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PS5 Controller Connected To My Phone, Football Game Only Accepts It In Some Modes

Asked by Faisal M.0 views

Trying to play eFootball on my iPhone with my PS5 controller. It connects fine and works in the menus, but in some modes the game just ignores the controller and I have to use touch. Is my controller broken or is this how the game works? Also is there a minimum iOS version? My cousin's older iPhone won't even pair it.

Brand
Sony
Model
DualSense CFI-ZCT1W
Connection
Bluetooth
System
iOS 26
Browser
Safari 26
Detected Controller
DualSense Wireless Controller
Buttons And Axes
17 buttons, 4 axes
Mobile Gaming With ControllersiPhone And iPad
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Short Answer

Your controller is fine. When eFootball added controller support on mobile it was limited to certain modes rather than all of them, so touch-only modes are expected. For pairing, a DualSense needs iOS 14.5 or later on iPhone.

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Chris Evans Jr.
Chris Evans Jr.Verified Gamepad Tester team memberGamepad Tester Team
Mobile Browser Compatibility Engineer · Answered Jun 14, 2026

This is the game, not your controller. When eFootball brought controller support to mobile in its v5.3.0 update, it covered modes against the AI rather than every mode. In the other modes the game falls back to touch, even though the controller is connected. Konami adjusts features between updates, so check the in-game notices after each update rather than relying on older guides, this answer included.

You can confirm the controller itself is healthy in a minute. Open the gamepad tester in Safari, tap the page and press each button. If every button and both sticks read correctly there, nothing is wrong at the controller or Bluetooth level.

On your cousin's phone: the DualSense needs iOS 14.5 or later, and the DualShock 4 needs iOS 13 or later. An iPhone that cannot run 14.5 will not pair a DualSense properly. If the phone is just behind on updates, updating iOS fixes it. If the hardware cannot go that far, a DualShock 4 may still work on iOS 13.

Step By Step Fix
  1. Pair the DualSense: hold Create and PS until the light bar flashes, then select it in the iPhone's Bluetooth settings.
  2. Open the gamepad tester in Safari, tap the page and press every button to confirm it reads correctly.
  3. In eFootball, open the controller settings and play a mode against the AI to confirm the controller works there.
  4. If a mode ignores the controller, read the game's latest update notes. The supported modes are set by the game.
  5. On the other iPhone, check Settings, General, About for the iOS version. A DualSense needs iOS 14.5 or later.

Tested on: Applies to DualSense on iPhone with iOS 26 and Safari. Mobile controller support scope per GamingonPhone's eFootball 2026 v5.3.0 guide; minimum iOS versions per Sony's controller compatibility information.

Sources
  1. eFootball 2026: How to connect and play with your controller on mobile
  2. Use DualSense controllers with PC, Mac and mobile

Checked by Priya Patel on . How we verify answers

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Community Replies 3

  • Accepted Solution
    Zaid FarooqCommunity Member

    Same for me, it works in the modes against the AI and I play touch in the others. Not a controller problem.

  • Faisal MalikCommunity Member

    Tester shows all buttons fine. My cousin's phone was on an old iOS version, we updated it and the DualSense paired. Thanks!

  • Inês DuarteCommunity Member

    I read the patch notes after every update now, it saves me guessing which modes accept the controller.

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Chris Evans Jr.
Written and tested by

Chris Evans Jr.Verified Gamepad Tester team member

Mobile Browser Compatibility Engineer at Gamepad Tester

Chris works on mobile web input. Phone browsers are the hardest place to test a controller: a Bluetooth clip-on pad may connect to the phone but stay invisible to the page, iOS and Android expose the Gamepad API at different moments, and a backgrounded tab stops polling entirely. He works through those cases so a mobile player gets the same test result a desktop player would. On Gamepad Tester he answers the mobile questions, including controllers that pair with a phone but send no input to the browser.

Mobile browser inputiOS and Android Gamepad APIclip-on controllersbackground tab behaviour
  • 3 answers on Gamepad Tester
  • Tests the Gamepad API across Android and iOS browsers with Bluetooth clip-on controllers.
  • Reviewed by Priya Patel
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