How to customize your icon on Nintendo Switch
Customized avatars? The future is now.
Trent Cannon 
Image via Nintendo
Nintendo works in mysterious ways. Sometimes they will simply roll out a feature without much fanfare or even explanation, which seems to be what they did with the Mission + Rewards update for Nintendo Switch Online users. As part of this update, those who have a subscription for the Nintendo Switch Online service can spend platinum points they have earned on customizing their Switch icon.
Many fans might already have a collection of platinum points by completing surveys in the past, but now they can be gained by completing Missions through the Nintendo Switch Online app on the console. If you already have some platinum points you want to spend and are curious how to change your icon on the console, here is everything you need to know.
How to customize your Nintendo Switch icon
The first thing to do is to ensure that you have an active Nintendo Switch Online subscription. This can be part of a family subscription or a single one, but it needs to be current in order to access the customization options. Unfortunately, the process is not straightforward or user-friendly.
If you have an active subscription, you need to open the Nintendo Switch Online app on the console. Even once you’ve bought icon pieces, you can’t apply any of the customization options outside of the app. From there, you need to:
- Open the “Missions & Rewards” tab
- Select the Character, Background, or Frame that you want to spend your platinum points on. Note that you have to have at least one character redeemed from a game to purchase one of the frames or backgrounds for that game as well.
- Once you have purchased the parts of your new icon, you can click on the character you want to be the focus of your icon. From here, you can click “View in Icon Collection”. This will open up the different icon parts you have unlocked.
- Alternatively, you can exit the “Missions & Rewards” menu and scroll up to view your membership status. Here you will see the custom icons you have created in the past as well as see the option to create a new one by clicking “Create Icon” next to them.
- Select the game your desired icon is from and click them. Once you’ve done that, you can click them again and select “Use to Create Icon” and scroll down to “Create Own Icon” which will give you the different background and frame options you have unlocked. Select the Frame, Character, and Background you wish to use for your icon. Note that all the parts of your icon must be from the same game, so no putting an Animal Crossing character in front of a Mario Odyssey background.
As we said, it is not a straightforward or easy process, made more difficult by Nintendo’s desire to keep the feature behind the Nintendo Switch Online paywall. However, there are some new options for players wanting to make their icon a little bit more unique than was previously possible.
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