This is how Pokemon trading will work in Pokemon Go

This week, Pokémon Go will finally get the ability to trade Pokémon with each other, fulfilling a promise made back when the game launched in 2016.

We don't know exactly when the update will drop. But if history teaches us anything, it will probably come out on Thursday at 1 p.m. PT, which is when the current "Water Festival" event in the game concludes.

However, developer Niantic is taking a different approach than you might expect - there are all sorts of rules and caveats that come with Pokémon trading, making it a little more complicated than just swapping mega-powerful monsters with strangers.

Here's how trading in Pokémon Go will work, according to Niantic: