How To Enable Google Stadia Controller For A New Lease On Life With Bluetooth, No Turning Back
Once a darling of cloud gaming, Google and (upset) subscribers are finally saying goodbye to the service as of today. Other services such as GeForce Now and XBox Cloud Gaming continue to thrive, but it's unfortunate to see yet another Google initiative relegated to the Google graveyard.
However, in one final reprieve for Stadia users, Google shared that it will upgrade existing Stadia Controllers to allow Bluetooth connections to be used with other Bluetooth-enable devices. Today, the company has dropped an official update tool for anyone who wants to enable the function.
There are a few things to note before you jump right in to enable Bluetooth. First, Google states that the upgrade via the tool is permanent, which means once the functionality is turned on, the Controller will cease to work with Stadia Wi-Fi connections, which at this point, is moot. Second, there is an expiration date to the upgrade tool—be sure to switch to Bluetooth mode by December 31, 2023. And third, the Controller uses Bluetooth Low Energy (LE), so certain hardware may not work properly with it (or at all).
Google Support confirms controller compatibility with ChromeOS, Android, Windows 10/11 with Steam, and MacOS 13 with Steam. It states that other systems have not been fully tested to verify compatibility. We'd love to heard from you if you're able to get the controller to work well on consoles, like Playstations, Switches, etc.
For those of you who haven't discarded your Stadia Controller or haven't destroyed it in anger (we won't judge), and are wanting to activate Bluetooth, check out the Stadia support page for a step-by-step guide.
