Nintendo’s weird tip for fixing the Switch 2’s battery might actually work

The Nintendo Switch 2 is now in the hands of gamers worldwide. While the console’s launch has been hugely successful, selling an estimated 3 million units in one day, a few issues have arisen that are negatively affecting some people’s experience.

Notably, one of the biggest problems users face is the battery life indicator displaying an incorrect value. For example, the Switch 2 may indicate that it’s almost out of battery, even though several hours of charge remain.

Fortunately, Nintendo has acknowledged the battery indicator issue, and it seems this problem is unrelated to the battery itself. Instead, it arises from how the Switch 2 manually detects how much charge is actually left in the battery. This means a fix is possible without needing to send your Switch 2 in for a battery repair. However, Nintendo has offered two distinctly different solutions: one is very simple, and the other is somewhat tedious.

If you’re experiencing an issue with the battery life indicator on your Switch 2, here’s a quick way to hopefully resolve it.

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How to fix your Switch 2’s battery life indicator

You’ll need to boot into the Switch 2’s Recovery Mode

The first solution Nintendo provided for fixing the Switch 2’s battery life indicator is straightforward. All you need to do is boot the console into recovery mode, then power it down and boot it up normally again. Here’s how to do it, as per Nintendo’s guidance:

1. Ensure you’re using the charger that came with the Switch 2, not the charger used with the Switch 1.

2. Go to System Settings > System > System Update, and make sure your Switch 2 has the latest update.

3. If you have the latest system update, power down the console by holding down the power button.

4. Once it’s off, press and hold the volume up (+) and volume down (-) buttons, and tap the power button once.

5. Continue holding the volume buttons until Recovery Mode appears on the screen. Nintendo says navigating this menu should reset the battery level meter.

6. Power off the console again by holding down the power button.

7. Turn your Switch 2 back on, and the battery life indicator issue will hopefully be resolved.

Once you’ve booted into recovery mode and backed out, Nintendo recommends you “monitor the situation” to ensure your Switch 2’s battery life indicator is reporting accurate numbers again. Basically, just use your Switch 2 as you normally would, and as long as it doesn’t show low battery and still lasts for hours, it should be fixed. However, if you’re still running into issues, Nintendo has another official fix worth trying.

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How to recalibrate your Switch 2’s battery

It’s tedious, but it should iron out the issue

If your Switch 2’s battery life indicator is still not working properly, Nintendo has another troubleshooting trick up its sleeve. However, it warns that this fix may not work immediately, and you might need to try it several times for it to be effective.

Essentially, what Nintendo is asking anyone affected by the issue to do is recalibrate the Switch 2’s battery, which involves charging it to 100 percent, draining it completely, and then charging it back up to 100 percent several times to improve the accuracy of the battery life indicator.

Nintendo says that by doing this, the “battery charge indicator will improve gradually.” Since this issue is related to how the battery indicator reads the battery in your device, it’s unlikely that a software patch can magically fix it. This problem also occurs with smartphones that have lithium-ion batteries, particularly if they haven’t been used for an extended period. So, it’s not uncommon or unique to the Switch 2.

Here’s how to recalibrate your Switch 2’s battery, as per Nintendo’s guidance:

1. Ensure your console is up-to-date, following the steps outlined above earlier.

2. Go to System Settings > Sleep Mode and change all three Auto-Sleep mode settings to Never.

3. Charge the console to 100 percent, or until it has been charging for at least three hours.

4. Once it’s at 100 percent, leave it plugged in for an additional hour.

5. After it’s been plugged in for another hour, disconnect the Switch 2 from the AC adapter and let the console sit on the home screen for three to four hours. The goal is to deplete the battery as much as possible.

6. Once your Switch 2’s battery is nearly depleted, power off the console and leave it alone for 30 minutes.

7. Repeat the process in steps 3 to 6 several times.

While the steps above may seem extremely tedious, if you repeat them a few times, it should recalibrate your Switch 2’s battery so that it provides accurate battery life readings. If you play your Switch 2 frequently in handheld mode and are experiencing this issue, trying both of these fixes is definitely worth it to save yourself from a constant headache with the console’s battery life.

While the Switch 2’s battery life indicator issue isn’t widespread, it is still affecting enough people that Nintendo had to release official troubleshooting recommendations to fix it. It’s important to note that Nintendo says if you continue to have battery indicator issues even after trying both the fixes, your Switch 2 may need to be sent in to be serviced.

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