Use the controls that suit the game
The on-screen gamepad works in portrait and landscape. In Settings → Input, choose Always, When No Controller or Never. Landscape controls can fade when unused. The portrait pad stays visible.
A tap can restore faded controls, but it does not override your visibility preference. Touch controls and the screen-as-trackpad mode are alternatives.
How does the trackpad work?
Drag to move the pointer and tap to click. Use two fingers to scroll or right-click. Tap, then drag, to hold a drag. This can help with menus that expect a mouse, though individual games may need additional keyboard commands.
Tune a connected controller
Open Input to adjust each thumbstick and remap supported buttons. System-reserved buttons remain reserved. Controller and game compatibility still matter. Supported wired or Bluetooth controllers use Apple’s game-controller support; available connections vary by device and accessory. USB controllers have not yet been verified in this development build.
- Dead Zone
- Ignore a small movement around the center, which can help with stick drift.
- Anti-Dead Zone
- Give the smallest intentional movement a stronger starting value when a game ignores gentle input.
- Response Curve
- Change how quickly movement grows as the stick moves away from the center.
- Sensitivity
- Adjust the strength of the stick response.
Keep this shortcut handy: hold both shoulder buttons and Menu to open Stream Settings. Menu alone goes to the game.
Use Settings → Diagnostics → Controller Test before launching. Its 30-second check shows buttons, sticks and triggers before remapping, without needing a game or sign-in. Very brief presses may be missed by the display.
Keyboard and pointer options
CloudLink includes experimental keyboard and mouse handling on iPhone and iPad. A supported controller can also use its right stick or touchpad as a pointer. Choose the pointer behavior in Input.
A pointer helps with a launcher or remote menu. It does not supply every keyboard command a particular game may require. Check your actual keyboard, mouse and game combination before relying on it for a session.
Keep the picture where you want it
Display settings include landscape behavior, Picture in Picture and connected-display routing. For a connected screen, choose Use the Display, Ask Each Time or Keep on This Device. With the game on the connected display, the phone or iPad can keep an on-screen gamepad or live stream statistics available as a companion. This is the same device’s external output; it does not turn your phone into a wireless controller for a separate Apple TV session.
The size, refresh rate and HDR information reflect the active connection. Cables, adapters and wireless display routes can limit what the panel accepts. Connect the display before starting for a display-aware request; a changed output may require ending and starting the stream again. Real cable, adapter and disconnect/reconnect behavior still need verification. Read the sizing guide for Fit, Fill, Stretch and Manual placement.
CloudLink’s Home Screen icon is the mint and violet Weave. The current development build offers this approved icon in Settings → Display → App Icon.
Picture in Picture can keep the stream visible in a floating window when you switch apps on a supported iPhone or iPad. Picture in Picture has no touch controls, and keyboard/mouse capture stops while it is active. Returning to full-screen, controller gameplay in Picture in Picture and session cleanup still need complete current-build verification. Leaving full-screen gameplay does not necessarily end the remote session. Check the unattended-stream options for warnings and automatic ending when nothing is showing the game.
Check sound and microphone choices
In Settings → Audio, choose an audio bitrate for the next stream and request Stereo, 5.1 or 7.1. CloudLink shows when membership or client capability limits the requested channel count. Actual playback also depends on the received format and connected output.
Turn on the microphone for voice chat when an input is available, then grant the requested permission. Using a headset microphone can change playback quality. Read the app’s headset guidance for your current route.