PS4, Xbox One controllers can now be used to play games on iOS - here's how to set it up

Thanks to the arrival iOS 13, you no longer have to rely on non-standard controllers to play games on your iPhone or iPad.

When Apple revealed renewed commitment to games earlier this year, the company announced that iOS will soon allow most Bluetooth controllers to play iOS games.

This feature has been available in the iOS 13 beta for a while. Today, iOS 13 went live for everyone, and with it support for PS4 and Xbox One controllers. Assuming you've already updated your device, the pairing process is fairly straightforward.

This is not only helpful when playing native iOS games, such as those in Apple Arcade, it's also great way to experience PS4 Remote Play or even Steam Link.

Here's how you can get this working.

PS4 controller (DualShock 4)

1. Navigate to the Bluetooth menu under Settings and turn it on.
2. Hold both the Share and PlayStation buttons until the back light starts blinking.
3. The PS4 controller should now show up under the list of nearby devices on your iOS device.
4. Pick DualShock 4 and you're good to go.

Xbox One controller

1. Navigate to the Bluetooth menu under Settings and turn it on.
2. Hold the Sync button (top back) until the Xbox button light starts blinking.
3. The Xbox One controller should now show up under the list of nearby devices on your iOS device.
4. Pick Xbox One and you're good to go.

The tricky thing with Xbox One is that not all controllers support Bluetooth. Only the new models released around the Xbox One S launch a couple of years ago can do this. If you don't have the package the controller came in, you'll just have to try and hope for the best. Of course, if you own an Xbox One S/X console you will be able to use the controller that came with it without any issues.

This process can be done on iPhone, iPad (iPadOS), and Apple TV (tvOS) - so long as they're running iOS 13.