What are Sponsored Giveaways in Pokémon Go?

You may come across a Sponsored Gift when visiting a PokéStop in Pokémon Go. It's an additional freebie on top of the standard PokéStop items you receive after spinning the dial. The sponsored giveaway looks like a gift you'd receive from a friendly trainer on your friends list, but it's dark pink in color rather than the traditional yellow and white hue. Why did you receive a sponsored giveaway?

A Sponsored Giveaway arrives after you spin a PokéStop or Gym Photo Disc after receiving your initial items to get to that location. It appears on your screen and comes with a letter from a local business in your area. You are not obligated to accept the Sponsored Giveaway. You can also choose to close the screen, which means you don't receive any of the items on it. If you accept it, click the Accept button as if you were receiving a gift from a friend, and there is an additional message from the company. The message usually encourages players to visit a nearby local establishment. These freebies have been added to help local businesses and let trainers know their location while exploring a town.

Just like gifts from friends, you can only receive a certain amount per day, and these are random. They don't always appear at the same PokéStop.

Beyond the sponsored message that comes from the giveaway, there is nothing much different from this and receiving one from a friend. However, you probably can't get a 7 kilometer egg from these. You don't have to receive one after getting one at a PokéStop. Go to settings on your main menu screen and scroll down to the “Show Sponsored Giveaways” feature to uncheck this part. No more sponsored gifts will appear for you in the future.