iOS 16 Includes Support For Nintendo Switch Joy-Con And Pro Gaming Controllers

Last Updated on June 7, 2022 by Anu Joy

Apple released iOS 16 at the WWDC 2022. The latest operating system offers features such as a brand-new lock screen, improvements to Messages and Mail, iCloud Shared Photo Library, and more. However, one major update flew under the radar—Nintendo Switch controller support.

Nintendo Switch Controller Support for iPhone

A game developer discovered that iOS 16 now includes native support for the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and Pro gaming controllers. Now, Switch users will be able to game right on their iPhones with their Nintendo controllers. Riley Testut, the developer of iOS game Delta, highlighted these features in a series of tweets.

Moreover, he noted that you can connect both left and right Joy-Cons so that they appear as a single MFi controller to apps. Testut also discovered that you can dynamically switch between using the Nintendo Joy-Cons as two different controllers and a single controller. To do so, you simply have to hold the screenshot + home buttons for a few seconds. The Nintendo Joy-Con and Pro controllers can be customized via the Bluetooth menu by navigating to the Settings app on iOS 16.

This comes as good news to Nintendo Switch owners, as controller support had been lacking until now. PlayStation and Xbox Series users have been enjoying iPhone support ever since iOS 14.5 rolled out in April 2021. To be specific, the PlayStation 5 DualSense and Xbox Series X are compatible with iPhones.

Nintendo Switch Controller Compatibility

There’s still no word on whether the Nintendo Switch Joy-Con and Pro controllers will be compatible with all Apple devices. However, Apple does say in the tvOS 16 developer release notes that “many additional Bluetooth and USB game controllers are supported by the Game Controller framework on macOS 13, iOS 16, and tvOS 16 and later”. Hence, we can expect the gaming controllers to work on the iPhone, Apple TV, and Mac.

iOS 16 is currently rolling out in beta for developers. Apple announced that a public beta of its latest iOS will be released in July, which will be followed by the software update in the fall.