Nintendo Switch Online App for Android and iOS Now Available to Download

With the Splatoon 2 hitting the Nintendo Switch this week, Nintendo has made the Nintendo Switch Online app available for download on Android and iOS devices. This will let you add friends, set up matches with them and talk to them in Splatoon 2 and Nintendo has said that other games will make use of it in the future.

At the moment it’s not fully functional yet, presumably since the one game that makes use of it, Splatoon 2 isn’t officially out till July 21. You can however, add your Nintendo account details to it right now. It releases early as during the Splatoon 2 Nintendo Direct, Nintendo revealed that it will release the app on July 21, the same day as Splatoon 2.

Want to Buy the Nintendo Switch In India? You Need to Read This First

Initial impressions of the Nintendo Switch Online app from reviewers with access to Splatoon 2 claim it’s ‘half-baked’ and interferes with Bluetooth audio on smartphones unless it’s closed. We’d suggest waiting until Nintendo updates the app to sort out these teething issues.

And like most things Nintendo on mobile, it’s not available in India either. Much like Fire Emblem Heroes and the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app. However you can access it by sideloading the APK much like Pokemon Go for Android. If you’re on iOS, you can use a US account to download it.

We spoke about the Nintendo Switch Online mobile app on Transition, our weekly gaming and pop culture podcast. You can listen to it via Apple Podcasts or RSS or just listen to this episode by hitting the play button below.