Nintendo Switch users have until January 25 to change how they sign in to the Nintendo Switch app on their smartphones.
Nintendo is going all-in on passkeys in a scheduled update to the Nintendo Switch app and will be sunsetting 3rd party logins after January 25, 2027. The news was made available on an official Nintendo support page. That means you won’t be able to use your Google or Apple accounts to log in to your Nintendo account as of January 26. After January 26:
- You cannot use your Google or Apple accounts to log in to your Nintendo Account.
- You cannot create a new Nintendo Account using a Google or Apple account.
- The My Nintendo Platinum Points mission to link your Google account to your Nintendo Account is also discontinued.
Instead of using 3rd-party account linking, Nintendo is recommending that users register a passkey for an exclusive, secure login experience through the Nintendo Switch app. If you forget to do this before January 26, you can always head to the Nintendo account page and run through the “forgot password” instructions. Nintendo recommends making sure you can log in to your account ASAPproblems before January
Nintendo didn’t elaborate on the policy change, although some surmise it’s based on security-related measures. The advancement of AI has created bots that can hack into systems with unprecedented speed, so it’s possible that Nintendo is simply trying to shore up any possible area it cannot 100% control. Either way, if you use the Nintendo Switch app or have a Nintendo account of any kind, you should change how you log in immediately.
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