It has transpired that, since the latest Switch update, Nintendo has defaulted sharing Nintendo eShop data to “always on”, meaning that Google Analytics knows exactly what you’re buying.
Would you rather that Google Analytics didn’t track your every Nintendo purchase? Here is how you can turn off eShop data sharing.
How to Disable Google Analytics on the Nintendo Switch
If you have data privacy concerns, you’ll be happy to hear that disabling Google Analytics in the Nintendo eShop is easy. Simply follow these steps:
- From the HOME menu, select the Nintendo eShop from the menu at the bottom of the screen.
- Select your profile icon in the top right corner.
- Make sure your profile is the selected tab under the words Account Information on the left side and scroll down to Google Analytics Preferences.
- Select the Change button. It should turn orange when you’ve got it highlighted.
- Select Don’t Share from the two options, and then the Change button on the right. You should then get a pop-up confirming your change.
Your Nintendo account might not be the first thing you think of needing extra security, but it’s good to know that the option to be a little more private is there. Aside from setting your Analytics preferences, there are multiple ways you can secure your Nintendo account on the Switch.
Sharing Your Data Is the Default Setting
After Nintendo Switch System Update Ver. 11.0.1, one of the default settings for non-European/Australian consoles is to allow sharing of your eShop data through Google Analytics.
At the time of writing, we do not know why the Nintendo eShop utilizes Analytics or what user data it shares with Google. Why this appears to only be an option in countries outside of Europe and Australia is also unknown.
Once you select the Change button in Google Analytics Preferences, you’ll find a small note under the Share and Don’t Share options. It reads, “This setting is enabled only on Nintendo eShop for the Nintendo Switch console.” We can assume that this means Nintendo won’t track activities on your Switch outside the eShop.
Choose What Happens to Your eShop Data
The option to allow or disallow the eShop to send information to Google Analytics might be a little tricky to find if you aren’t looking for it. Considering the default setting is to allow the sharing of your data, Nintendo might have done that on purpose.
Speculation aside, should you not feel comfortable sharing your data, you can put a stop to it with only a few clicks.
