Nintendo Switch Online Gets Three Long Overdue Features

By Tyler Fischer

A new Nintendo Switch Online app update has surprised subscribers on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch Lite, and Nintendo Switch OLED with not, not two, but three long-overdue features that should have been included with the app at launch. As all Switch Online subscribers will know, the subscription service is pretty lackluster when it comes to what it offers compared to PlayStation Plus and Xbox Live Gold, similar services on PlayStation and Xbox, respectively. This is excusable to an extent given it's substantially cheaper, but there are certain things that are not excusable. For example, until the most recent update, there was no way to change your online status in the app. 

In addition to this, you can now also view your friend code and see which of your friends are online. This may sound like basic features, but they were basic features missing from the subscription service's app up until this week. Why it took so long to add these features, Nintendo doesn't say, but subscribers are nonetheless happy to see them finally implemented.

Below, you can view the update's full and official patch notes:

  • 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.

With Nintendo now making more money than ever off Nintendo Switch Online with the "Expansion Pack," it's possible the subscription service will start to be improved and refined, but, for now, it remains to be seen if this will actually happen. If that's the plan, it's a slow-moving plan. And with rumors and leaks starting to surface about the next Nintendo console, it's possible improving Switch online as a service will continue to take a backseat.

For more Nintendo Switch coverage and all Nintendo coverage in general -- including not just the latest official news, but the latest unofficial rumors, leaks, and speculation -- click here or, alternatively, check out the relevant and recent links right below:

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