The Nintendo Switch Online app won't be compatible with older iOS devices soon

By Nadine Dornieden
published

Nintendo Switch with Splatoon 2 and Nintendo Switch Online app
Nintendo Switch with Splatoon 2 and Nintendo Switch Online app (Image credit: iMore)

What you need to know

  • Nintendo Switch Online is a subscription service that grants access to online play and other perks.
  • The service is accompanied by an application on iOS and Android with unique features and official voice chat.
  • After summer 2022, the app will cease to support older iOS versions.

The Nintendo Switch Online app is home to applets for various games, offering unique features such as exclusive items and the only official way to engage in voice chat for online multiplayer games. The application is supported across both iOS and Android devices, meaning that players will need access to a smart device in order to engage with all the content available in select Nintendo Switch games.

However, Nintendo recently announced in a tweet that the app's next update will render older iOS devices incompatible with the application:

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The tweet is in Japanese, but Google Translate provides the following translation:

Around the summer of 2022, we plan to update the iOS version of the "Nintendo Switch Online" app. This update will change the operating environment to "iOS version 14.0 or later". Please note that the app will not be available on devices with "iOS version 13 or earlier".

The time frame for this update is quite vague, but it may have something to do with whatever video game announcements the company plans to make this summer. We'll be sure to keep you updated with everything added to the app.

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Nadine Dornieden
Nadine Dornieden
Contributor

Nadine is a freelance writer for iMore with a specialty in all things Nintendo, often working on news, guides, reviews, and editorials. She's been a huge Nintendo fan ever since she got to pet her very own Nintendog, and enjoys looking at Nintendo's place in the video game industry. Writing is her passion, but she mostly does it so that she can pay off her ever-growing debt to Tom Nook. Her favorite genres are simulation games, rhythm games, visual novels, and platformers. You can find her at @stopthenadness on Twitter, where she'll more than likely be reposting cute Animal Crossing content.