Android 17 to receive significant gaming upgrades according to leak

While smartphones like the Nubia RedMagic 11 Pro offer high gaming performance by combining the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with a comprehensive cooling system, some smartphone manufacturers are attempting to improve Android's controller support in terms of software, with varying degrees of success. With Android 17 on the horizon next year, however, Google is now set to make improvements itself.

Android Authority has discovered evidence in the code of the latest Android beta version that Google is planning support for native controller remapping. The code suggests that the function of all buttons on a gamepad connected via Bluetooth or USB-C can be customized directly in the system settings of an Android smartphone, for example, in order to configure rear paddles or to use shoulder buttons for game-specific functions. Support for virtual gamepads is also new.

According to Android Authority, this is not only a method of intercepting controller inputs at the system level and modifying them as needed, but it should also be possible to link virtual buttons displayed on the screen to the buttons on a gamepad, which is useful for controlling games that do not support external controllers. While Android Authority expects these features to be released alongside Android 17 in the middle of next year, there is always the possibility that Google will delay the rollout of features or discontinue the development of new features before they are released.