How to pair a PS4 or Xbox controller with your iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, or Android device

The DualShock 4 and Xbox One controllers were originally made to work on their respective consoles, but thanks to Apple’s recent software updates, you can more easily pair them via Bluetooth with your iOS 13 device, iPadOS tablet, or your Apple TV via tvOS 13. Android 10 makes it super easy to pair either controller, too, and you can pair with previous versions of Android and iOS as well.

This is probably of particular interest If you subscribe to Apple Arcade or Google Play Pass, as you can play several of the games on offer from either service with a controller. Fortnite paved the way for expanding controller support when it arrived on select phones, but the PS4 and Xbox controllers (though not all Xbox controllers) work on mobile with more games than ever, and crucially, many of those games offer native support for their button layouts.

The process for setting up the DualShock 4 and Xbox wireless controller with your device is simple, but the details of the setup vary a bit depending on which controller you have, and what operating system that you’ll be pairing the controller to. We’re going to hit all of the variables below.

First, put your controller into pairing mode

No matter what kind of device you pair Sony’s DualShock 4 with, you’ll first need to put the controller into pairing mode. To do this, press and hold its “Share” button to the left of the touchpad, then also hold the middle “PlayStation” button. The light bar at the top of the controller will start to blink, an indicator that it’s looking for a device to pair up with.

If you have an Xbox wireless controller, first ensure that it’s Bluetooth-ready. There’s an easy way to tell just by looking at it: if your gamepad has a glossy plastic surrounding the Xbox button, it won’t work. However, if that region is made of the same matte plastic as the face of the controller (as shown in the picture above), it will.

To enter pairing mode, turn on the controller by holding down the Xbox button in the middle. Once it lights up, click and hold the connect button on the top of the controller, near the bumpers, until the Xbox logo blinks. This indicates that you’re ready to pair.

How to pair your controller with iOS

On Apple TV (running tvOS 13)

On Android

(Note: these steps will vary slightly depending on the phone that you use.)

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