Pokemon Go's referral system is live with rewards for signing up a friend

Update: Following a brief test period in Australia, the Pokemon Go referral system is now live worldwide.

Pokemon Go referrals reward both parties involved with things like Pokemon encounters, Rare Candy, Incubators, and more. The rules are pretty simple: just head to the Friends screen in Pokemon Go and hit "Invite" and you'll receive a referral code to give your friend - just remember that the friend needs to be a new player or one that's been inactive for at least 90 days to qualify for a referral.

From there, just send the referral code to your referee and they can enter it when they sign up for Pokemon Go or later in the Friends menu. Then you're official Pokemon Go friends and can start earning rewards for reaching certain milestones.

"Remember what it was like when you first started your Pokémon GO adventure?" Niantic asks in the announcement. "Were there other Trainers in your life that helped you on your way to becoming the best you can be? We hope the referral program will encourage you to reach out and lend a helpful hand to your friends as well. We're all here to enjoy Pokémon GO together, and this is the perfect opportunity to welcome (or welcome back) Trainers to our community."

The details of the program are a bit light at the moment, but Niantic said in a press release that Pokemon Go players can get Pokemon encounters, rare candy, incubators, "and more" for referring a friend. Both parties involved will get stuff for the initial referral as well as for achieving certain milestones afterward, but it's unclear if the rewards are any different for referrer vs. referree.

Pokemon Go players can refer friends who have never played the game before as well as those returning from a break, although right now, Niantic is being vague about what length of time qualifies as "a break." I'm guessing you don't get anything for referring a friend who hasn't played in a week.