Starting with iOS 13 and iPadOS, Apple is taking gaming on an iPhone and iPad to a higher level. From now on, you can easily connect a PlayStation 4 or Xbox controller. iPhone shows how this works.
PlayStation and Xbox controllers now work with Apple
Starting with iOS 13, iPadOS, tvOS 13 and macOS Catalina 10.15, your PlayStation or Xbox controllers will receive some new devices with which they can be paired. Apple is moving away from the support of only MFi (Made for iPhone) controllers and is opening the software for two of today’s most popular controllers: the Sony DualShock 4 and Xbox One Wireless Controller.
Pay attention: The Xbox controller packaged with the original Xbox One (and not the Xbox One S or One X) will not work with this feature. That’s because this controller doesn’t have built-in bluetooth and therefore can’t be paired with your Apple devices.
This way you connect a PlayStation or Xbox controller to your iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV
- Open the settings on your Apple device;
- Make sure bluetooth is turned on;
- Turn on the controller, on the PlayStation controller, press and hold the PlayStation button and Share button for five seconds;
- Go to the bluetooth settings on your Apple device;
- Wait for the controller to appear in the list of devices;
- Connect by tapping or clicking the controller name.
Have you finished gaming and are you having problems connecting the controller to your game console? Then you can go through the steps below.
This is how you break the connection between your iPhone and PlayStation or Xbox controller
- Open the bluetooth settings on your Apple device;
- Click on the controller and ‘Forget this device’.
The good news is that hundreds of apps already support this new feature. If a game recognized an MFi controller, it now also works with Microsoft and Sony controllers. Also handy: with a linked controller you can operate the full menu of tvOS 13, so that your Apple TV feels like a full-fledged game console.
Works instantly with hundreds of games
In addition to games like Fortnite, Oceanhorn and Real Racing, the new feature also comes in handy for the Remote Play app from PlayStation and Steam Link. With these apps you stream a game directly from your computer or PlayStation to your iPad or iPhone, which you can then play with the linked controller.
Depending on your internet connection, this is a good way to play your favorite games on your iOS device. In the two tips below, we explain how Steam Link and PlayStation Remote Play work.
- With Remote Play you play PlayStation games on your iPhone: that’s how it works
- You can stream PC games to iPhone, iPad and Apple TV with Steam Link