Android 17 Will Finally Let You Remap Your Gaming Controllers

While iOS has caught up in recent years, Android is still the most versatile OS when it comes to smartphone gaming—especially if you're looking beyond downloading games from app stores. Android supports a huge number of emulators , as well as game controllers and game pads. If you want to play a game, there's a decent chance you can get it up and running on Android. And yet, the OS doesn't have something that many other modern gaming platforms do: native controller remapping. The idea is, you get to choose which of your controller's buttons do what. If you'd prefer your down button to have the same effect as the L1 button, or the D-pad to have the same inputs as the right stick, you can. While individual Android games may offer these options, it doesn't apply to the entire OS, which leads to some inconsistent gameplay situations. GameSir G8 Plus $79.99 at Amazon Shop Now Shop Now $79.99 at Amazon Google is testing controller remapping with the Android 17 beta As it turns out, Android 17 will introduce system-wide controller remapping options—assuming it makes it out of beta. Former tech journalism-turned Google employee Mishaal Rahman shared the news in a post on r/AndroidGaming , acknowledging the Android gaming communities' repeated requests for controller remapping, and confirming the company is testing the feature in the Android 17 beta. Rahman says that Google is interested in two key points here: accessibility, so more players can remap buttons to fit their …