Tech Reference

How to connect an Xbox One controller to your iPad in 3 steps with Bluetooth pairing

Written by Steven John
Someone’s hands holding an Xbox One controller against a black background.
It's easy to connect an Xbox One controller to your iPad with Bluetooth. Shutterstock
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An iPad is ideal for many activities — it's a great medium for sketching, viewing photos or videos, and managing calendars, email, and more. 

But when it comes to gaming, tapping on that glass screen isn't at all the same as the responsive and tactile experience you get with a great controller.

If you want to take your iPad gaming up a notch, you can pair it with a Bluetooth wireless Xbox One controller. 

Here's how to do it.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPad (From $329.99 at Best Buy)

Xbox One controller (From $59.99 at Best Buy)

Xbox One S (From $249.99 at Best Buy)

How to connect an Xbox One controller to your iPad

1. Put the controller in pairing mode by holding the Xbox button and the pair button until the Xbox button begins to flash, indicating pairing mode.

xbox one controller
Hold down the Xbox and pairing buttons.  Business Insider

2. Launch the iPad's Settings app, then navigate to the Bluetooth tab.

IMG_0504.PNG
Make sure your Xbox One console is not automatically connecting with the controller you are trying to pair by switching it off or moving farther away from it.  Steven John/Business Insider

3. The controller should soon appear under the Other Devices section. Once it does, simply tap it to pair with your iPad.

 

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

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Steven John
Steven John has been a freelance writer for more than a dozen years and has been a regular contributor to Business Insider since 2017. His work includes a focus on the tech world, covering companies including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others. He also reviews restaurants, shares how-to cooking articles, and writes general interest pieces.Steven also writes for publications including Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, Forbes, and more. In the past, he also wrote for New York Magazine, Mashed, U.S. News & World Report and other outlets. He runs his own outdoor lifestyle site, Dad Gear Review, and co-hosts the Fact Trekkers podcast with his son. He has had two novels published, Three A.M. and Outrider. He graduated from Emerson College with a degree in communications focused on filmmaking.He is an avid outdoorsman and can be frequently found in a kayak or on a mountain trail, often with his family along for the adventure.Expertise:Tech industryTech hardwareOutdoorsCookingRestaurantsDIYPopular articles:Microsoft: A history of the software giant co-founded by Bill Gates, its products and services, jobs, layoffs, and moreYouTube is a major entertainment force. Here's the platform's history, plus how to create a channel and upload videos.Inside the life and career of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, billionaire, and philanthropistTim Cook net worth: How the Apple leader earns and spends his moneyBecoming an Amazon seller is a simple process. Here's what's involved, plus how you make money and get paid.