowing its stats, weakness, and best moveset can help you use it more effectively.

Inkay Type: Dark and Psychic

Inkay Weakness: Bug and Fairy

Inkay Stats

Max CP

1048 CP

Attack

98 ATK

Defense

95 DEF

Stamina

142 HP

Buddy distance 3 km

Shiny released Yes

Inkay’s Best Moveset

Fast Attack	Charged Attack	DPS	TDO	Score
Psywave	Night Slash	4.65	37.5	3.55

What Does Inkay Need to Evolve in Pokemon GO?

In Pokemon GO, Inkay evolves into Malamar, but the evolution is not as simple as just using Candy. Niantic (Scopely) added a special requirement that makes Inkay’s evolution unique compared to other Pokemon.

There are two requirements to evolve Inkay:

50 Inkay Candy

A Special Condition: You must hold your phone upside down when you press the Evolve button.

If you have played Pokemon X and Y before, you must know that the way to evolve Inkay into Malamar is to turn the Nintendo DS upside down. This is one of the most unique methods of Pokemon evolution.

[1-Minute Done] How to Evolve Inkay in Pokemon GO?

The requirements for evolving Inkay may seem confusing, but it only takes a few simple steps to evolve Inkay into Malamar.

Step 1: Catch an Inkay and select it from your Pokemon collection.

Step 2: Now you can see that you need 50 Inkay candies or rare candy, and a weird question mark, and the evolve button color is light pink.

Step 3: Rotate your phone upside down. You can see that the evolve button becomes darker pink.

Step 4: Tap the Evolve button while your phone is still upside down to evolve Inkay into Malamar.

How to Fix Inkay Evolution Not Working Issue?

Many of my friends have asked me: “Why did I rotate my phone, but the evolve button didn’t turn dark pink?” This is a very common issue, and it’s not actually a bug. The main reason is that your phone may not have a gyroscope sensor.

Some of my friends ran into the same problem. Even when they rotated their phones, the evolve button for Inkay stayed light pink. In the end, they had to log in to their Pokemon GO accounts on my phone and then evolve their Inkay successfully.

How to Catch Inkay in Pokemon GO?

Inkay is a Psychic and Dark-type Pokemon, so it doesn’t appear in the wild as often as common Pokemon. Still, there are several effective ways to catch Inkay in Pokemon GO:

Wild Spawns with Weather Boost: Inkay gets a boost in Foggy and Windy weather. It increases Inkay’s IVs and level, making it stronger when caught.

Use Incense and Lure Modules:

• Incense: Attracts more wild Pokemon for 1 hour (especially useful during events).
• Lure Modules: Placed on PokeStops, last 30 minutes and can draw Inkay to your location.

Special Events and Research Tasks: Inkay is often featured during special events like Psychic Spectacular. During these events, spawn rates increase significantly. Sometimes Inkay is available through Field Research tasks - keep an eye on current tasks in the game.

Eggs and Raids: Inkay has occasionally appeared in 7 km Eggs and one-star raids. Check the current event announcements to see if Inkay is included.

Snapshot Encounters: Certain events allow Inkay to appear in photobomb encounters when you take AR snapshots.

Bonus: How to Evolve Inkay Without Walking?

Honestly, I used to struggle with evolving Inkay because I didn’t want to walk around for hours just to find one. That’s when I tried LocaChange, and it completely changed my experience in Pokemon GO.

LocaChange is a Pokemon GO spoofer app that doesn't require to download any cracked Pokemon GO game, and it has been tested 100% safe and secure to use.

Key Features of LocaChange

• Jump to hotspots where Inkay and other rare Pokemon spawn.
• Collect Inkay Candy faster by simulating steps without real movement.
• No need for cracked or modded apps. Fully supports the latest iOS 26 and Android 15.
• Control your movement freely with a 360-degree joystick and teleport with one click.
• Includes Pokemon Scanner, PokeStop Map, and PvP Finder for a complete gameplay experience.
• Everyone can try it for free before choosing your plan.

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Use LocaChange to catch and evolve Inkay:

Step 1: Download and install LocaChange on your devices.

Step 2: On LocaChange, choose the Special Game Mode and open Pokemon GO. Teleport anywhere to collect Inkay candies without having to walk.

You can also use LocaChange via PC to spoof Pokemon GO on iOS and Android:

Step 1: Connect your mobile phone to a PC.

Step 2: Choose a mode you need and enter the location you want to teleport.

FAQs about Inkay in Pokemon GO

1．Can Inkay be shiny in Pokemon GO?

Yes, there is shiny Inkay in Pokemon GO since the Inkay Limited Research was released in September in 2022. Players complete the research tasks and get shiny and even shundo Inkay during the event.

2．Is Inkay rare in Pokemon GO?

Yes, Inkay is a rare Pokemon in Pokemon GO, but it isn’t the rarest type. The spawn rare of Inkay is 2.1% and it spawns more and more frequently. So it is worth going out for walk and try your luck.

Conclusion

Inkay evolution in Pokemon GO may seem different and strange for the first time, but once you know the reasons and designs behind it, you will realize that it is actually very interesting.

The problem is that Inkay is not always common in the game to catch, if you want to get more Inkay quickly, you can try the location changer LocaChange and catch Inkay without walking. It is super convenient and safe to use. Download and try for free now!

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Philip Williams

• Pokémon GO
• GPS Spoofing
• AR Gaming

• AR gaming and GPS spoofing specialist with over a decade of software experience. He is a trusted writer on Pokémon GO tips and safe location-changing strategies, helping over 2 million users worldwide. As an Apple enthusiast and expert in location-changing technology, he brings both technical depth and gaming insight to every guide.

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