Phone Link: Using Your Cell Phone to Connect Any Controller for Stadia Gaming

by Ian Matties

In a recent article, 9to5google.com went hands-on with a brand new feature for Stadia called Phone Link. Rolling out to Stadia users now, this new feature allows you to use your cell phone as a touch screen controller and gives you the ability to connect your favourite controller to use on your phone as a controller while playing Stadia. 

While Google Chromecast with Google TV has the ability to connect a Bluetooth controller to it directly, the Chromecast Ultra does not. With the use of a USB-C to USB-A adapter you can connect a wired USB controller to your phone to use for your Stadia gaming sessions.

Connect Bluetooth controllers to your phone and use them to play Stadia on Chromecast Ultra

During 9to5google.com's testing, Phone Link allowed them to connect controllers such as the Xbox One and Nintendo Switch pro controllers through their phone and then use them as controllers while gaming on the Chromecast Ultra. However, it is also worth noting that they were unable to connect a mouse and keyboard to their phone using this method.

Through their testing they found that once within a game the controllers essentially worked flawlessly. However, they did occasionally have issues where some buttons on the controller would not work when navigating in-game and Stadia interfaces such as friend lists and side menus. At those times they had to switch back to the on screen controls to press the required buttons and then reconnect the controller.

Damien at 9to5google.com noted that a major downside to this though. When using a controller in this method you have to keep the Stadia app (iOS) or Stadia PWA open on your phone. As a result, this can be a huge battery drain. It looks like using Phone Link is a great idea when you are in a crunch, such as having a friend over to play but you don’t have another Stadia controller to play while gaming on the Chromecast Ultra. 

Phone Link might not win any awards for Stadia, it is still useful for Chromecast Ultra users and many people will get significant use out of it. For more details, check out the full article from 9to5google.com.