The day one update for the Nintendo Switch will bring back friend codes as a way to connect with other users on the hybrid console in addition to the introduction of the eShop.

The friend codes, which are 12-digit numbers that are unique to each user, are considered by many Nintendo console users as outdated and cumbersome. Fortunately, it is not the only way to add friends on the Nintendo Switch.

The History Of Friend Codes

Nintendo launched friend codes on the original Nintendo DS, back when online features were introduced to the handheld gaming consoles. Gamers were only able to add other users to their friends' list on the Nintendo DS once they exchanged friend codes and entered them manually into the console.

The reason behind the friend codes was protection for users, especially children, from friend requests coming from people that they do not know personally. It looked like Nintendo had been phasing out the feature due to the criticism against it by gamers, but it is now back on the Nintendo Switch.

Friend codes have since improved since its original release, but the feature still lags behind in enabling online connections among users compared with the systems used by Sony for the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft for the Xbox One.

How To Add Friends On The Nintendo Switch

Adding friends on the Nintendo Switch using friend codes works similarly to previous iterations of the feature, with 12-digit numbers attached to each user's Nintendo account to be typed in on the Add Friend menu of the hybrid console.

Fortunately, plugging in friend codes is not the only way to add friends on the Nintendo Switch, with the hybrid console offering three more methods to do so.

The second method to add friends is by searching for local users on the Nintendo Switch, and the third method is by searching for users that the user has played with in the past.

The fourth method, however, is an interesting one, as the system will suggest friends to users based on their friends on mobile games Miitomo and Super Mario Run.

Can Nintendo User IDs Be Used To Add Friends?

Last week, reports urged prospective Nintendo Switch owners to claim their unique Nintendo User ID, as duplicated IDs are now allowed. It was unclear what exactly the new Nintendo User IDs would be for, but because the new feature was similar to the naming system of the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, many users believed that adding friends on the Nintendo Switch could be done by typing in the Nintendo User ID or real names of other players.

However, after the day one update of the hybrid console is installed, adding friends through their Nintendo User ID is not an option, which heightens the mystery surrounding these claimed names.

Nintendo Switch Launch Incoming

The launch of the Nintendo Switch is finally happening, with the hype surrounding the hybrid console now reaching epic proportions.

Reviews on the Nintendo Switch claim that the hybrid console itself is a winner, but what remains to be seen is whether the games lineup will be able to bring the Nintendo Switch overwhelming success. Unfortunately, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the flagship launch title for the hybrid console, has already been pirated on the Nintendo Wii U, and it is unclear if the Nintendo Switch version possesses the same vulnerability to piracy.