How to Connect a DualShock 4 or Xbox One Controller to an iPhone or iPad With iOS 13

iOS 13 introduces a highly-requested feature we’ve all been waiting for: the ability to connect your PlayStation 4’s DualShock 4 or Xbox One controller to your iPhone or iPad.

The controllers work exactly the same as an MFi controller does, and every single game that supports MFi controllers work with a DualShock 4 or Xbox One controller from the get go.

That includes the entire library of Apple Arcade games, which also launches on September 19, and the Remote Play and Steam Link apps already available on the App Store.

But how do you connect one of these controllers to your iPhone or iPad? Well, that’s what we’re here to tell you in this guide. We’ll detail the entire process for both controllers.

How to Connect Your DualShock 4 Controller to Your iPhone or iPad:

So you want to play iOS games with your PS4’s DualShock 4 controller but don’t quite know how to connect it. Fortunately, it’s a very easy process.

Simply hold down the Share button and the PS4 Home button for a few seconds until the lights start flashing white. When this happens, open settings on your iOS device, tap Bluetooth, and you should see the “DUALSHOCK 4 Wireless Controller” in your “OTHER DEVICES” section.

If your controller is already connected to your PS4 or another device, you need to first disconnect it in order to perform these steps. Either turn off your PS4 or go to Bluetooth settings and hit the ‘i’ button next to the connected device, then hit disconnect to do just that.

Once connected, you can instantly connect your DualShock 4 to your iOS device each time just by turning it on. If at any point you connect the DualShock 4 to your PS4 or any other device, you’ll need to forget it on your iOS device before trying to connect it again.

How to Connect Your Xbox One Controller to Your iPhone or iPad:

Connecting your Xbox One controller to your iOS device is just as easy as doing so with a DualShock 4. Simply hold down the centre Xbox button and the sync button, located at the top of the controller, to put it in sync mode.

Then, head into settings, open the Bluetooth menu, and select the Xbox One controller from the list of devices in the “OTHER DEVICES” section.

Due to not having an Xbox One controller in the office to test, we can’t confirm whether or not the same problems apply to this as the DualShock 4.

Glen Fox

Head of Editorial

Glen has over a decade's worth of experience in gaming journalism, writing for Pocket Gamer, Pocket Tactics, Nintendo Life, and Gfinity. When he's not badgering everyone about the dangers of passive text, you can probably find him playing Wild Rift.