Connecting

A console shows up in two ways: found on the same Wi-Fi network as the phone, or listed from your account once you are signed in. The network search does not get through a guest network, a second router or a VPN, so check those first and keep the console on or in rest mode. If it still does not show up, tap Type an IP address on the Pick your console step and enter the console's address. A typed address has to be paired with a code.

A few things cause this on what looks like one network. A guest network is walled off from the main one even on the same router. A router that gives its 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands different names can put the two devices on separate subnets, and some routers keep wireless devices from seeing each other. A VPN or private DNS app can also take over the route. Run the connection doctor and read the Same network as the console line, which prints both addresses.

Start streaming wakes a console in rest mode by itself and waits up to about 25 seconds, and Pad mode keeps retrying for about 30 seconds. You can also wake it by hand under Settings, Consoles, with Wake console in the Pad mode menu, or with the home screen widget. These only work on the same network, and only if the console allows it: in its power settings, turn on Stay connected to the internet and Enable turning on the console from the network.

The console runs one remote session at a time, and another phone, tablet or computer is still using it. Pad mode on another phone counts too. End the session on that device, or from the console itself, then try again.

The console takes a few seconds to let go of the previous session. Meanwhile the app quietly retries every 2 seconds for up to 20 seconds and connects as soon as the console is ready. Only if the console is still taken after that does it say Console is busy.

The console is on, but it refuses remote connections. On the console, open Settings, System, Remote Play, turn on Enable Remote Play, and connect again. The Remote Play on the console line in the connection doctor shows the last known state.

A local stream does. It retries up to three times with a growing gap and gives up after about 30 seconds, then offers the connection doctor. A Remote connection does not retry, so connect again from the console card. It also does not retry when the console is busy, switched off, has Remote Play turned off or needs an app update, because trying again would not help.

Eighteen things on this phone, on the way to the console, on the way out to the internet and on the console's home network: device capability, phone network, same network as the console, console status, Remote Play on the console, round trip time and jitter, link speed estimate, VPN and filtering apps, Bluetooth interference, router UPnP, network address translation, public IPv4 address, PlayStation Network connection, account, external screen, and the console's public address, router UPnP and NAT type. Red and yellow items come with a fix, and the report can be copied, shared or emailed to us.

Away from home, pick Remote on the console card and tap Play remotely. It connects through your account, so the account has to be added by signing in and the console has to be matched once. A connection usually takes 20 to 40 seconds, and it tries UPnP on your home router by itself. If it fails, the message says why; the next questions cover the common causes, and a home VPN is another way around it.

Remote has to know which console on your account is the one paired on this phone. Tap the card, or open Settings, Remote connection, and pick it once under Consoles on your account. The console must already be paired on this phone, and the account must have been added by signing in, not with an Online ID.

The message on screen names the cause. The console did not answer: keep it on or in rest mode, with Stay connected to the internet and Enable turning on the console from the network on in its power settings. The network does not allow a direct connection: try another network, turn on Port guessing for remote connection in Settings, or use a home VPN. Your carrier shares one public address between many users: port forwarding will not help, so switch networks or use a VPN. The sign-in expired: sign in to that account again.

Where PSN is hard to reach, a remote connection needs two different routes: the game stream has to connect directly, while sign-in and the PSN connection can go through a proxy. A proxy app in VPN mode pulls the game stream into its tunnel as well, and the session gets cut. Switch your proxy app to per-app proxy and add Relaypad to its bypass list. Then open Settings, PSN connection proxy and pick Auto, or pick Manual and enter your proxy app's local port (type HTTP, host 127.0.0.1; Clash usually uses 7890, v2rayNG 10809). The PlayStation Network connection row in the connection doctor tells you whether it works.

Usually not. Remote tries UPnP on its own, and forwarding only helps when your home router is what blocks the connection, not when a carrier shares one address between many users. If you do need it, Settings, Router port forwarding can map the ports automatically or list them for setting up by hand. Forwarded ports open the console to the internet, so a home VPN is the safer choice.

Open the connection doctor and look at the Console's home network section. It gets measured when your phone is on the console's Wi-Fi, or when you connect remotely. Double NAT means two routers in a row, usually your provider's modem plus your own router: set the modem to bridge mode, or turn on DMZ in the modem and point it at your router. CGNAT means your provider shares one public address between many homes, so port forwarding can't help: ask your provider for a public IP address. In both cases a home VPN such as Tailscale works too, since it doesn't rely on a direct connection from outside.

Yes, with a home VPN. Put an always-on device on the console's network and join that network from your phone: Tailscale on a NAS, a Raspberry Pi or a PC does it with one command (tailscale up --advertise-routes=your.home.subnet, then approve the route in the admin console), and a router with a built-in WireGuard or OpenVPN server works the same way. With the VPN connected, tap Start streaming on the console card as usual: the network search does not cross a VPN, so the app also tries the address the console had at home. The console must have been paired at home first, and your home upload speed becomes the limit.

Both, and neither costs anything. Every console you pair stays on the list, and each one can be linked to a different account under Settings, Consoles. Accounts themselves are managed under Settings, Accounts.

Consoles, accounts and pairing keys are not included in cloud backups, so on a new phone you set up again: add your account and pair each console once. If a phone-to-phone transfer brought the console list along, the keys still stay behind, because they are locked to the old phone: open Settings, Consoles, pick the console and tap Pair again. An account added by signing in may ask you to sign in again as well.