Nintendo Account sign-in changes: Google and Apple logins end on 26 January 2027

Nintendo will stop letting people use a Google or Apple account to get into a Nintendo Account on 26 January 2027. The company confirmed the change in a support notice on its UK site, which was reported by 9to5Google on 10 November 2026 and by Engadget on 12 November 2026.

Anyone who has only ever used the Google or Apple button should set a Nintendo Account password before that date. The account itself is not being closed, but the route into it is changing.

What is Nintendo changing?

Nintendo's notice says that from 26 January 2027 it will no longer be possible to link a Google or Apple account to a Nintendo Account. Three things stop on that date:

• Signing in to a Nintendo Account with a Google or Apple account.
• Creating a new Nintendo Account with a Google or Apple account.
• The My Nintendo Platinum Points mission for linking a Google account.

The date is not completely fixed. Nintendo says it may be delayed depending on how its system change work progresses. The Americas version of the notice carries the same date and lists the Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite and Nintendo Switch OLED Model as the products it applies to.

Nintendo apologises in the notice to people who have been signing in this way. It does not give a reason. Engadget notes that the company did not say why it is making the change or whether it has security concerns about the two sign-in services.

	Until 25 January 2027	From 26 January 2027
Sign in with Google or Apple	Available	Not available
Create an account with Google or Apple	Available	Not available
Sign in with email address or Sign-In ID and password	Available	Available
Sign in with a passkey	Available	Available
Platinum Points for linking a Google account	Available	Discontinued

Will you be locked out of your Nintendo Account?

Not according to the notice. Nintendo says that if you are already signed in on a device, you may not need to sign in again. If a sign-in page does appear after the change, you will need your Nintendo Account email address or Sign-In ID with your password, or a passkey.

The difficulty is for people who created their account through Google or Apple and never chose a Nintendo password. Nintendo's answer is the "Forgot your password?" link on the Nintendo Account sign-in page, which sends a reset email to the address registered on the account. That route is listed in the notice without an end date, and 9to5Google reports it as the fallback for anyone who misses the deadline.

That only works if you can still receive mail at the registered address. Nintendo says people who no longer have access to it should contact the company to have the address updated.

What should account holders do before 26 January 2027?

These steps follow Nintendo's own guidance. The order is our suggestion.

1. Check which email address is on the account. Sign in at accounts.nintendo.com while the Google or Apple button still works and confirm the address is one you can open.
2. Set a Nintendo Account password. If you have never set one, use "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in page and follow the reset email.
3. Look out for the reset email. If it does not arrive, Nintendo advises waiting, then adding no-reply@accounts.nintendo.com to your address book and safe-sender list, and contacting support if it still does not appear.
4. Consider adding a passkey. Nintendo recommends this in the notice as an easier and more secure way to sign in.
5. Test the new sign-in. Sign out in a browser and sign back in with the email address and password, so that any problem shows up before the deadline rather than after it.

Notebookcheck raises one extra point for Apple users. People who chose Apple's Hide My Email option gave Nintendo a relay address rather than their real one, so it advises keeping Nintendo in their Sign in with Apple settings until a password is in place. Nintendo's notice does not cover this case.

How do you set up a passkey?

Nintendo's passkey guide describes a passkey as something saved in advance on your phone or computer, which you then use to confirm your identity in place of an email address and password. It says biometric data is not sent to or saved in your Nintendo Account.

The steps in the guide are:

1. On the device you want to use, sign in at accounts.nintendo.com.
2. Select Sign-in and security settings, then Passkeys, then Edit.
3. Verify your identity with the emailed code if asked.
4. Select Register a new passkey and enter your Nintendo Account password.
5. Select Register and follow the prompts on your device.

Nintendo lists iPhones and iPads on iOS or iPadOS 16 or newer, Macs on macOS 13 or newer and Android devices on Android 9 or newer as compatible. Up to 10 passkeys can be registered, each on a different device.

Two details in the guide matter here. Registering a passkey asks for the account password, so people with a Google-only or Apple-only login need to set a password first. And Nintendo says you should keep managing your email address and password, because they are used to confirm your identity if you change or lose the device holding the passkey. It also warns against registering one on a shared device, since anyone who can use that device could sign in.

Has Nintendo done this before?

Yes. Nintendo ended sign-in through Facebook and Twitter on 25 October 2022. Its notice from that time told users they could still sign in or create an account with Google or Apple. With this change, those last two third-party options go as well.

Analysis: what the change means

This section is our own reading, not Nintendo's.

Once the change takes effect, every Nintendo Account will depend on credentials held by Nintendo itself: an email address or Sign-In ID with a password, or a passkey. A problem with a Google or Apple account would no longer affect access to Nintendo purchases and saves. The other side of that is one more password to look after, and weak or reused passwords remain one of the common cybersecurity challenges for home users.

Nintendo has not explained its reasoning, so any motive is guesswork. 9to5Google suggests security may be behind it, but that is the outlet's speculation and nothing in the notice supports or rules it out.

The practical risk is simple. People who tapped a Google or Apple button years ago may not remember which email address sits on the account, and families may have several accounts set up the same way. Checking each one now, while the old button still works, is easier than recovering access through support later.

Sources

• Nintendo UK support: Discontinuation of Google and Apple accounts linking to Nintendo Accounts
• Nintendo Americas support: Discontinuation of Google and Apple accounts linking to Nintendo Accounts
• Nintendo support: How to Manage Passkey Authentication for a Nintendo Account
• Nintendo support: Discontinuation of the Use of Facebook or Twitter to Sign In to Your Nintendo Account
• Engadget: Nintendo is ending Google and Apple sign-ins early next year
• 9to5Google: Nintendo will soon discontinue Google and Apple sign-ins
• Notebookcheck: Nintendo will soon end Google and Apple sign-ins