Nintendo will soon end Google and Apple sign-ins

Nintendo will stop accepting Google and Apple accounts as a way to sign in to Nintendo Accounts on January 26, 2027. The company posted the change to its support site, and it applies to owners of the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, Switch Lite and Switch OLED.

From that date, users will no longer be able to link a Google or Apple account to a Nintendo Account, log in with one, or use one to open a new account. Nintendo is also retiring the My Nintendo mission that awards Platinum Points for linking a Google account.

The cut-off is set for 4 PM Japan Standard Time, which is 7 AM GMT and 2 AM Eastern Time on the same day. Nintendo says the exact end time could slip depending on how its system work progresses.

Players already signed in on a device may be able to keep using their Nintendo Account without logging in again. Anyone who reaches the sign-in screen after the deadline will need the email address or Sign-In ID tied to their account plus a password or a registered passkey.

Users who created their accounts through Google or Apple and never set a password can create one using the “Forgot your password?” option on the Nintendo Account website. People who chose Apple’s Hide My Email feature at sign-up gave Nintendo an Apple relay address rather than their real inbox, and they should keep Nintendo in their Sign in with Apple settings until a password is in place.

Nintendo already lets users register a passkey, a sign-in credential saved on a phone or other device and unlocked with that device’s own screen lock. Biometric data stays on the device and is not sent to Nintendo. A passkey works only on the device where it was registered or when signing in on a Switch console with the help of that device, so Nintendo advises users to keep their email address and password current as a fallback.

Nintendo did not give a reason for the change. Its notice apologizes to users who relied on Google or Apple to log in.

Nintendo removed Facebook and Twitter sign-in on October 25, 2022, along with the My Nintendo missions tied to those accounts, which left Google and Apple as the only third-party log-in options. The company has also ended sign-in through Nintendo Network ID, and its iOS apps already exclude Google and Apple log-ins to comply with Apple’s App Store review guidelines.