How to Connect an Xbox Controller to Your iPhone

• to connect an xbox controller to your iphone and play games with it, you will need to have at least ios 13.
• you can connect almost any xbox controller, either xbox one or xbox series x/s.
• make sure your xbox controller has bluetooth and is in pairing mode before trying to connect it.
• visit the insider technical reference library for more stories.

Thanks to some recent updates, you can now connect almost all popular game controllers to your iPhone. this includes the xbox one and xbox series x/s controllers, which are considered to be some of the best on the market.

Although not all games support the use of controllers, several of the most popular games on the app store do, including almost all apple arcade games.

quick tip: to connect an xbox controller to your iphone, make sure you’re running at least ios 13. if you still have ios 12 or earlier, you’ll need to update your iphone.

Pairing your xbox one controller with your iphone is pretty easy. here’s how to do it.

does your xbox controller have bluetooth?

your iphone connects to game controllers via bluetooth. this means any controller you connect must also have bluetooth.

luckily almost all official xbox controllers have bluetooth. This includes the controllers that come with Xbox One S, Xbox One X, and Xbox Series X/S. so if you bought your controller in the last five years, you probably don’t have to worry.

however, if you are still using the drivers that came with the original xbox one, you may need to update them.

There is an easy way to tell if your xbox one controller has bluetooth. A bluetooth compatible xbox one controller has plastic around the xbox button that matches the rest of the controller’s color. instead, non-bluetooth controllers have plastic that matches the color of the bumper buttons.

how to connect an xbox controller to your iphone

now if you have an xbox controller with bluetooth:

1. Press and hold the xbox logo button, located at the top center of the controller, until it begins to flash. If it doesn’t blink and instead glows steadily, it’s already paired with a nearby Xbox; if this is the case, press and hold the small button next to the charging port until the xbox logo flashes.

2. pick up your iphone and open the settings app, then tap bluetooth.

3. once you’re in the bluetooth menu, you should see a device called “xbox wireless controller” or something similar. tap it and your iphone will ask if you want to pair the device.

4. select partner.

5. later, if you are done using the controller and want to disconnect it, go to the bluetooth menu again, tap the small i icon next to the device name, then tap disconnect .

quick tip: while you have a controller connected, go to the settings app and select general. there, you will find a menu called game controller. you can use this menu to customize the controller buttons.