(Photo : Nintendo / Screenshot taken from official website)
Nintendo has finally addressed the issue with the Switch's parental controls app that led to the feature malfunctioning for nearly a week.
The companion app allows parents to monitor what games their kids are playing on the handheld console. They can also set time limits on their game time to keep them from playing too much.
Parental Controls App Issue
The issue was that the app had not been properly tracking play time since at least Sunday. Nintendo also apologized to Switch users who rely on the parental controls app to monitor their children's gaming habits.
The Japanese company said that the amount of time that the handheld console has been in use would not have been accurately tracked. Nintendo added that the issue has been going on since the morning of Oct. 9, 2024.
The parental controls app gave parents many options for monitoring and controlling their kids' game time. After the set limit is reached, it will ring an alarm that lets players save their progress instead of the handheld console simply shutting down, according to The Gamer.
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However, parents can also tweak the settings to make the console shut down if the warnings are ignored by their kids. The app was also used to restrict children to only play certain games that their parents believe they should have access to.
The extended downtime for the app suggests that it was not a high-priority issue for Nintendo this week. The situation comes as the Japanese company is preparing for a mysterious playtest for its Nintendo Switch Online service.
Nintendo's Latest Efforts
Nintendo addressed the issue with the parental controls app in a social media post, telling users that they were working on fixing the problem. It noted that data was not tracked properly throughout the duration of the issue, the Video Games Chronicle said.
The company's focus was mainly on the recent announcement of the playtest program where 10,000 applicants quickly signed up. They will reportedly be allowed to try a new feature/s for Nintendo Switch Online.
The mystery also deepened after the Japanese company urged participants not to divulge any details about the playtest to any other party. Nintendo said that Japanese participants were chosen via a raffle and those outside of the country were given a first-come-first-serve chance to apply.
The criteria to join the playtest were also shared, which states that you need to have a Nintendo Account and be an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack member. You should also be at least 18 years old and registered in specific countries, according to The Verge.
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