While iOS has caught up in recent years, Android is still the most versatile OS when it comes to smartphone gaming—especially if you’re looking beyond downloading games from app stores. Android supports a huge number of emulators, as well as game controllers and game pads. If you want to play a game, there’s a decent chance you can get it up and running on Android.
And yet, the OS doesn’t have something that many other modern gaming platforms do: native controller remapping. The idea is, you get to choose which of your controller’s buttons do what. If you’d prefer your down button to have the same effect as the L1 button, or the D-pad to have the same inputs as the right stick, you can. While individual Android games may offer these options, it doesn’t apply to the entire OS, which leads to some inconsistent gameplay situations.
Google is testing controller remapping with the Android 17 beta
As it turns out, Android 17 will introduce system-wide controller remapping options—assuming it makes it out of beta. Former tech journalism-turned Google employee Mishaal Rahman shared the news in a post on r/AndroidGaming, acknowledging the Android gaming communities’ repeated requests for controller remapping, and confirming the company is testing the feature in the Android 17 beta. Rahman says that Google is interested in two key points here: accessibility, so more players can remap buttons to fit their physical needs; and reducing issues with muscle memory when swapping between games.
Those two points really are huge for gamers. It can be frustrating to jump between games with different button layouts, and make mistakes only because you’re used to the layout from the previous game. But, more importantly, controller remapping makes gaming much more accessible for players who might not be able to play with a game’s default layout or control scheme. When some games support it and others don’t, it makes gaming on Android unbalanced. Now, assuming Android 17 really does launch this feature, gaming on phones like Pixel and Galaxy will be more accessible for everyone.
How to try controller remapping on Android 17
These tools are currently live in the latest Android 17 beta (beta 2). You can try it out now if you enroll your eligible device in the Android beta—just be warned that installing beta software on your device may result in bugs, instability, or data loss. I’d recommend making a full backup of any important data before install the beta.
What do you think so far?
With the latest Android 17 beta running on your device, you have two choices, depending on whether you’re using a wired or Bluetooth controller:
-
Wired controllers: Head to Settings > System > Game Controller and choose your controller from the list.
-
Bluetooth controllers: Head to Settings > Connected devices then choose the menu icon next to your controller. From here, go to the Device details page then choose “Game Controller” settings.
Either way, you’ll see a list of all the buttons and inputs on your controller. Tap one to make any available adjustments. Rahman does warn that glyphs—the icons that appear next to each button or input—may not be accurate as of this beta.
