How to Evolve Inkay in Pokémon GO

Inkay is one of the more peculiar Pokémon in Pokémon GO, not because it’s strong (though it does have its place), but because its evolution requirement is literally upside down. No, seriously.

Unlike the usual “just feed it candy and go” evolution methods, evolving Inkay into its bigger, brainier final form Malamar requires a weird method that dates back to its original mainline debut on the 3DS. So, here's how to evolve Inkay in Pokémon GO.

Why Inkay’s Evolution is Different

Inkay was originally introduced in Pokémon X and Y on the Nintendo 3DS, and its evolution method was unusual even back then. To evolve it into Malamar, players had to turn their 3DS console upside down while leveling it up.

Niantic decided to keep that same gimmick alive in Pokémon GO, giving us one of the most unconventional (but fun) evolution mechanics. To be honest, it's kind of refreshing to me to have a Pokémon that’s not tied to weather, time of day, or friendship miles for once.

How to Evolve Inkay in Pokémon GO

The Evolve button for Inkay won’t activate unless you flip your phone upside down just like its 3DS roots.

Here’s how it works in real-world terms:

• First, you need 50 Inkay Candies to evolve this creature, which you can earn by catching multiple Inkay, using Pinap Berries for bonus candy, walking with Inkay as your buddy, or transferring extras.
• With the required candies in inventory, go to Inkay’s page.
• Flip your phone upside down — rotate your device so the screen is pointing downward.
• When you do it correctly, the red “Evolve” button will change to a dark red, which hints that the game has registered the movement.
• Tap it to turn Inkay into Malamar.

If nothing happens, toggle your screen rotation lock or restart the app. Some older phones without gyroscopes can have trouble to detect the orientation shift but thankfully, almost all modern smartphones support this gyroscope out of the box.

Do You Have to Flip the Phone Every Time?

Yes. As of now, this is the only way to evolve Inkay in Pokémon GO. There’s no in-game setting or alternate method (like in some stone-based evolutions) to override this mechanic. If you want a Malamar or a shiny Malamar (if luck is on your side), you have to do the trick every single time.

Can You Evolve Shiny Inkay?

Yes, if you catch a Shiny Inkay, the phone flip method is the same. And yes, it will evolve into Shiny Malamar, which keeps the subtle color difference. To hunt a shiny version, go after events or weather boosts (Foggy and Windy, in this case) where Inkay has a high spawn rate.

Is Malamar Worth It?

Yes, mainly for Great League PvP. Malamar is a Dark/Psychic dual-type Pokémon with decent CP stats (up to 2667 CP at max). But it’s not just a stat-stuffer, Malamar learns Foul Play and Superpower, which give it strong matchups against some of the meta’s very annoying Pokémon.

It also fills a unique niche with its typing. Not many Pokémon have the same resistances and move coverage, which makes Malamar an exciting addition to spice up your PvP team or just to complete your Pokédex.

Want to Time Evolutions Better?

To evolve multiple Pokémon during bonus XP windows or evolve Malamar for a research task, I would recommend getting help from the Pokémon GO evolution calculator. It’s a valuable tool to estimate CP after evolution and plan your Candy use efficiently. I found this calculator great and continuously use it for my Pokémon GO needs.

It's especially handy when working on your PvP team. If you know whether an evolved Inkay will stay under Great League CP caps can save you a whole lot of XL Candy grinding later.

Inkay is not a legendary powerhouse, but evolving it into Malamar has real value both mechanically and for novelty’s sake. There’s something uniquely satisfying about flipping your phone and watching it respond with an evolution trigger. It’s a small reflection to Pokémon history and one of the few instances where GO lets you interact with the game world in a fun, tangible way.

So next time someone asks, “Why won’t my Inkay evolve?” — just tell them to flip it. Literally.