It's designed to rectify problems some users have been experiencing since downloading last month's 3DS system update 5.0.0-11U, which prevented those affected from accessing the System Settings or other features.
"Some users received an error during the system update and were then unable to access the System Settings, Nintendo eShop, or Game Notes," Nintendo says.

"This update prevents this from occurring again. If you are currently experiencing this error, please click here for related troubleshooting."

March's update introduced eShop improvements, including the ability to download software update data in the background.

Earlier this week, Nintendo also released two Wii U Miiverse updates designed to the improve user experience.