Move Your Nintendo Account Off Apple Sign-In by January

If you use the Nintendo Apple sign-in button, plan to change how you log in by January 26, 2027. Nintendo is removing both Apple and Google sign-in that day. To keep getting into your Nintendo Account, use your email address or Sign-In ID with a Nintendo Account password, or sign in with a passkey. Nintendo spells out the change in its support notice.

Never set a Nintendo password? You can create one through “Forgot your password?” on the Nintendo Account website. Your Nintendo Account stays in place, and your digital games and purchases stay tied to it. If you’re already signed in on your Switch, you may be able to keep using it without signing in again right away.

The detail worth checking now is which inbox gets your Nintendo emails. If you picked Hide My Email when you signed up with Apple, the address Nintendo has may look nothing like the one you type every day. Here’s when the buttons go away, who needs to act, and how to get your password working before the cutoff.

When Nintendo Apple Sign-In Ends

You might have seen the MacRumors headline about Apple, but the same cutoff applies to Google. Nintendo of America gives January 26 as the date without listing an hour. Nintendo Japan puts the cutoff at 4:00 PM JST, which falls on Monday night on the West Coast and early Tuesday on the East Coast. Nintendo says system work could delay the cutoff, so aim to have your new sign-in working by the evening of January 25.

• Signing in. The Apple and Google buttons will stop getting you into your existing Nintendo Account.
• Linking accounts. You’ll lose the option to connect an Apple or Google account to a Nintendo Account you already have.
• Creating accounts. You’ll lose the option to use Apple or Google when setting up a new Nintendo Account.

You’ll also lose the My Nintendo mission that awards Platinum Points when you link a Google account. It hasn’t said why it’s retiring these options. If you’ve used Nintendo accounts for a while, you might remember Facebook and Twitter sign-in going away on October 25, 2022. Nintendo’s iOS apps, including Mario Kart Tour, already leave out the Apple and Google buttons. You can still use them in a browser until the cutoff.

Who Needs to Act Before January 26

Think about the last time you had to sign in from scratch. If you reached for an Apple or Google button, check that you have another way in while that button still works. That matters even if your Switch opens your games just fine today.

• You always use Apple or Google. Try signing in with your Nintendo Account password. If you’ve forgotten it or never made one, use “Forgot your password?” to set one.
• You signed up with Hide My Email. Check which address Nintendo has and confirm Apple still forwards messages from it to an inbox you can open.
• You don’t know your Sign-In ID. Open the Sign-in and security page and select Edit beside Sign-in ID to see it. If you chose “Sign-in ID only,” you’ll need that ID when you sign in with a password.
• You manage a child account. Nintendo child accounts can’t link to Apple or Google. To access a supervised account, enter the Sign-In ID and password for that account. Check your own account if you manage the family group and use either button.
• Your Switch is already signed in. You may stay signed in after the cutoff. Have your Nintendo credentials ready in case you sign out or add your account to another console.

How to Set a Password for Your Nintendo Account

You can use the same reset form whether you forgot your Nintendo Account password or never chose one. Start while Apple or Google still gets you into the account. That gives you a chance to check the email address before signing out.

1. Open the Nintendo Account website. Go to accounts.nintendo.com in a browser such as Safari. Use the Apple or Google button to sign in to your existing account.
2. Check the email on your account. Open the Sign-in and security page and look for E-mail address. If you see an old address or an Apple relay address, follow the email steps below before you sign out. If you’ve lost access to the registered inbox, contact Nintendo Support for help changing the address. If your Apple Account itself is the problem, see how to get back into a locked Apple Account.
3. Start the password reset. Sign out in the browser, choose “Forgot your password?” and enter the email currently registered to your Nintendo Account.
4. Open the email from Nintendo. Follow the temporary link. If Nintendo asks you to confirm your identity with your birthdate or Nintendo Account nickname, enter the one on the account. Complete any verification prompts that appear.
5. Choose your Nintendo Account password. Make your password eight characters or longer and draw from at least two groups among letters, numbers, and punctuation. Leave your date of birth out of it.
6. Test your new login. Return to the sign-in page and use your email address or Sign-In ID with the password you just made. Confirm that it opens the account you expected.

Waiting for an email? Check spam and add no-reply@accounts.nintendo.com to your contacts and safe-sender list. Nintendo says verification codes can take up to 30 minutes to arrive. If the reset email still hasn’t come through, contact Nintendo Support.

How to Check Your Email If You Used Hide My Email

When you choose Hide My Email with Sign in with Apple, Nintendo may get a private relay address. Apple forwards messages sent to that address while forwarding is active. If you turn it off, Nintendo’s password reset and verification emails sent to the relay address stop reaching your inbox.

1. Check your Apple connection. On your iPhone, open the gear-icon app, tap your name, then tap Sign in with Apple. Look for Nintendo in the list and leave it there for now.
2. Check where messages go. Return to the page with your name, open iCloud, and select Hide My Email under iCloud+ Features. Select Nintendo and check Forward To. Make sure forwarding is active and the destination is an inbox you can open.
3. Change your Nintendo email. While signed in on the Nintendo Account website, open the Sign-in and security page. Select E-mail address on mobile or Edit beside E-mail address on desktop. Verify your identity when prompted and submit an email address you can access directly.
4. Confirm the new address. Open the message Nintendo sends to your new inbox, enter the code, and submit it. Use that address for the password reset if you still need to set a password.

If you choose to unlink Apple, wait until you’ve signed in successfully with your Nintendo Account password.

You can also see part of your registered email by opening your user profile from the console’s HOME Menu. For the full address, choose “Check Your Account Information.” On Switch 2, select “Check Using This System.” On Switch, select “View e-mail address/Sign in ID.” Both routes ask for your Nintendo Account password, so if you’ve never set one, check the email in your browser while Apple sign-in still works.

Add a Passkey to Your Nintendo Account

Once you’ve set a Nintendo Account password, you can register a passkey and use your device’s fingerprint or face recognition to sign in. Nintendo asks for your password during registration, so get that working first. If you play on a Switch 2 or Switch, you can use the passkey on your phone to complete sign-in through the console’s QR code.

1. Open your Nintendo Account in a browser. Sign in at accounts.nintendo.com on the device where you want to register the passkey. Go to the Sign-in and security page.
2. Find the passkey controls. Open Passkeys and select Edit. If Nintendo sends a verification code to your email or by text, enter it to continue.
3. Register the passkey. Choose Register a new passkey, enter your Nintendo Account password, and select OK. Then select Register and follow the prompt on your device. Wait for Nintendo to confirm that registration worked.
4. Try your passkey. Open the Nintendo Account login page on the device you just used and choose Passkey Sign-in. Follow the device prompt and make sure you can get into your account.

What if you reach for a different phone? Your passkey works on the device where you registered it, including when you use that device to complete a console sign-in. Keep your Nintendo Account email and password handy for other devices, and register passkeys only on devices you don’t share.

Turn On 2-Step Verification for Your Nintendo Account

If you sign in with your Nintendo Account password, 2-step verification adds a code to the process. You’ll use Google Authenticator for that code and get a set of backup codes during setup. Save those before you finish. They give you another way to sign in if you lose access to the app.

1. Open 2-Step Verification. Sign in to your Nintendo Account in a browser, go to the Sign-in and security page, and select Edit beside 2-Step Verification.
2. Confirm it’s your account. Select 2-Step Verification setup. Follow Nintendo’s prompt to verify your identity with your password, passkey, or an email code.
3. Connect Google Authenticator. Install the app on your iPhone or Android phone. Open it and scan the QR code Nintendo displays.
4. Enter the six-digit code. Type the code shown in Google Authenticator into the Nintendo Account page and submit it.
5. Save your backup codes. Copy the codes somewhere you can reach if you lose your phone. Confirm you’ve saved them, then select OK to finish.

Each backup code works once. You can return to the 2-Step Verification page to review your codes later. If you run out and get stuck at the code prompt, choose “Use another method to verify your identity” to request an email code or a text if you’ve registered a phone number. Nintendo doesn’t offer 2-step verification for child accounts subject to verifiable parental consent requirements.

What Stays With Your Nintendo Account and What to Do After the Cutoff

Your Nintendo Account still holds your digital purchases when Apple and Google sign-in end. You may go a while without seeing the login page on a console you already use. If you do see it after January 26, you can still use your Nintendo Account credentials or reset your password through the email on file.

• Digital games, saves, and Switch Online. Your digital purchases stay linked to your Nintendo Account. Nintendo’s announcement covers how you access that account. Save Data Cloud still requires Nintendo Switch Online, and family memberships are shared within the family group.
• Sign-in on a Switch 2 or Switch. Choose “Sign in with a password” on the QR screen and enter your email address or Sign-In ID with your Nintendo Account password. You can also scan the QR code with your phone and finish in its browser with your password or a passkey.
• Sign-in in Nintendo’s iOS apps. Use your Nintendo Account email and password in apps such as Mario Kart Tour. These apps already leave out the Apple and Google buttons.
• A password you never set. Choose “Forgot your password?” on the Nintendo Account website and enter your registered email address. The reset option still works after the cutoff if you can receive Nintendo’s message.
• An inbox you can’t reach. Contact Nintendo Support for help updating the registered address. If you used Hide My Email, check whether Apple still forwards Nintendo’s messages to an inbox you can open.

Give yourself a few minutes before January 25 ends to check where Nintendo’s emails go and try your password in a browser. Once you’ve seen your account open with the new login, you’ll have a way back in the next time your Switch asks.

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