Cannot friend from switch to ps5 APEX LEGENDS

@ROB_SOMATIK So adding friends can be a bit tricky, (especially on consoles).

When adding someone as a friend, are you sending the friend request to their EA Account's username, or to their platform username? (In the case of your son, this would be the username of their Mii on the Nintendo Switch).

I ask this because my username shows up as "Midnight9746" on PC, but on my Switch, I show up as "Midnight". To friend me while I'm on the Switch, you would send the friend request to "Midnight", as sending it to "Midnight9746" makes the friend request show up when I log in on my PC.

If you had already tried both usernames with no luck, other possible solutions include:

- Checking your in-game friends list settings to see if the setting to automatically reject friend request is enabled. If it is enabled, disable it.

- Check to see if you have Cross-Play enabled, it may be the issue, (however if you can already play with PC players from your PS5, (or players from other consoles), then Cross-Play is enabled)

If those don't work, you could try creating a private match and sending everyone the code to join the match, and then send everyone a friend request.

To do this:

- Go to the mode select menu in the bottom left of the lobby
- In the top middle of the screen, select "private match"
- When you load in and see a bunch of joinable teams, join one of the teams
- Click on the button in the top right that says "reveal"
- Send the code that appears when you click on "reveal" to everyone you want to friend
- When they show up in the private match, have them join a team as well, (it makes the next step easier)

- Everyone should now be able to hover over each other's usernames in the teams like they're going to make a report, (but they would hit the button to view the in-game profile instead)
- With the in-game profile showing, it should show a "add friend" button in the bottom left of the profile. Everyone would want to click on "add friend", and it should send the correct account a friend request

If all that fails, check to see if any account has parental controls enabled or have settings enabled that denies friend requests from outside platforms. (For example, Xbox has a setting that allows or disallows the adding of friends from platforms outside the Xbox Live service and Nintendo has limits on underage accounts, (such as those that applies to the adding of friends)).

Alternatively if you need me to, I could also send friend requests to everyone, and invite them into a lobby where they can add each other as friends. (Last I've checked, the lobby does support 4 player teams, (even though there's currently no quad mode), so it shouldn't take too long to get everyone added). Afterwards, everyone can remove me as a friend if they would like to.

Note: If you would like to try this method, and had decided to send me a friend request, send it to "Midnight9746", (but not the one with the controller icon, (that's to my Xbox account), send it to the one with PC icon).

If this helps you, let me know what worked for you! Thanks and happy New Years!

Hey Midnight - thanks so much for the speedy reply and a big happy new year to you mate.

So we did all the steps below and still NADA.

He does show up in the friend search ( albeit it shows PC graphic not  switch console (as in image below)).

We created private match and joined - could see his name, hovered over like they're going to make a report, clicked  "add friend" button in the bottom left of the profile.

To add to that - his best mate who plays on Switch ( who I am friends with oddly enough) can add us both to Trios and we play that way. I try to my son that way, yet again it says send but nothing received either way.

Which leaves us with your last suggestion, where you create a Squad of 4 party and we add each other ( though I feel it will have the same effect as when his best mate sets us up)

Could it be something to do with my son being set up on my EA account as a sibling? Surely you would think not. 

Could it be worth setting him up his own completely new EA profile and start from scratch? ( how would I got about that ??)

Many thanks in advance buddy.

Rob_Somatik

@ROB_SOMATIK I'm assuming you mean that your son is in your family on your EA Account, rather than using the same EA Account.

If their Switch was linked to your EA Account, it wouldn't let you both play, as when one of you logs in, it would say, "logged in on another device", to the other person, (keeping that person on the main menu).

That said, if you're able to add his Switch friend, but are unable to add him, the issue sounds like its a parental control setting, (either placed on the EA Account or the Nintendo account).

However, it could also still be the setting in the in-game friends list that says, "Friend Requests: Deny All" if its set to deny friend requests, otherwise it would say, "Friend Requests: Display", as shown below, if friend requests are allowed to show up.



While testing to see if the "Friend Requests: Display" setting existed on my Switch, I had gotten your friend request on my Switch. When I had accepted it, you didn't show up on my Switch's friends list, but when I got onto my PC, you did show up.

This tells me that friends lists are synced in-game across platforms, (as long as the platform accounts are connected), as I have friends who I've added on my PC only, showing up on my Switch's friends list, (this means that they have a linked Nintendo account to their EA Account).

I'm also assuming you had sent the friend request to my EA username, and not my Nintendo username, which would also mean this was incorrect:

---

"I ask this because my username shows up as "Midnight9746" on PC, but on my Switch, I show up as "Midnight". To friend me while I'm on the Switch, you would send the friend request to "Midnight", as sending it to "Midnight9746" makes the friend request show up when I log in on my PC."

---

If you did send the friend request to "Midnight9746", and not "Midnight", then adding your son by their EA username should work since its linked to their account, so I do think its either a parental control setting or the "Friend Requests: Display" setting is accidently set to "Friend Requests: Deny All".

So, in this case, you would have your son check "Friend Requests: Display" setting on their Switch, and if its set to show friend requests, then you would have them check their EA and Nintendo accounts to see if there's a setting in place that's preventing them from adding others as friends.

If you have them under a family account setting on either EA and/or Nintendo, you could try moving them out of the family, or mark them as an adult account, (if you can).

Hi Midnight - thanks again for your help.

My son is in my family on your EA Account, and not using the same EA Account. - I have removed him from my family umbrella on EA, he is now stand alone.

Ive checked all parental controls on EA and Nintendo and here are none.

As previously mentioned we both show up in the search / add friend function in APEX legends but when we press send nothing comes through.

When we play with his friend, a party is created, we try to add each other from 'X Inspect" and even that seems to go nowhere.

Could it be cause we are playing on the same Router ?? I would like to think not.

"Friend Requests: Display" is on .......

We play cross platform on Fortnite and Rocket League no probs.

Is the only last option to change my song D.O.B so that he is 15 yrs old?

Looking  forward to your response.

Rob

Ok Cool. I’ll set up another account. Fingers crossed.  Thanks. 

@ROB_SOMATIK If they're just starting out, then you could try creating another account, but if they have progress made, (even on other games, like Fortnite), you would have to contact Nintendo Support to get the date of birth changed.

Edited: Something you could try instead as well, is to create a Nintendo account for yourself and then link it to your EA Account, and add your son as a friend on the Switch.

From what I've noticed, if you have the account linked, you can see friends from that platform on other platforms, meaning you should be able to see your son while on your PS5, since your Switch account is friends with them.

Note: Switch friends do show up as in-game friends, (even if they never played Apex). My Switch friends shows up on my friends list, and I know they don't play Apex. You could also add your son as an in-game friend on the Switch just to be sure they're added.

Hi Midnight - thanks again for your help.

So I logged into my daughter's SWITCH and loaded APEX Legends. Was a few issues with getting the game to start but learned I had to wait 15-20 minutes after I logged off PS5 ( no problems ). My son sent a friend request via Switch and I accepted, we are now SWITCH friends. And can add each other into the APEX trio party..........but only on SWITCH.

You mentioned in your last reply that if we did this we should see each other when I play cross platform on PS5. So back we goto start game on PS5 ( waiting the 15-20 mins for the "already logged into another console Drabble" ). Once Im in he does not show up as being online for an easy add. I need to search which does show up his Nintendo profile name, I send request and again NADA.

Does this cross platform take a while to link us up once we have friended in NINTENDO SWITCH land so to speak?

Looking forward to your response............( we are getting close I can feel it).

Somatik