GoKawiilHadlee Simons / Android Authority
TL;DR Samsung’s One UI 8 software has a frustrating bug when using a wireless controller in DeX Mode.
The gamepad’s analog sticks stop working in this mode when the connected phone’s screen shuts off.
Thankfully, the One UI 8.5 update fixes this issue.
Samsung debuted an overhauled DeX Mode in One UI 8 last year, built in partnership with Google. The rebuilt mode missed out on a few features, but we also discovered a significant gaming bug that’s now been fixed in One UI 8.5.
My Xbox One controller’s analog sticks stopped working whenever my connected phone’s screen shut off in DeX Mode. The face buttons, start button, and select key still worked, but this made for a frustrating big-screen gaming experience. It’s worth noting that my keyboard and mouse still worked fine, but a gamepad is ideal for gaming on the couch or if you simply prefer a controller.
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It turns out I wasn’t alone with this issue. Several Galaxy owners reported the issue on Reddit (1, 2, 3) over the past eight months or so. One of the most notable workarounds was to enable developer options and toggle the Stay awake feature. This toggle stops the screen from sleeping while charging, but you might want to reduce the display brightness to prevent screen burn-in. Another workaround was to install an app like BleKip that kept your screen alive. Nevertheless, these aren’t exactly proper solutions to the problem.
Thankfully, we can confirm that the bug seems to be fixed in One UI 8.5. We specifically downloaded One UI 8.5 and the May 2026 security patch, and found that the controller worked just fine for emulation. That’s great news if you’ve got a recent phone now receiving the update. However, this might be a problem for older Galaxy phones that are either stuck on One UI 8 or are only slated to get One UI 8.5 much later.
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