During the 2019 Nintendo E3 Direct, a number of brand New Pokemon, Characters and Concepts were revealed for Pokemon Sword & Shield. One of these new concepts is the Y-Comm. This system is the successor to the PSS, and it allows for players to connect with one another. The Y-Comm works through both Local Wireless and Wi-Fi, and it can be accessed at any time during gameplay by pressing the Y Button. With the Y-Comm, you can organize Trades, Battles and Max Raid Battles with other players.
While in the Overworld, you can activate the Y-Comm and have notifications appear. These messages will show you when your friends are looking to battle, trade or complete a Max Raid Battles. These notifications will also show you if your friends recently caught a Pokemon. Furthermore, when a player is connected to the Y-Comm, they can Encounter other players in the Wild Area. When this happens, these other players will often give you items.