Nintendo has updated its Switch Online mobile apps for iOS and Android to version 2.0, which brings a tweaked design as well as some minor quality-of-life improvements. The app launched shortly after the Nintendo Switch in 2017. It’s designed to work in tandem with the console, offering features like online voice chat that aren’t available on the Switch itself.
The Nintendo Switch Online app, the official mobile companion app for the Switch’s multiplayer subscription service, has received a massive overhaul.
As well as introducing a totally revamped design, the 2.0 update makes it significantly easier for Switch users to add friends. Whereas players had previously had to manually copy a 12-digit code each time they wanted to add someone to their friends list, you can now copy the identifier in a single tap in the app.
That makes the whole process a lot less cumbersome and the Nintendo Switch Online app, which has until now been largely redundant, worth a download.
Additionally, the app now lets you set your online status and see which of your friends are online without needing to pick up your console.
The update follows the rollout of Nintendo’s new mission and rewards system, which lets players earn My Nintendo platinum points for completing simple weekly and monthly challenges. We reckoned it’s an easy way of bagging some points to spend on freebies.
The Nintendo Switch Online app has been a little bare since its release in 2017. Its functions are limited, and many players never think to install it. The app’s most useful feature has, until now, been its online voice chat, which lets you speak with other Switch players in multiplayer games.
That's hardly revolutionary, though. Voice chat, online-status selection, and in-game chat are all provided on the PS5 and Xbox Series X without the need to download an additional app. But the ability to copy your player code in a single tap, rather than laboriously typing out the 12 digits every time you want to add someone to your friends list, will finally give many players a reason to download the Switch app.
Below is the official patch notes from Nintendo:
- The app's overall design has been updated.
- You can now see which of your friends are online.
- You can change your online-status settings.
- You can view your friend code.
- Other minor changes have also been implemented.
The latest update to the Nintendo Switch Online app was released days after Nintendo announced changes to the Switch Online service in the form of rewards to online players. According to Nintendo, players will now have more chances to earn My Nintendo Platinum Points simply by using the Switch Online service. Apart from existing ways to earn Platinum points, players can increase their chances by playing online or by playing classic games offered by Nintendo Switch Online.
Although the Nintendo Switch Online service has been in existence for several years now, some players still do not see its value, especially when compared to the services offered by PS5 and Xbox Series X. However, Nintendo recently promised its fans that it is improving and developing Switch Online by adding more features for a better overall experience.
Hopefully, Nintendo will continue expanding its features. It could one day be a true companion app for the console, rather than a forgotten add-on.
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