The name says it all. We can battle remotely with others for the various training badges and the “Win 3 Great League Battles against another Trainer” in the various Giovanni quests. This requires a 3 Heart (Ultra) friendship as a reward for getting to that level and makes the game a bit easier. Why can’t we trade remotely?
I have 9 Lucky Friends as of when I wrote this. I have not actually seen any of them in 2020. At least 3 or 4 of them I have not seen in over 6 months. One of them is a friend from a different hobby that I have not yet met, but I have as a Facebook friend who plays. I have no idea if I will ever meet her in person. I also have a bunch of players from various places I have never personally met from the other hobby. possibly other games, and players who are local, but I only met once or twice and have not seen again. What is the point of having Lucky Friends we never see in person to trade with? That and remember the big push to make a 10,000 KM trade? A lot of people made friends with people 1/2 around the world in order to get eggs to be able to get those trades going.I don’t think most of those people will ever meet. Let’s at least make it so that we can trade with them when we get to a higher level of friendship, especially if the powers that be want the 10,000 KM trade again.
Moose's Pokemon Go Blog 