What you need to know
- Nintendo updated its Parental Control app with a redesigned interface and Switch 2 support ahead of its June 5 debut.
- The app brings over parental controls for GameChat, letting parents decide who their kids can talk to and when they can use video chat.
- The update also lets parents easily extend their child’s play time on a Switch or Switch 2 by five, fifteen, or thirty minutes with the ability to disable the limit.
Nintendo just rolled out an update for its Switch parental control app, giving parents more control and a fancy new look.
The update arrived this week on the Play Store, spotted by Android Central’s Nicholas Sutrich. One thing users will notice is the Parental Control app now has a cleaner, reworked UI. More importantly, Nintendo announces that the app now supports the Switch 2, which is perfect timing as the console is set to launch in a couple of days.
Nintendo states the app lets parents control a Switch 2’s “access to GameChat.” Parents can manage which friends their kids can speak to and “when they can use video chat.” Additionally, the update gives parents the ability to connect and manage multiple Switch devices, as well as the ability to extend playtime limits with ease.
When tapping a connected Switch, parents will see a day-by-day breakdown of its activity. If your child has been playing, you will see how long they’ve played and whether or not you’ve granted additional time. Parents can then hop into a monthly breakdown to see days played and playtime averages.
For the playtime limit, parents will find the option to extend it by five, fifteen, or thirty minutes. However, there is an option, marked by Nintendo’s Starman icon, to disable the daily limit. This will let your kid run wild in whatever games they’re playing without worry (it is summer break, after all).
Just Gamin’
Image 1 of 2
From the play-time limit area, parents can also manage any “restricted features” on their child’s Switch or Switch 2. Nintendo states these are age-based restrictions concerning the games your child might play. The update was spotted early this week and should be readily available for all Android users to download/install via the Play Store.
Since Nintendo broke the news earlier this year, we’ve known that the Switch 2 was on pace for a June 5 launch. That means we’re only two days away from having it in hand, and this parental control app update is likely in preparation for that occurrence. Aside from the device’s redesign, the Switch 2 sports a new feature: GameChat. The added “C” button lets users initiate a chat with friends that lets them share their screen to make it feel like you’re right next to each other.
Moreover, there’s a camera that users can grab to make things feel a little closer.
While we eagerly await the Switch 2 this week, it seems that Nintendo is trying to avoid Switch 2 emulation on Android devices. It looks like Nintendo’s “Game Key Card”
