Why the Pokemon Go Inkay Evolution Still Trips Everyone Up

You’re staring at your phone, you’ve got the 50 candies, and that evolve button is just... mocking you. It’s greyed out. Or maybe it’s there, but clicking it does absolutely nothing. Honestly, Inkay is one of the most frustratingly brilliant additions Niantic ever brought to the game. It’s a gimmick. But it’s a gimmick that honors the original Nintendo 3DS lore in a way that’s both charming and incredibly annoying if your phone’s hardware isn't playing ball.

The Pokemon Go Inkay evolution isn't about XP or special items or walking 10 kilometers. It’s about gravity.

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Basically, you have to turn your world upside down to get a Malamar. If you grew up playing Pokémon X or Y on the 3DS, you probably remember the confusion when you reached level 30 and nothing happened. You had to physically flip the handheld console over. Niantic kept that soul-crushing/delightful mechanic alive in the mobile version. But since we’re dealing with thousands of different smartphone models with varying internal sensors, things get messy fast.

The Actual Trick to Evolving Inkay

To trigger the evolution, you need 50 Inkay candies. That’s the easy part. Once you have the candy, you have to physically turn your phone upside down. I’m talking 180 degrees, charging port facing the ceiling. If your phone has a functioning gyroscope, the screen should shift, or the "Evolve" button should suddenly become active.

It sounds simple. It’s not always simple.

I’ve seen people at community days shaking their phones like maracas, looking like they've lost their minds, all because their auto-rotate setting was locked. That’s the first thing you check. If your screen orientation is locked in your phone's quick settings, the game might not register that you've flipped the device. Unlock it. Flip it. Wait for the button to turn pinkish-purple.

But what if the button stays dead?

Sometimes the game's orientation sensor gets "stuck." I usually tell people to exit the Inkay's specific menu, flip the phone, and then click back into the Inkay while the phone is already upside down. It’s janky, sure. But it works when the standard method fails. You’re essentially tricking the app into refreshing its check on the gyroscope's position.

Why Your Gyroscope Might Be Hating You

If you’ve flipped your phone every which way and the Pokemon Go Inkay evolution still won't trigger, you might be dealing with a hardware limitation. Not every budget phone has a true gyroscope. Some use a combination of an accelerometer and software magic to guess which way is up. Pokémon GO is picky. It wants real hardware data.

There’s also the "AR Mode" factor.

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While AR doesn't technically need to be on for the evolution, the permissions often overlap. If you’ve denied the app access to certain motion sensors, it might just ignore the flip entirely. It’s worth diving into your system settings to make sure the app has full permission to "Motion and Fitness" (on iOS) or similar sensor access on Android.

And let's talk about cases. Those heavy-duty, military-grade bricks we put on our phones? Sometimes they interfere with the sensors or just make it harder to hold the phone perfectly level when it’s upside down. Take the case off. Try again. You’d be surprised how often a slightly tilted "upside down" fails to register because the phone thinks you’re just laying in bed at an awkward angle.

Malamar in the Current Meta: Is It Worth the Headache?

So you finally flipped your phone, felt like a goofball in public, and now you have a Malamar. Is it actually good?

In the Great League, Malamar is a spicy pick. It’s a Dark/Psychic type, which is a weirdly effective combo. It only has two weaknesses: Fairy and Bug. However, that Bug weakness is a "double weakness" (4x damage), so if you run into a Galvantula or a random X-Scissor, your Malamar is going to melt faster than an ice cream in a Houston summer.

• Fast Move: Psycho Cut is the go-to. It generates energy like crazy.
• Charged Moves: Foul Play and Superpower. This is the "standard" build.

The reason Malamar stays relevant in competitive play is Superpower. Since Malamar is a Dark type, it naturally baits in Steel or Rock types that think they have an advantage. Then you hit them with a Fighting-type Superpower. It’s a classic "bait and switch" strategy that catches people off guard in the GBL (Go Battle League).

But honestly? If you aren't into PvP, Malamar is mostly a Pokedex filler. Its attack stat isn't high enough to compete with the heavy hitters like Tyranitar or Hydreigon in raids. It’s a finesse Pokémon, not a brawler.

Dealing With the "Invert Colors" and Other Accessibility Myths

You’ll see weird rumors on Reddit or old forums saying you need to invert your screen colors or change your brightness to evolve Inkay. That’s nonsense.

The confusion comes from people misinterpreting the word "invert." The game wants the hardware inverted, not the pixels. Don't go messing with your accessibility settings or your contrast ratios. It won't help.

The only "software" fix that actually matters is making sure your phone’s "Auto-Rotate" is enabled in the system tray. If that's on and it still won't work, try recalibrating your compass. Most phones let you do this by opening Google Maps or Apple Maps and moving the phone in a figure-eight motion. This resets the internal magnetometer and gyroscope, which often gives the game the "nudge" it needs to recognize the flip.

Historical Context: The 2021 Inkay Debut

When Inkay first dropped during the Psychic Spectacular event back in September 2021, the community was in a minor panic. We hadn't seen a "hardware-dependent" evolution since... well, ever. Even the "buddy" evolutions like Umbreon or Espeon just relied on the internal clock and GPS.

Niantic didn't explicitly put "FLIP YOUR PHONE" in giant red letters. They left it as a hint: "Inkay has a unique way of evolving."

This led to a hilarious 24 hours where players were trying everything from walking backwards to evolving it at high altitudes. It’s a rare moment of the game actually forcing you to interact with your physical device as an object rather than just a window. It’s cool. It’s also the reason why some players with older phones—specifically the iPhone 6 or certain Moto G models—were literally locked out of getting a Malamar until they upgraded their hardware.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting for the Stubborn Inkay

If you are currently holding an Inkay and fuming, follow this exact sequence. Don't skip.

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1. Check your candy. 50? Good.
2. Check your "Auto-Rotate." It must be ON.
3. Restart the app. This clears the cache and re-polls the sensors.
4. Open the Inkay screen.
5. Hold the phone vertically, then slowly rotate it 180 degrees until it is completely upside down.
6. Look at the "Evolve" button. It should change color or the "!" icon should disappear.
7. Tap the button while the phone is still upside down. This is the part people mess up. You have to press it while inverted.

If you’re on a tablet, this can be even more awkward. Large iPads sometimes have a "locked" orientation for the UI even when the sensor is working. You might have to rotate the tablet several times to get the game to "catch up" to the fact that it's being held upside down.

Actions to take now

Go into your phone's settings and search for "Gyroscope" or "Diagnostics." Most Android phones have a hidden menu (usually by dialing *#0*# in the phone app, though this varies by manufacturer) where you can test the sensor. If the sensor is flatlining, you simply cannot evolve Inkay on that device. You'll need to log into your account on a friend’s phone, evolve it there, and log out.

Once you have your Malamar, don't just dump it. Check the IVs. If it has low Attack and high Defense/HP, keep it for the Great League. It’s one of the few Pokémon that can safely navigate a meta filled with Psychic types while still having the Fighting-type coverage to scare away the Steel types.

Finally, if you're hunting for a Shiny Inkay, the evolution process is exactly the same. The shiny Malamar is a striking gold/yellow color compared to the usual blue/purple. It's one of the better-looking shinies in the game, so it's worth the physical gymnastics to get it right. Ensure your phone is calibrated before you waste a Lucky Egg or Star Piece trying to do a mass evolution session.