Evolving Pokémon is an essential part of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and, for some Pokémon, the Friendship Checker will play a crucial part in this process. Building a good relationship with your Pokémon is important for battles because a handful of Pokémon can only evolve if their friendship has been maxed out.

Unfortunately, the Friendship stat is not one you can check for yourself until you've unlocked the Friendship Tracker. This tracker app will eventually become available as part of the Pokétch. Along with the other available apps, you will be able to view how far along your friendship is with every Pokémon in your party using your Pokétch.

How To Unlock The Friendship Checker in Pokémon BDSP

Find The Right NPC In Eterna City

To unlock the Friendship Checker, you'll have to go to Eterna City, located in the north-western part of Sinnoh, via Route 205 through Eterna Forest. This is where you need to defeat the Gym Leader Gardenia to collect your second gym badge.

Inside this city's Pokémon Center will be a woman with long brown hair and a pink shirt. She will approach and speak to you about your Pokémon, commenting on their bond with you. After a short conversation, she will give you access to the Friendship Checker App on your Pokétch.

How To Use The Friendship Checker

Use Hearts To Evaluate Your Friendship Level

The Friendship Checker can be opened by pulling up the watch and using the R button to cycle through the list. After a while, you'll come across a screen where Pokémon are idly floating around. Once on this screen, select a Pokémon, and a certain number of hearts will be displayed beside them.

To read the Friendship Checker, look at the number and size of the hearts on this screen. The more hearts, and the bigger the hearts, the higher the friendship is between the trainer and Pokémon. Ideally, the maximum friendship will be two full hearts, while no hearts mean a very low friendship level. All Pokémon that require Friendship-related Evolutions are as follows:

• Azurill
• Budew
• Cleffa
• Eevee
• Munchlax
• Pichu
• Riolu
• Togepi

If you're struggling to increase the friendships with your Pokémon, some key things can help you increase your status faster. For example, you can feed your Pokémon Poffins, ensure they don't faint during battle, and use Vitamins.

However, I found that one of the best methods to increase friendship with a specific Pokémon is to have them listed first in my party, holding a Soothe Bell. Additionally, check their friendship level regularly so you don't waste additional time on a Pokémon already maxed out in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.