Nintendo to End Google and Apple Sign-Ins in January 2027

Nintendo has confirmed that from January 26, 2027, players will no longer be able to sign in to their Nintendo accounts using Google or Apple credentials. The change also blocks the creation of new Nintendo accounts through either service, meaning anyone who currently relies on those buttons must set up an alternative login method before the deadline or risk losing access to their purchased games and the eShop.

• Hard deadline: Google and Apple sign-ins stop working on January 26, 2027, though Nintendo notes the exact time may slip depending on the progress of its system migration.
• Action required: Affected users must configure a Nintendo password or, preferably, a passkey before the cutoff to avoid being locked out.
• Loyalty change: The My Nintendo Platinum Points mission that rewarded linking a Google account will also be discontinued.

What exactly changes, and when

According to Nintendo’s official support page, from the cutoff date it will no longer be possible to link a Google or Apple account to a Nintendo account. That means those external profiles can no longer be used to sign in, nor to register a fresh Nintendo account. The measure applies across the current hardware family, including Nintendo Switch 2, the original Switch, Switch Lite and the OLED model.

Nintendo has not explained why it is removing the integrations or whether security concerns are behind the decision. The company did apologize for the inconvenience caused to players who have been using Google or Apple to access their accounts. The retirement also ends the My Nintendo mission that granted Platinum Points for linking a Google account, closing off a small but familiar rewards loop.

The warning matters because the risk is concrete: anyone who currently taps the Google or Apple button could find themselves shut out of their games and the store if they do not act in time. It is the kind of quiet platform transition that rarely makes headlines until a user cannot get into their account on an ordinary evening.

How to keep access to your account

Nintendo is asking users to establish a password or, better still, a passkey before January 26, 2027. To add a passkey, players should open the account page, sign in, navigate to the sign-in and security settings, select Passkeys, tap Edit and choose to register a new one. Passkeys let users authenticate through device-level biometrics such as a fingerprint or facial recognition instead of typing a password.

Those who already have an active session on a device may not need to sign in again immediately. If the login screen does appear, they can use the email address or sign-in ID associated with their Nintendo account, plus their password, or a passkey. Users who never set a password or have forgotten it can go to the sign-in page, choose the “Forgot your password?” option and follow the recovery steps sent to their registered email. Nintendo recommends adding its no-reply address to contacts and allowed senders so the message is not filtered. Anyone who has lost access to the registered email should contact Nintendo to update it.

Nintendo has not explained the reasons behind removing the Google and Apple sign-in options, and has offered no additional details beyond the support notice.

The broader trade-off

Relying on “Sign in with Google” or “Sign in with Apple” is convenient, but it ties a gaming account to a third party. If a player loses access to that email or the external service changes its terms, the account becomes harder to recover. Pushing users toward a native credential, and ideally a passkey, is more robust over the long run and reduces dependence on large platforms.

The awkward part is the method: changes like this are announced once, and many users only discover them when it is too late. Losing access to a purchased game library is an avoidable frustration. The practical advice is unglamorous but useful: if you sign in to Nintendo with Google or Apple, spend five minutes setting up a passkey before January. The alternative is a support headache at the worst possible moment.