Back in September 2022, Google announced its plan to shut down its game streaming service — Stadia — on January 18, 2023. And, it’s time to say your goodbyes to Google Stadia, as the company marked today — January 19 — as Stadia’s last day of operation. At 11:59 pm Pacific Standard Time, the servers of the gaming service will take their last breath before going dark. The big G will refund all hardware and software purchases to all buyers through the Stadia store by the end of January.
Meanwhile, the company has also revealed that it allows Stadia controller users to enable Bluetooth and connect it to other platforms. By visiting the official website, you can switch to Bluetooth mode. Do note that once you switch to Bluetooth, it will permanently stay in that mode, and you can’t go back to Wi-Fi. However, now that the platform has shut down, this shouldn’t be much of a concern.
How to Use Google Stadia Controller via Bluetooth
To activate Bluetooth mode, follow these steps:
- Connect your controller to your computer via USB.
- Next, go to the Stadia page and find the “Switch to Bluetooth mode” button.
- On that page, hit the start button.
There’s a FAQ page with a handful of helpful solutions if you run into trouble during this process. Do note that you only have until December 31, 2023, to switch to Bluetooth mode permanently — you can’t change it after that. It also suggests you check on Bluetooth updates and the controller mode during this period.
Once done, the search giant says that your controller will use Bluetooth Low Energy connections to connect it to other platforms, meaning some features won’t work. For instance, you can’t use the 3.5mm or USB port for headphones, and haptics (vibration) may not work with all systems.
