Connecting & pairing

Windows 10 and 11, macOS, Linux and Raspberry Pi, Android TV, Google TV, Fire TV and streaming boxes, smart TVs that accept a Bluetooth gamepad or keyboard, and other Android phones or tablets. Nothing needs to be installed on the host. On iPhone and iPad only the touchpad and keyboard work — iOS games do not accept gamepad input from JoyLink.

Each console blocks it in its own way. Xbox controllers use a proprietary 2.4 GHz radio rather than Bluetooth. PlayStation consoles verify an authentication chip inside the controller. Switch only accepts Nintendo's own protocol. No app can work around these, and JoyLink does not try to.

In the pairing guide, tap “Make discoverable” first — the host can only see this phone while the countdown is running. It shows up under the phone's own Bluetooth name (for example “Pixel 8”), not as “JoyLink”. Keep JoyLink in the foreground while pairing. If these two devices were paired before, remove the old pairing on both sides and start again.

Check that the host has Bluetooth on, is in range, and isn't busy with another controller. Try starting the connection from the host side by tapping the phone's name there. If that fails, turn Bluetooth off and on again on both devices. If the host does see the device but nothing happens when you press buttons, see “The host doesn't recognise JoyLink”.

Since Android 12, connecting over Bluetooth falls under this permission. JoyLink uses it only to list your paired devices and to register the phone as a Bluetooth gamepad. Your button presses and typing travel over Bluetooth to the host and are never uploaded anywhere.

Yes. It retries up to three times with growing pauses, and tells you on the home screen if that fails. You can switch this off under Settings → Connection → Auto reconnect.

Only for a few minutes. While JoyLink is registered, the phone is a Bluetooth gamepad, and on some phones that stops other devices — headphones, a watch — from reconnecting on their own. So the registration is released a few minutes after you leave, and comes back in a second or two when you return. Choose how long under Settings → Connection → Keep link in background; pick “Right away” if your other devices need Bluetooth back immediately.

One phone connects to one host at a time. The other way round works, though: two phones running JoyLink can connect to the same computer and show up as two separate gamepads — no extra setup for local multiplayer.

They can, in both directions. Streaming audio at the same time adds lag or jitter to the gamepad input on some phones — if it feels choppy, disconnect the headphones or use wired ones. The other way round happens too: while JoyLink is registered as a gamepad, headphones may refuse to reconnect on their own. Leaving JoyLink frees Bluetooth again after the wait set under Settings → Connection → Keep link in background.

It was probably ignored. That only hides it from JoyLink's list; it stays paired in your system settings. Open All devices on the home screen to restore it.