Nintendo Switch Online 2.0 Update Has Some Big Improvements

Nintendo Switch Online 2.0 is now live across its Android and iOS apps, bringing with it some necessary changes that will hopefully substantially improve the lives of Nintendo fans around the world. 

If you woke up to open the Nintendo Switch Online app on your phone this morning, it probably didn't take you too long to notice some of the changes. One of these changes is the ability to see which of your friends is online. This is a feature you would normally see on your Nintendo Switch when you click on your profile icon.

The 2.0 update was five years overdue, as the Nintendo Switch Online app launched alongside its namesake console in 2017 and only worked with games with online connectivity, including Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Splatoon 2, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. The update also comes nearly a week after Nintendo gave the online service the Missions and Rewards update, allowing players to use their My Nintendo Platinum Points to spend on digital and physical goods upon completing in-game missions.

Seeing who's online and who isn't won't be the only change you'll see on the Nintendo Switch Online 2.0 update. Nintendo posted a list of patch notes on the App Store (for iPhone), and Google Play app store (for Android) detailing other quality-of-life changes, including redesigning the app overall, changing your online-status settings, and viewing your friend code.

Friend codes are the only way to add friends on Nintendo Switch Online, and more often than not users have to manually jot down their 12-digit code from the console before sharing it with friends through text message or social media. Seeing your friend code makes it easier to share it with your friends for them to add you to their Switch consoles and vice versa. All you need to do is go to Settings on the top right corner of the screen and simply copy and paste your code to send it along to your friends through the messaging platform of your choice.

The Nintendo Switch Online app's redesign is also a welcome change, as the user interface is much easier to navigate than it was in the original design. You can see your friends list on the top row and the service-friendly games on the bottom. You can also change your online-status and make it visible to all your friends, your select best friends, or just no one at all. Some other changes are minor and need not be mentioned, but here's hoping the app receives more updates down the line.