❤ Many Android 11 users are having trouble getting games to recognize their controllers

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Ever since Android 11 rolled out, users have been facing issues while trying to connect a gaming controller with their smartphones. According to the reports, phones running Android 11 are either not able to recognize controllers as input devices or they don’t let users map their keys properly.

As per a thread regarding the bug on the official Android Issue Tracker, several Pixel users and beta testers are facing the issue and they’re not able to use Bluetooth game controllers like the Xbox One controller, Sony’s DualShock 4, and even Google’s own Stadia controller with their devices. While a vast majority of the reports are from Google 2, Pixel 3, Pixel 3a, Pixel 4, and Pixel 4a owners, a few Samsung and OnePlus users running Android 11 builds have also reported similar behavior.

As of now, there is no confirmation as to what exactly is causing the issue. But it’s worth noting that Google had already acknowledged the issue back in August 2020, right when the initial Android 11 builds started reaching users. Currently, it seems that the development team is still trying to figure out the underlying cause and is working to bring a solid solution.

While Google hasn’t figured out a solution yet, some users have shared temporary workarounds. According to a few reports, the issue can be fixed by turning off certain accessibility options. For instance, a user suggests, “Can confirm, there’s a certain accessibility service that, if I disable it, controller immediately starts working, no reboot or anything. I can actually task switch back and forth from Stadia back to Settings, disable that one service on Accessibility, back to Stadia, and controller works; switch back to Settings, enable, back to Stadia, it’s suddenly dead just like before. That’s with no rebooting, no pairing or conn/disconnecting controllers, nothing.”

In case you’re facing the issue, you can try the workaround mentioned above. Until then, all we can do is wait for Google to address the issue and release a fix in a future update.

 

 

 

 

Android 11 has been out for over a month now and OEMs have already started working on their in-house OS updates.

However, the latest OS update brings along its own set of issues and Google Pixel devices appear to be the most affected for the time being.

It was reported recently that Pixel users were experiencing excessive battery drain and performance issues after the Android 11 update.

Now, several Pixel users and beta testers are reporting issues related to Bluetooth game controllers like Google Stadia, Nvidia GeForce Now, and more after updating their devices to Android 11.

Reports clearly indicate that users are unable to connect and use game controllers via Bluetooth and the devices are getting listed as other devices.

Multiple Pixel 2, Pixel 3, and Pixel 4 series users have reported on Google IssueTracker that such issues occurred only after the Android 11 update.

While the game controller issues have been to the developers, it is unclear how long it will take to fix these problems.

However, it is good to see that the OEM has promptly acknowledged these issues on a wider scale, hence, fixes will also arrive accordingly.

In the meantime, a Pixel user has posted a temporary workaround for the connectivity problems on Reddit which seems to have fixed the issues for them.

The user has stated that after some manual troubleshooting they simply switched off the Magnification gestures on their Android 11 powered Pixel device which fixed the game controller issues.

Also, several other users have posted similar workarounds on Google IssueTracker suggesting that tweaking the Accessibility settings seems to be doing the trick.

Nevertheless, a proper fix will still be required and Pixel users running Android 11 will have to wait till Google addresses these issues.

Meanwhile, you can check out our Google Android 11 update and bug trackers to get the latest updates on the topics.

Moreover, we have curated a consolidated Android 11 update tracker for all major OEMs and carriers so be sure to go through it as well.

It appears that Samsung and OnePlus users who have installed the Android 11 update on their devices are also facing similar issues with gaming controllers. We’ve shared some a couple of reports from users below:

I am not able to use my PS4 controller on ONEPLUS 8T. I have managed to pair the controller and phone with Bluetooth but the phone won’t recognise any input. (Source)

I updated my note20 to android 11! Since the update I can’t connect my ps4 controller to call of duty mobile anymore and all so I’m having screen trouble (Source)

Google recently rolled out the January patch for supported Pixel phones, however, there is no indication that the problem was fixed. Therefore, it seems users may have to wait a bit longer before the problem is addressed.