Here’s How To Pair Your Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons To Your iPhone On iOS 16

The process of pairing Joy-Con controllers with an iPhone isn’t much different than the method used with other controllers, as explained by Apple in a support document. Here’s what you’ll need to do to pair your Joy-Con controllers:

1. Make sure your iPhone is up to date and running iOS 16 or later.
2. On your iPhone, head to Settings > Bluetooth.
3. On one of the Joy-Con controllers, find the circular button located between the bumper buttons on the side rail and press it for about 5 seconds
4. Within the iPhone’s Bluetooth menu, the controller will appear in the Other Devices section. The entry should indicate whether it is the left or right Joy-Con controller.
5. Tap the Joy-Con in the Bluetooth menu to pair it with your iPhone.
6. Repeat these steps to pair the other Joy-Con controller.

Joy-Con controllers are unique in that they’re technically two different controllers. As Nintendo points out in its support document, the Nintendo Switch software pairs two Joy-Con controllers together. Apple has added a similar implementation to iOS 16 so that if you pair two Joy-Cons, iOS will see them as a single controller. Of course, if you choose, you’re welcome to pair just a single controller and use it as a standalone gamepad.