Google Stadia Controllers Can Be Switched to Bluetooth Mode For Another Year

Google has quietly extended the deadline to switch its Stadia controllers to Bluetooth mode. As spotted by Wario64, Google’s web-based tool for enabling Bluetooth on the controllers will now be available until December 31, 2025.

Google Stadia’s Bluetooth Controller Upgrade went live on January 18, 2023, the same day Google shut down its cloud gaming service. Google originally said that its upgrade tool would only be available until December 31, 2023, but after extending this deadline to December 31, 2024, the company may have realized that not everyone who owns the controller is aware that it has a Bluetooth chip that needs to be enabled manually.

The Google Stadia controller still works as a regular controller when it’s connected via USB, and in that case, gamers can also plug headphones into the controller’s 3.5mm port. While audio isn’t supported in Bluetooth mode, the Stadia Controller works fine for wireless gameplay on Windows 10, Windows 11, macOS, Chrome OS, and Android.

Google hasn’t extensively tested Bluetooth mode on Apple devices, but I’ve been using my own Stadia controller for playing Xbox Cloud Gaming on my Mac, and I can confirm that it works fine. It’s a well-designed controller overall, and the killer feature was that it connected to Google’s Stadia servers directly via Wi-Fi to reduce input latency. A leaked Microsoft presentation showed that the Xbox team was working on a redesigned Xbox wireless controller with a similar cloud connectivity feature, but it has yet to see the light of day.

To switch your Stadia controller to Bluetooth mode, you’ll need to open this page in Google Chrome, connect the controller to your PC or Mac with a USB cable, and then go through the different steps to enable Bluetooth. This online tool can also be used to check if your controller is in Bluetooth mode, and if a Bluetooth update is available.

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