When Google launched the Stadia streaming game service, for a long time the only usable controller was the official one. Next came support for third-party controllers (Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo Switch) and the ability to use touch controls while playing on your smartphone.
The new Phone Link feature allows you to use your smartphone display as a touch controller to play Stadia games on any TV, be it Chromecast Ultra, Android TV, or Google Chromecast with Google TV. Phone Link also allows you to use your smartphone as a bridge to connect unsupported controllers to your TV or older ones when playing games on a computer.
To connect a controller to your smartphone, just tap the controller icon in the Google Stadia app and then select the “smartphone touch gamepad” item to launch a menu that confirms that you are using the mobile device as a controller.
At this point, Stadia will send a pairing code to be entered in the smartphone to connect it on the same Wi-Fi network, after which the controls on the screen will be replaced by a screen that warns of the start of playback on the TV.
One of the advantages that Phone link offers is for parties with multiple players, as anyone can use their smartphone as a controller, however, you can also use any wired controller as long as you have a USB-C to USB-A adapter. The Phone Link feature is starting to roll out to Google Stadia users starting today.
