How To Use Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons To Control Your Phone's Camera

It's always convenient when the many portable devices we use on a daily basis interact with and complement each other. Fitness apps on a smartphone and a smart watch, for instance, are just one very logical and natural pairing. More outlandishly, though, the Nintendo Switch's small but mighty Joy-Con controller can serve as a controller for something else: your smartphone's camera.

If you've ever tried to finagle your camera's timer feature, and then dash into a group shot to inevitably questionable results, you're sure to appreciate this rather obscure functionality of the Joy-Con. Here's how it works.

Bluetooth audio, for the purposes of connecting headphones, was added to the Nintendo Switch in September 2021. Some months prior to that, though, a Reddit user by the name of Byotan was showing off the Bluetooth functionality that the system already had. It's rather more niche, but impressive nonetheless.

In Byotan's provided clip, a single Joy-Con is used (via the "A" button) to activate the shutter of the camera of an Android phone, which is on a stand a short distance away. It's quick and easy to set this up for yourself, too.

Here's how to set your Joy-Cons up for some Android remote photography:

1. Open your Android smartphone's Bluetooth settings.

2. Press the Sync button on your Joy-Con (it's the small circular button in between the SL and SR buttons). The indicator will swiftly run between the player one to player four positions and repeat, indicating that the Joy-Con is searching for a Bluetooth device to pair to.

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3. On your smartphone, either Joy-Con R or Joy-Con L (depending on whether you're working with a right or left Joy-Con) should appear in the Available Devices list. Tap it, and your Android will begin to pair with the Joy-Con automatically. If connecting both Joy-Con, repeat this process again for the second.

4. Open up your smartphone's camera.

With the connection set up like this, pressing up on the D-Pad (left Joy-Con) or the A or B buttons (right Joy-Con) will take a photograph on a Samsung Galaxy smartphone, while down on the D-Pad (left Joy-Con) or the X button (right Joy-Con) will close the camera app. 

This functionality will differ depending on the device you're using (A on the right Joy-Con will take a photo on a Pixel), and the easiest way to make use of it is to configure photo settings to your preferences using the app as usual first — then experimenting with the Joy-Con buttons afterwards. With the likes of their movement-tracking capacities too, the Joy-Cons are very capable little controllers.