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Emulator Issues #14001

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Android - two identical Bluetooth controllers indistinguishable due to matching firmware names

Emulator Issues #14001: Android - two identical Bluetooth controllers indistinguishable due to matching firmware names

Added by caryboe 2 months ago. Updated 2 months ago.

Status:
New
Priority:
Normal
Assignee:
-
% Done:

0%

Operating system:
Android
Issue type:
Bug
Milestone:
Regression:
No
Relates to usability:
No
Relates to performance:
No
Easy:
No
Relates to maintainability:
No
Regression start:
Fixed in:

Description

Game Name?

N/A - Issue affects controller configuration globally, not a specific game

Game ID? (right click the game in the game list, Properties, Info tab)

N/A

MD5 Hash? (right click the game in the game list, Properties, Verify tab, Verify Integrity button)

N/A

What's the problem? Describe what went wrong.

When two Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers are connected simultaneously via Bluetooth on Android, Dolphin only shows a single device entry — Android/1/Nintendo Switch Pro Controller — in the device dropdown for both GameCube Controller Port 1 and Port 2. Because both controllers broadcast identical firmware names, Dolphin cannot distinguish between them and treats both as the same device. Whichever controller connects second has its inputs mishandled, with buttons being interpreted as navigation/back commands rather than gamepad inputs.

What steps will reproduce the problem?

  1. Pair two Nintendo Switch Pro Controllers to an Android device via Bluetooth
  2. Open Dolphin → GameCube Input → tap the settings gear for Controller Port 1
  3. Tap the Device dropdown — only one entry appears for both controllers: Android/1/Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
  4. Repeat for Controller Port 2 — identical single entry
  5. Connect both controllers and test — whichever connects second behaves erratically, with buttons triggering navigation actions instead of mapped inputs

Is the issue present in the latest development version? For future reference, please also write down the version number of the latest development version.

Unknown

Is the issue present in the latest release? For future reference, please also write down the version number of the latest release.

Yes, 2603

If the issue isn't present in the latest release, which is the first broken version? (You can find the first broken version by bisecting. Windows users can use the tool https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-green-notice-development-thread-unofficial-dolphin-bisection-tool-for-finding-broken-builds and anyone who is building Dolphin on their own can use git bisect.)

N/A

If your issue is a graphical issue, please attach screenshots and record a three frame fifolog of the issue if possible. Screenshots showing what it is supposed to look like from either console or older builds of Dolphin will help too. For more information on how to use the fifoplayer, please check here: https://wiki.dolphin-emu.org/index.php?title=FifoPlayer

[Attach any fifologs if possible, write a description of fifologs and screenshots here to assist people unfamiliar with the game.]

N/A - This is a controller input issue
What are your PC specifications? (CPU, GPU, Operating System, more)

Device: Lenovo Y700 Gen 4 tablet
CPU: Snapdragon 8 Elite
RAM: 12GB
Operating System: Android 15

Is there anything else that can help developers narrow down the issue? (e.g. logs, screenshots,
configuration files, savefiles, savestates)

Tested with a gamepad testing app — Android itself correctly identifies both controllers as separate gamepad devices and all buttons register correctly on both. The issue is specific to Dolphin's Android input layer, which merges both controllers into a single device entry due to identical names. The PC version of Dolphin differentiates identical controllers via their Bluetooth MAC address — requesting the same capability be extended to the Android version. Connection order workaround exists but is not a proper fix — whichever controller connects first works correctly, the second does not.

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