Some Switch owners are experiencing issues after the last console update

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Key conclusions

  • Some Nintendo Switch owners are experiencing battery drain issues after the 19.0.0 system update.
  • Their complaints suggest that the latest firmware prevents the console from properly entering sleep mode, causing battery drain.
  • Some users claim that this was an issue even before the Switch 19.0.0 patch was released in early October 2024.



Some Nintendo Switch owners have been experiencing battery drain issues since the last console system update. Initial user reports suggest that the new firmware may have prevented the switch from entering sleep mode properly.

The latest Switch update started rolling out in early October 2024. It changed the console's firmware version number from 18.1.0 to 19.0.0. Nintendo has yet to release an official changelog detailing the contents of patch 19.0.0.

OLED model of the Nintendo Switch being docked by a hand against a red background 2x1

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Meanwhile, some people have started reporting that the update has negatively affected the battery life of the Nintendo Switch. A large influx of these complaints came to light in a recent thread started by Reddit user Yukar1n, who noted that their console “stays warm in its sleep” after patch 19.0.0, even if left untouched for hours after use. This would seem to mean that the device continues to run even when the screen is off, which means it doesn't go into battery saver mode properly. As of October 20th, dozens of other Switch owners have reported experiencing the same issue as Yukar1n.



Some Switch owners were avoiding sleep mode after the 19.0.0 update

Not everyone affected by the problem immediately identified its potential cause. “I thought I was going crazy,” wrote one Reddit user, noting that their console's battery life was terrible after the patch, with the console dying after just a few days even when not in use. This state of affairs prompted them to start shutting down their Switch completely after a new update came out, thinking that its battery was dead. Several other users claimed that they also started avoiding hibernation due to the update. However, this is only an option if the console is unplugged or charging via a cable. Namely, even a switched off switch will automatically go into sleep mode when connected to a docking station.


Nintendo Switch sleep issues may have occurred prior to the 19.0.0 update

Several Switch owners who chimed in on Yukar1n's complaint said they had already started noticing their consoles heating up after sleeping even before the early October 2024 update. One of them said that this has been happening to their device since the debut of firmware 14.0.0 in early 2022. While this may indicate that the issues occurred prior to patch 19.0.0, it may also indicate that their particular cases have a different root cause.


Nintendo has yet to admit that something is wrong with the latest version of the console's firmware. Given that it's been two weeks since the update was released and its patch notes are still nowhere to be seen, it's likely that there are no plans to share an official changelog because the release doesn't—or shouldn't—address users of the change. Nintendo's last patch notes for the Switch were released in June 2024, when its 18.1.0 update stopped support for sharing screenshots and gameplay footage via Twitter, now called X.

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