Nintendo's new Switch firmware finally fixes screenshot sharing

The Nintendo Switch has been out for almost four years now, and despite the dedicated screenshot buttons on the system’s controllers and Switch Lite console itself, the process of sharing screenshots has always been a pain.

That’s been fixed (mostly) in the latest firmware update, version 11.0.0, which adds a number of new quality of life improvements, alongside some other user interface tweaks.

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In the past, if users wanted to share screenshots directly with the web, they'd need to first upload them from their Switch device to a personal Facebook or Twitter account in a post. It was possible to make these posts private and then access them on other devices and, hence, get to the screenshots. Tedious.

Now, Nintendo has added the option to “Send to Smartphone” when accessing the Album section on your Switch and choosing your screenshots.

With the new system update on #NintendoSwitch, you are now able to wirelessly transfer photos and videos from your Nintendo Switch to a smartphone for easier sharing!https://t.co/FHsNV9djsE pic.twitter.com/unXPYkNej1December 1, 2020

Once you’ve chosen this option, you’ll need to scan a QR code with your mobile device to connect it with your Switch, and then scan another to begin transferring the screenshots and videos.

What’s more, users can now also share these captures straight to a computer via USB. When the two devices are connected, access System Settings > Data Management > Manage Screenshots and Videos to begin transferring the files between devices.

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Other tweaks

Some of the aforementioned other additions include an option to access Nintendo Switch Onlines services straight from the home screen, as well as a new ‘trending’ section on the User page for Online, showing the games that are currently being played, or have recently been played by friends.

Users can now choose which download to prioritize when multiple ones are occurring at once, and for those that use their account across multiple Nintendo devices, a new feature is implemented that automatically downloads backed-up save data across all systems from the cloud.

The update should automatically occur, but if it doesn’t, connect your Nintendo Switch system to Wi-Fi, and then go to System Settings > System > System Update to manually start the process.

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