Nintendo Account Linking via Twitter and Facebook Ending Soon
Nintendo has released a statement today that says as of October 25, 2022, the Nintendo account linking service using Twitter or Facebook to log in or set up an account will be discontinued. This means that those who currently use the linking service will need to log in via their Nintendo account once this update takes place.
As of October, it will no longer be possible to use your Facebook or Twitter credentials to log in to your Nintendo account, but for those who use their Google or Apple account, there is no need to worry. The Google and Apple account linking will still be in place, as of right now. More so, Nintendo states that it will no longer be possible to earn Nintendo points by linking your social media accounts. As of right now, the date is not set in stone, as Nintendo also goes on to state that this update may be delayed due to “system issues”. Nintendo also goes on to say,
"We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause to those who have been using a Facebook or Twitter account to sign in to their Nintendo Account."
So how exactly do you log in once this update comes into play if you currently only use your social media credentials? If you are already signed into your Nintendo account on your console of choice, there shouldn’t be much issue. Those who are not already logged in will need to sign in using the email address and password that was initially used to set up their Nintendo account. If you previously used your Google or Apple account, you will just need to sign in using those links as you normally would. If you have forgotten your original email or password, you will have to go through the “Forgot My Password” steps, which can be found on the login page.
For those who still struggle to log in, Nintendo says to head over to their Reset Password page, and follow the steps they provide. If you no longer have access to the original email that was provided at the time of account creation, sadly you will not be able to fix this issue yourself, and you will have to reach out to the Nintendo Customer Service reps in order to restore access to your account.
There are very little answers as to why this change is occurring at this time, but many Nintendo console users assume that it is for security reasons. More so, Nintendo did not respond to those asking if it was due to security, so at this point it is only speculation. Another issue that has been brought to light with this change is the ability to share in-game screenshots via social media with the simple click of a button. With the accounts linked, it is much easier to share an achievement via Twitter while still in-game, rather than saving the screenshot and sending it elsewhere in order to post it. Nintendo has not commented, at the time of writing this, on whether or not that feature will be affected.