Browser Timeout: "This Screen will be closed."
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@MaxiTheFox i think around 15 minutes, i watch the time
@SnowRunnerLegend no 20 mins is already bad enough
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no why we should be limited we are not children
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@braxton_artist It's because the switch shouldn't even have a browser to begin with..
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yeah odds are pigs will literally fly before nintendo even acknowledges their fans
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@Giovani and apparently some/most videos won't play because Nintendo won't let us play/watch any videos on the browser
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EDIT for Feb 3rd, 2024:
The summary of this thread's findings is:
- This notification will appear after 20 minutes of screen-on time using the browser
- The browser will always immediately close after the pop-up
- Nintendo has ignored so far the petition asking them to enable the browser
Tips:
- If you lock the device, you can stretch the total time you have out longer
- If you launch the YouTube app, and access the DNS that way, it will automatically re-display the browser after timeout happens
- You can add top sites and bookmarks to Switchbru for faster access
About the browser:
- The timer is built-into the Switch, and enforced by the Switch's OS
- The browser itself is called NetFront, and is made by ACCESS Co
- It's possible that there is a deal between Nintendo and ACCESS that limits the usage of the browser (This is only speculation)
Homebrew workaround:
- If you have a Switch that can run homebrew, then the browser can be accessed with BrowseNX, which bypasses the timeout and allows video content
- Configuring homebrew however is much more involved than just using the DNS, and should only be done by advanced and/or technical users
Original post:
This is a thread to talk about the browser closing on the Nintendo switch when using BrowseDNS or Switchbru DNS... This appears to be a timeout added by Nintendo in FW update 10.0, but the mechanisms of when/why it closes are not known.
In my experience, I have had both web pages live for a long time (even overnight!) by sleeping the switch or pressing home, and when it decides to close always seems a little random.
It seems like no matter how many page loads occur, or clicks/scrolls I make, it's determined to shut down. Does anyone have any other experiences or theories about whne it decides to close?
If the timeout can be better understood, then we may be able to discover a workaround to it. If it's something networking related, for instance, maybe there are changes that can be made to prevent it from closing.
It would also be interesting to know if this same timeout occurs when using "normal" captive portal airplane/hotel hotspots (which is what the browser applet was made for).
I will also again plug the petition to Nintendo to unlimited this browser, including removing the timeout.
@VGMoose said in Browser Timeout: "This Screen will be closed.":
This is a thread to talk about the browser closing on the Nintendo switch when using BrowseDNS or Switchbru DNS... This appears to be a timeout added by Nintendo in FW update 10.0, but the mechanisms of when/why it closes are not known.
In my experience, I have had both web pages live for a long time (even overnight!) by sleeping the switch or pressing home, and when it decides to close always seems a little random.
It seems like no matter how many page loads occur, or clicks/scrolls I make, it's determined to shut down. Does anyone have any other experiences or theories about whne it decides to close?
If the timeout can be better understood, then we may be able to discover a workaround to it. If it's something networking related, for instance, maybe there are changes that can be made to prevent it from closing.
It would also be interesting to know if this same timeout occurs when using "normal" captive portal airplane/hotel hotspots (which is what the browser applet was made for).
I will also again plug the petition to Nintendo to unlimited this browser, including removing the timeout.
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Randomly It Shut Off At 1:94 For Some Weird Reason
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the closed out timer is very annoying it's almost like if i'm written a comment one of my friends instagram post or something like that i have hurry write before the timer goes out which don't really like keep have to sign back in everytime when the timer closes
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I know, the timeout is awful! I usually have a phone or computer around, but SOMETIMES I just have my Switch and don't want to go to the other devices. For looking stuff up quickly it's fine, but the way it just pops up and everything you're doing disappears is adding insult to injury.
Our petition to Nintendo now has over 25,000 signatures! We want them to add:
- Cookies (no entering passwords every time / remembering logins and history)
- Video playback (the social applet has it, and the switch already has Youtube and a few others)
- Remove the timeout! (Pretty unlikely, as they likely added it just to make the DNS browser harder to use...)
And these would be great, but are obviously more development effort:
- An actual browser app instead of using a DNS redirect
- Tabs and bookmarks! Like on the 3DS, and Wii U browsers!
You can read other comments made by users that signed it here: https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-nintendo-expose-the-fully-functional-internet-browser-built-into-the-switch/c
I do think it's increasingly unlikely that anything will change on Nintendo's end, especially with rumors of a Switch 2 coming out in the future. The very least that they could do is unlock the DNS browser a little, or add an "Open web browser" area to settings (w/ their own landing page that links to Google).
For more info on the actual browser, see here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NetFront . The browser itself is licensed to Nintendo from another company, so it's possible part of the deal is that they don't allow the user to use it as a fully fledged browser, and that could be one motive for the timeout. Just baselessly speculating, though.
