Android 17 appears to be preparing a feature that many gamers have been requesting for years, and early builds now reveal that the operating system may finally support full button remapping for Bluetooth game controllers. Evidence of this work surfaced last month when signs of new gaming features were discovered, including controller remapping and the possibility of a virtual gamepad, although the menus were incomplete at the time. A recent Android Canary 2512 release now offers a first look at the interface that will manage these controls.
Inside the latest Canary build, a hidden menu titled Game Controller settings can be found within the Bluetooth device details page of supported gamepads, such as Sony’s DualSense controller. The menu does not appear by default, so researchers had to manually activate it. Once enabled, it presents two sections, Keys and Axes. The Keys section displays all remappable button inputs, including A, B, X, Y, L1, L2, R1, R2, Left Stick Click [L3], and Right Stick Click [R3]. The Axes section lists directional controls like the D pad, the Left Stick, and the Right Stick. Tapping any of these entries opens a dialog that allows users to reassign the input.
The underlying mechanism is straightforward. Android already supports many third party controllers, and the system translates button presses into internal key codes and axis values that games rely on. The new remapping feature seems to modify which internal code is sent when a button is pressed, allowing users to change how games interpret their inputs. For example, assigning the output of the A button to the B key code would cause Android games to treat an A press as if the B button had been pressed.
Some users may be confused by the generic layout of the menu, since controllers like the DualSense do not use A or B labels. The current interface is still in development and does not yet match each controller’s branding, although internally Android already standardizes button inputs by mapping PlayStation symbols to equivalent actions. This consistency ensures that developers do not have to customize their games for each controller model.
There are still improvements that many hope to see before launch. Ideally, the menu should reflect the actual button labels of the connected controller, even if only for appearance. It would also be more intuitive if users could select a new input by pressing the physical button instead of picking from a list. Support for extra buttons, such as rear paddles, would also be welcome, since many modern controllers include these features.
Google appears to have time to expand the feature, since Android 17 is not expected to arrive until next year. Richer controller support will be important as Google continues its efforts to bring Android to PCs, especially because many console and PC games do not support touchscreen controls. Providing robust input options signals that Google is serious about improving the non touchscreen gaming experience and encouraging more developers to support Android across different device categories.
