Does Apex Legends Mobile have controller support?

Joe Hindy / Android Authority

QUICK ANSWER

Apex Legends Mobile does have controller support, but only semi-officially. The developers have said that the global launch won't support controllers, but they are working on it. However, players have found that some controllers work fine in Apex Legends Mobile. There are also controller settings in the menu, so there is some controller support.

JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS

How to enable controller support in Apex Legends Mobile

Joe Hindy / Android Authority

There is no toggle to enable controller support in Apex Legends Mobile. Your controller should automatically enable itself when you connect it. We recommend starting a firing range instance so you can test your controller before dropping in on a real match.

The virtual controls remain enabled even when you have a controller connected. You can change this, though, by editing the virtual controller. You can do that by going into Settings, then Controls, and tapping the Custom Layout button. You can re-size, move, and lower the opacity of on-screen elements to get them out of your way.

The game includes three controller layouts, so you can keep the regular layout and have a second layout that moves everything out of the way for your controller. The game supports up to three virtual HUD layouts.

What controllers are supported in Apex Legends Mobile?

Oliver Cragg / Android Authority

Unfortunately, this is a fairly short list. We expect it to grow over time, but here’s all you have to work with for now. The links take you to Amazon if you want to buy one of the controllers.

Please note that even those controllers seem to be hit or miss with some folks. In some instances, a controller works on iOS but not on Android or vice versa, so support for the above controllers is shaky at best. We tested with the Xbox Series X controller and it worked fine. However, our testing with a Moga XP5-X Plus showed less than desirable results. It flat out didn’t work.

Once an official list of supported controllers comes out, we’ll update this list.

How to remap controller buttons in Apex Legends Mobile

Joe Hindy / Android Authority

Despite the developers saying there is no official controller support on the global launch, there are settings to let you configure your controller.

• Open Settings from the main screen.
• On the right side, tap the Controller v1.0 option.
• Go to the Controller v1.0 part of the Settings.
• Under the Button tab, hit the Custom Layout button.
• Tap whichever command you want to change. When it’s highlighted, tap the button on your controller to change it to that button.
• If the button you want is already assigned to a different action, the game will flip-flop the two. For example, reload is Square and crouch is O. If you set reload to O, crouch will automatically be remapped to Square.

How to configure your controller in Apex Legends Mobile

Joe Hindy / Android Authority

The Controller v1.0 part of the settings has three tabs. The first is Button and we describe how that works above. The other two are Basic and Camera which lets you further customize your controller. Here’s what each thing does.

Basic

• Joystick deadzone (movement) — This controls how much you can move your joystick before it is recognized as movement in the game. This setting is for the left joystick only.
• Cursor sensitivity — This controls the in-game cursor and can help speed up things like selecting loot.
• Overall Sensitivity Scale — This is what you think, an overall general sensitivity setting.
• Vertical Sensitivity Scale — This is a general sensitivity setting, but it only applies to the Y-axis (up and down).
• FPP without ADS — This setting lets you adjust the sensitivity of your joysticks in first-person mode when not aiming down sights.
• TPP without ADS — It’s the same as above, except for third-person mode.
• 1x-10x Optic ADS — The game lets you adjust your sensitivity based on weapon zoom. There are options for 1x (iron sights), 2x, 3x, 4x, 6x, 8x, and 10x. You can adjust each zoom range individually to fine-tune your experience with each weapon type.

Camera

• Joystick deadzone (rotation) — This controls how much you can move your joystick before it is recognized as movement. This one only applies to the right joystick.
• External threshold — This setting dictates the maximum amount of joystick movement before the game stops recognizing it as movement. A helpful graphic in-game shows you the difference between this and deadzone as you adjust both, but it’s only available under the Camera tab.
• Additional Rotation Speed — This setting lets you add additional camera rotation speed if you want it.
• Additional Rotation Speed Vertical Zoom — This is the same as Additional Rotation Speed, but for vertical zoom.
• Additional Speed Ramp-up Time — The game gives you the option for movements to fade in so it’s less jerky. This setting adjusts the time it takes for the right stick rotation speed to reach its maximum sensitivity.
• Additional Speed Ramp-up Delay — This setting further fine-tunes the fade-in movement effect for even less jerky motion.

It’s honestly quite nice to see such fine controls in a mobile game. Those with controllers definitely have an advantage over on-screen control players. We recommend using the firing range mode to test any adjustments you make before going to a real game to ensure everything is working as expected. Also, don’t forget to tap the Sync to Cloud button to save your settings.

Read next: How to unlock Fade in Apex Legends Mobile

FAQ

Why isn’t my controller working?

The most likely answer is that it’s not supported yet. Many folks have problems even with the controllers listed above. For the time being, there isn’t much that you can do. You can try disconnecting and reconnecting the controller, closing and opening the game, and rebooting your device. However, we think the developers will fix and add better controller support in a future update.

Is my controller supported?

The answer is probably not yet, but it doesn’t hurt to load into a firing range game and try it yourself. If it does work, leave a comment and let us know.

What are the best controller settings for Apex Legends Mobile?

That’s a difficult question to answer because every gamer is different. We recommend fiddling around with some stuff, launching a firing range instance to test, and fine-tuning until it feels right.

Do I have a competitive advantage with a controller?

It depends. Some people are very good with three or four-finger play with on-screen controls, and they’ll give you a run for your money. However, it’s much easier to use a controller for beginner and intermediate players, so yes, it can give you an advantage.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7orrDq6ainJGqwam70aKrsmaTpLpwrc%2Ber2aklZyyr7CMpqaboZyaeqS7za2pqKScmr9uv9Spp6iqpGKAcoKVcGhpZw%3D%3D