Nintendo has released a new firmware update for the Switch, killing the console’s Twitter/X integration. As part of the update, Nintendo Switch players will no longer have the option to share things to Twitter directly from the console.
Options like “Posting to Social Media” in User Settings, and “Post to Twitter” from the Album on the Nintendo Switch home menu have now been completely removed. The social media integration for Friend Suggestions in the My Page section has also been removed.
The update was primarily focused on removing the integration with Twitter/X, with the changelog only mentioning general improvements without going into details. Check out the complete patch notes below.
While Nintendo itself hasn’t provided a reason for its discontinuation of Twitter/X integration, it likely has to do with the fact that the social media platform has been charging companies to use its API, which would allow the integration. According to Wired, companies like Sony and Microsoft were being charged roughly $42,000 every month to keep the integration on PS5 and Xbox.
With this update, the Nintendo Switch has now joined both the PS5 and the Xbox Series X/S in no longer having integration with the social media platform.
Nintendo Switch Update 18.1.0 Patch Notes:
- The following updates were made for the discontinuation of X (formerly Twitter) integration:
- The option to “Post to Twitter” when sharing from the Album in the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu was removed.
- The ability to post Super Smash Bros. Ultimate screenshots from the Album in the Nintendo Switch HOME Menu to Smash World in the Nintendo Switch Online smart device app was removed.
- The option to link X (formerly Twitter) from “Settings” > “User Settings” > “Posting to Social Media” was removed.
- The option to link social media accounts from “My Page” > “Friend Suggestions” was removed.
- General system stability improvements to enhance the user’s experience.
