How to get the ‘Old Friends, New Beginnings’ regional exclusive Timed Research in Pokémon Go

Niantic has been heavily advertising a new UK/EU regional exclusive Timed Research questline called Old Friends, New Beginnings on Pokémon Go social media. But when some players load into the game, it doesn’t appear for them.

If this is the case for you, don’t worry. Despite what you might think, this isn’t a Niantic bug, and you aren’t doing anything wrong. You might not remember, but you’ve likely already completed this timed research without knowing it. Let us explain.

How to unlock Old Friends, New Beginnings Timed Research in Pokémon Go

The Old Friends, New Beginnings Timed Research was initially added a few years ago in Pokémon Go, and despite some players claiming falsely online that the quest is for new players, it’s not. You might find it among your completed quests, like I did.

It’s not that you can’t access it; it’s just that Niantic is heavily advertising an older questline, that many of us have already completed, for the new generation of players who might not have seen or unlocked it yet.

So, despite all the negative backlash and players claiming foul, there isn’t a bug at all. Not that I could blame anyone, but there are dozens of quests given out each year and over 100 research questlines overall, so it can be hard to keep track of them, especially after a long period of time.

Now, once you have checked your completed quests, if you haven’t received the Old Friends, New Beginnings Timed Research yet, you should probably restart your app or reach out to Niantic if the problem persists.