On the covered Nintendo Switch console, 2121-2508 means an error that comes up when you are attempting to add a friend. First, note the exact error code and message on the screen and what you were doing when it appeared.
Differential
Likely causes of “Nintendo Switch console code 2121-2508”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
A temporary service condition
What separates it A friend request fails to send
How to confirm Wait a while and try again
- 2
A request sent too often
What separates it The error repeats after several attempts
How to confirm Pause before sending another
- 3
The other person's settings
What separates it The request never arrives
How to confirm Ask them to check their friend settings
- 4
A busy network
What separates it The request times out
How to confirm Try at a quieter time
- 5
An account issue
What separates it The error persists for days
How to confirm Contact Nintendo Support
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- When it happened
- The exact code and message
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedWhat to do first
ReversibleNote the exact error code and message on the screen and what you were doing when it appeared.
Correct only the documented fault domain
ReversiblePlease wait a while and try sending the friend request again later.
Wait a while
ReversibleNintendo says to try again later.
Check Network Status
ReversibleFor any maintenance.
Send the request again
ReversibleLater in the day.
Ask your friend to add you
ReversibleInstead.
Check your friend settings
ReversibleOn both accounts.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Nintendo's advice
- Wait and try again later.
- Friend requests
- Either side can start one.
- How friend requests work
- A friend request travels through Nintendo's servers to the other account, so it can fail even when your own connection is fine, for example when the service is busy or the other person's account is in a state that cannot receive requests. Nintendo's advice is to wait and try again, which fits a temporary condition on the service side.
- Other ways to connect with someone
- If requests keep failing, the other person can add you instead, or you can exchange friend codes in person, or add a recent player from the list shown in games that support it. A friend code is a twelve-digit number shown on the user's profile. Typing it carefully matters, since a wrong digit sends the request nowhere.
- Settings that block requests
- Each Nintendo Account has privacy settings for who can send friend requests. If the other person has turned off requests from everyone or from friends of friends only, your request cannot arrive. Asking them to check the setting under their user's profile settings resolves it.
- Spotting the pattern
- If requests to everyone fail, the cause is your account or the service. If only one person fails, their settings or friend list are the cause. Trying a second friend tells you which.
- Waiting properly
- Nintendo's advice to wait is meant literally: send one request, wait an hour or more and try again, rather than sending again straight away.
- Friend codes
- A friend code is shown on your profile, and you can add someone by typing theirs, or share yours so they add you. Sharing in person or by a trusted message avoids typing errors that look like this error.
- What a request needs
- A request needs the other person's friend code or a link from a shared game, and a connection to the account service at the moment you send it. Sending it on a good connection, once, and waiting is the whole method.
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If the error persists for days, contact Nintendo Support
- !Check the Network Status page for maintenance
- !Ask your friend to send you a request instead
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Exact questions
Common questions
What does 2121-2508 mean on a Nintendo Switch console?+
an error that comes up when you are attempting to add a friend.
What does this friend error mean?+
It appears when you try to add a friend; Nintendo says to wait and try again.
Is my account at fault?+
Not normally.
Can my friend add me instead?+
Yes.