Google might finally be giving Android gamers what they’ve been asking for.
According to Android Authority, new findings spotted in Google’s latest Android Canary builds, Android 17 is shaping up to be a major update for anyone who prefers a real controller over touchscreen swipes, with native button remapping even the new virtual gamepad system reportedly in the works.
The most significant upgrade is native controller remapping, something Android has bizarrely lacked for years. Right now, Android handles controllers using predefined configuration files. The OS checks a controller’s vendor ID and product ID, then applies whatever default layout Google has on record.
That also means there’s no system-level button remapping at all. If a game doesn’t support its own remap tool, and most don’t, you’re stuck with whatever layout you get. Players have had to rely on hacky third-party tools that reroute button presses using ADB or the Accessibility API — methods that are inconsistent, laggy, and often break completely.
But hidden inside the latest code is a new system permission, android.permission.CONTROLLER_REMAPPING, and a feature flag directly tied to physical input devices. That strongly suggests Google is building remapping support right into the OS.
A new controller menu is also referenced inside the Settings app, hinting that Android 17 could introduce a dedicated hub to manage connected controllers, customise layouts, and tweak inputs, instead of relying on every developer to solve the problem on their own.
But the biggest surprise is a feature labelled “virtual gamepad.” This appears to be a full software-based controller that Android uses behind the scenes to intercept your original inputs and remap them to the game. The virtual pad supports the entire standard set — face buttons, triggers, joysticks, D-pad — and can inject simulated inputs back into the system.
In practice, this could do two things. First, it powers proper button remapping for physical controllers. Second, it could open the door for mapping touchscreen-only games to a real controller, a huge deal given how many Android titles still ship with no controller support at all.
It’s the same approach Google already uses on ChromeOS and Google Play Games on PC, but now baked directly into Android.
These changes matter because controller gaming on Android has quietly grown, whether through cloud gaming, Android-powered handhelds, or people simply wanting a better way to play on tablets.
And with Android increasingly spreading across laptops and hybrid devices, the lack of proper controller tools has started to show.
Android 17 is still months away, and Google may adjust or delay features, but even basic remapping would be a huge win. If Google adds a full controller manager and touch-mapping toolkit on top of that, it could completely transform the gaming experience on Android-powered devices.
For now, it looks like gamers finally have something big to look forward to.
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