Nintendo will stop letting users sign in to a Nintendo Account by linking a Google or Apple account from January 26, 2027, the company confirmed on its official support page. Accounts currently linked this way will need to switch to a Nintendo Account email and password, or a passkey, to keep logging in after the cutoff.
What exactly is changing
According to Nintendo’s own support page, three things stop working after January 26, 2027: linking a Google or Apple account to an existing Nintendo Account, signing in to a Nintendo Account using a linked Google or Apple account, and creating a new Nintendo Account using a Google or Apple account. The My Nintendo Platinum Points mission that rewarded users for linking a Google account is also being discontinued.
Nintendo’s page notes the exact end time “may be delayed depending on the progress of the system change work,” meaning the cutoff is a target date rather than a guaranteed hard stop to the minute. Japanese-language coverage of Nintendo’s original announcement, reported by GameBusiness.jp, puts the local cutoff at 16:00 Japan Standard Time on January 26, 2027, which is the same calendar day across most of Asia but still January 25 across the Americas.
The feature being retired is what Nintendo calls “simple login” (“kantan login” in Japan), the option that let a Google or Apple account stand in for a Nintendo Account password. It was first announced on Nintendo’s Japanese support site on November 10, 2026, before rolling into English-language coverage over the following days.
What Nintendo Switch and app users need to do
Nintendo says devices that are already signed in may continue working without an immediate new login. If a login screen does appear after the change, users who previously relied on Google or Apple sign-in will instead need their Nintendo Account email address or Sign-In ID along with its password, or a passkey set up on the account.
Anyone who only ever used Google or Apple to access their Nintendo Account, and does not remember setting a separate password, is advised to set one on the Nintendo Account website before the January 2027 deadline, so they are not locked out of purchases, save data, or online play tied to that account.
Why this looks familiar
This is not Nintendo’s first time narrowing sign-in options. Android Authority reported that Nintendo discontinued Facebook and Twitter sign-in for Nintendo Accounts back in 2022, and separately removed Google and Apple sign-in from its iOS apps specifically to comply with Apple’s App Store review guidelines.
The pattern suggests Nintendo is steadily consolidating account access around its own credentials and passkeys rather than third-party identity providers, though the company has not framed it that way publicly.
What Nintendo hasn’t said
Nintendo has not given a public reason for ending Google and Apple sign-in, and has not said the method was insecure, per Android Authority’s reporting. No security incident involving the feature has been reported.
FAQ
Will I be logged out of my Nintendo Switch automatically on January 26, 2027?
Not necessarily. Nintendo says a device already signed in may keep working without requiring a fresh login right away.
Does this mean Google or Apple sign-in was unsafe?
Nintendo has not said so, and no security issue tied to the feature has been reported.
What should I do before the deadline?
Set a password (or a passkey) directly on your Nintendo Account if you currently sign in only through Google or Apple, so you are not locked out later.
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