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The new consoles are finally available, and if you’ve been lucky enough to get one, you are now the proud owner of the new controllers. This may not be the first question you ask, but eventually, you might want to know: Will the PS5 and Xbox Series X controllers work with my smartphone?
The short answer is: yes, both will work with your smartphone, just like the next-gen PS4 DualShock 4 and Xbox One controllers worked wirelessly with the phones. In fact, the process seems largely the same for connecting the new controllers to your phones. Thanks Sony and Microsoft!
Note that neither company has expressly announced compatibility between their new console controllers and modern smartphones, but anecdotal evidence has shown that they connect in the same way. We hope the official documentation comes out soon, but in the meantime, here’s how to connect your PS5 and Xbox Series X / S controllers to your smartphone.
What do you need to get started
Fortunately, this is easy enough – you just need your smartphone and the controller of your choice. If you want to be safe, get a cable that works between the two: a USB-C to USB-C for most modern Android smartphones or a USB-C to Lightning cable for modern iPhones.
With no official documentation from either company on compatibility requirements for phones, we’ll run what you need to connect last generation PS4 and Xbox One controllers to a phone. Make sure to update your phone’s operating system to at least Android 10 or iOS 13, and to be safe, the absolute latest version of Android 11 or iOS 14.
If your controller won’t connect, make sure you’ve updated it to the latest firmware, like this Xbox support article Explain regarding a similar problem connecting to PC.
How to set it up
You shouldn’t need a deliberate app to connect your DualSense or Xbox Series X controller to your phone; instead, it will pair them with your phone as simple Bluetooth devices. We will go through each controller configuration process separately.
Note that, without the overtly official support of Microsoft and Sony at the moment, you may have to remap your buttons within each game to your liking.
How to connect your PS5 controller to your phone
As seen on Austin Evans’ PS5 unboxing video, it is quite easy to connect your new DualSense controller to your phone.
First, put your DualSense into pairing mode by holding down the PS button at the bottom center and the Create button at the top left of the controller (where the Share button was on the DualShock 4) at the same time until the blue lights around the center starts to blink.
Then go to your phone, make sure Bluetooth is turned on and look in Bluetooth settings to pair a new device (in Android: Settings> Connected devices> Pair new device, in iOS: Settings> Bluetooth). Find the DualSense controller, which might appear as “Wireless Controller”, and tap on it. It should pair up shortly, as the following video from Phone Battles demonstrates:
As the video shows, you can also connect manually using a cable; just plug one end into your phone and the other end to your controller and it should automatically register.
How to connect your Xbox Series X controller to your phone
Don’t worry Xbox Series X controller owners, it’s just as easy to connect your gamepad to phones. (and yes, the X Series and S Series controllers are identical).
To get started, make sure your controller is turned on, then press and hold the Pair button (on the back next to the USB-C port, right where it was on the Xbox One gamepad) until the Xbox button starts flashing.
Then go to your phone, make sure Bluetooth is turned on and look in Bluetooth settings to pair a new device (in Android: Settings> Connected devices> Pair new device, in iOS: Settings> Bluetooth). Find the Xbox Wireless Controller (don’t worry if you don’t specify ‘X Series’), which might show up as ‘Wireless Controller’, and tap on it. YouTuber MonkeyKingHero demonstrates the short process below:
