Nintendo Account holders who use Google or Apple as their sign-in route have a deadline to put a new access method in place. Nintendo plans to discontinue Google and Apple sign-ins on January 26, 2027. After that date, users will no longer be able to use either provider to enter a Nintendo Account or select either option while creating a new account.
The practical message is simple: anyone whose Nintendo access currently depends on tapping “Sign in with Google” or “Sign in with Apple” should set up a Nintendo password, a passkey, or both before the change arrives. Nintendo has specifically directed users to establish a password or passkey ahead of January 26 so they can continue accessing their account, games and the eShop without an avoidable login interruption.
The transition also ends a My Nintendo Platinum Points mission connected to linking a Google account with a Nintendo Account. The change concerns both the sign-in method and that particular points-earning task, so users should not assume that linking Google will remain useful for either purpose after the cut-off.
What is changing on January 26?
Google and Apple sign-in buttons are examples of third-party sign-in. Rather than entering a separate Nintendo password, a player verifies their identity through an existing Google or Apple account. It can be convenient: the external provider handles the sign-in check, while Nintendo permits access to the Nintendo Account.
That convenience is the specific feature Nintendo is retiring. From January 26, 2027, Google and Apple will no longer be available for two tasks:
- Signing in to an existing Nintendo Account.
- Creating a new Nintendo Account through Google or Apple.
Nintendo has not provided a reason for removing the two sign-in choices. It has not said the move is tied to a security concern with Google or Apple. That distinction matters, because users should not read a cause into the announcement that Nintendo has not given.
There is one timing caveat. While January 26 is the stated date for the change, Nintendo says the precise end time will depend on the progress of its system-change work. Waiting until the final hours is therefore an unnecessary gamble. The useful deadline is not the eventual clock time on that day; it is completing the account update well before it.
Why a password or passkey matters now
An account is more than a username on a console. Nintendo points to uninterrupted access to games and the eShop as the reason to prepare. If a person cannot sign in because their only familiar route has vanished, resolving that problem after the fact can be much more stressful than spending a few minutes establishing a direct method beforehand.
Related coverage includes Nintendo Will End Google and Apple Account Sign-Ins on January 26, 2027.
For households, the issue may be easy to miss. An account can have been created long ago using a parent’s, partner’s or older family email identity, and the person actively using the Nintendo system may never have typed a separate Nintendo password. The coming change is a reason to check which sign-in option the account actually uses, rather than relying on memory or assuming a device will stay signed in indefinitely.
A password is the conventional credential: a secret chosen for the Nintendo Account and entered when required. A passkey is different. Nintendo describes it as a way to sign in with a device’s authentication method. In practical terms, the device itself can authenticate the user through whatever verification method it supports, instead of requiring the user to enter a Nintendo password in that moment.
Neither method is presented as a temporary workaround. Nintendo is explicitly asking affected users to set up a password or a passkey before the deadline. Setting up both where possible may also offer flexibility, since a user would not be solely dependent on one discontinued external sign-in button.
How to register a Nintendo Account passkey
Nintendo’s stated passkey path begins from the account-management area. Users should sign in while their existing Google or Apple method is still available, then follow these steps:
- Open the Nintendo Account Accounts page.
- Sign in to the account.
- Choose Sign-In and Security Settings.
- Select Passkeys.
- Choose Edit.
- Select Register New Passkey.
From there, the account can be configured to use the authentication method available on the user’s device. The important part is to do this while access through Google or Apple still works. That turns the existing sign-in into a bridge for adding a new one, rather than leaving the account owner to sort access out only after the bridge is removed.
Before changing anything, identify the right account
Players with more than one email address should take a moment to verify they are working on the Nintendo Account they actually use. This is especially worthwhile for anyone who has changed phones, email habits or family arrangements since the account was created. The account that holds the relevant games and eShop connection is the one that needs a replacement login method.
It is also sensible to treat password creation and passkey registration as account-security tasks, not just a box to tick. Use the official Nintendo Account route, check that the sign-in change completed, and retain access to the device or account information needed to use the method in the future. The supplied details do not set out a broader recovery process, so preparation is the clearest way to avoid needing one.
What happens to the Google-linked Platinum Points mission?
Nintendo is also ending the My Nintendo Platinum Points mission that rewards users for linking Google to a Nintendo Account. Platinum Points are part of My Nintendo’s rewards structure, and this particular mission is being retired alongside the Google sign-in change.
That does not mean every My Nintendo activity is ending; the stated change is limited to the mission tied to linking Google. Still, anyone who has been using that task as part of their regular points routine should account for its removal. More importantly, no one should postpone changing their sign-in arrangement merely to preserve a mission that Nintendo has said will end.
What Nintendo has—and has not—said
The confirmed facts are narrow but important. Google and Apple sign-ins are due to end on January 26, 2027. New Nintendo Accounts will no longer be creatable through those options. Nintendo recommends setting up a password or passkey first, and the Google-link Platinum Points mission will be discontinued.
What remains unknown is Nintendo’s rationale. There is no stated explanation for why Apple and Google authentication is being removed, nor has Nintendo identified security concerns involving either service. It would be premature to frame the change as evidence that either provider is unsafe. For users, however, the reason does not alter the immediate action: update the Nintendo Account’s sign-in options before the old route goes away.
The notice is also a useful reminder that federated sign-in methods can change. They reduce friction, but the underlying service can choose to retire them. A direct password or device-based passkey gives the account holder an alternative that is not dependent on a particular Google or Apple button remaining on the login screen.
A short checklist for Nintendo Account users
- Check whether you currently enter your Nintendo Account through Google or Apple.
- Do not wait for January 26, 2027, particularly because the exact end time depends on system-change progress.
- Set a Nintendo password or register a passkey through Sign-In and Security Settings.
- Confirm that the replacement method works while the old method is still available.
- Remember that the Google-link My Nintendo Platinum Points mission is also ending.
Apple users may already be thinking more closely about device ecosystems and account access; our look at the Apple Magic Mouse and the importance of separating a deal from practical fit explores that broader habit from a hardware angle. In Nintendo’s case, the immediate fit is clear: choose a sign-in method that will still be supported after January 26.
For now, there is no indication that users need to abandon their Nintendo Account or make any sweeping change to their library. This is a login-method transition. Complete the password or passkey setup in advance, and the removal of Google and Apple buttons should be a routine administrative change rather than a day-of problem standing between a player and their games.
