Controllers are a great way to enjoy playing video games; they have just the right amount of buttons and can make playing games a lot simpler compared to using a keyboard or a touchscreen. In this article, we have listed the steps to connect a controller to your Mac, iOS or Android device, all of which now support for external controllers.

Before reading ahead, keep in mind the steps given below. These are common across the various systems and will put the controller into pairing mode.

Press and hold the Playstation and Share buttons on the controller until the light bar starts flashing which indicates that pairing mode is active.

Also read: 5 things you should know before buying a gaming monitor

How to connect a Dualshock 4 controller to your Android device?

Although Android has been one of the most open platforms since its inception, controller support has not been its forte with input lag generally being a major issue. With the introduction of Android 10, Google started including native support for Sony’s Dualshock 4 controllers following in the steps of Apple, who did the same with iOS 13. To pair your Android device follow the steps mentioned below:

• Open Bluetooth settings via the Settings app or Quick Settings panel.
• Activate the pairing mode.
• Select Pair new device, and select the Wireless Controller.

Note: Upon connecting the controller to a OnePlus 6, running Android 10,  it was noticed that the buttons on the controller could be used to navigate the home screen and interact with the applications on it. The touchpad on the controller also functioned as a mouse.

Also read: 7 must-have wireless gadgets to kick off 2020

How to connect a Dualshock 4 controller to your iOS device?

At a point, the only external inputs that you could use with a device running iOS had to be MFi certified. With the release of iOS 13 and its Arcade service, Apple added the Dualshock 4 to their list of supported devices, follow the steps below to learn how you can connect it to your device.

• Open the Settings or pull down the Control Centre to access Bluetooth settings.
• Activate pairing mode.
• Under “Other Devices,” choose the DualShock 4 Wireless Controller.

Note: Since Apple officially supports the Dualshock 4, you can also keep track of its battery levels across all your devices with the ‘Batteries’ widget.

How to connect a Dualshock 4 controller to your Mac?

If you are running macOS Catalina, games from Apple’s Arcade service will offer accurate key mappings. If running an older version, the controls may be a little finicky. Follow the steps given below to connect the Dualshock 4 controller:

• Open System Preferences which is found under the Apple menu.
• Select Bluetooth settings.
• Enter pairing mode on your Dualshock 4 controller.
• Select the Dualshock 4 controller to complete the connection.

On the other hand, if you are using Bootcamp, here is a guide to help you pair Dualshock 4 controllers to Windows PC.

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