What changes for players
The new Controllers screen brings device selection, guided mapping, calibration, saved profiles and live diagnostics into one place. Open it from Settings, pre-flight or the paused flight hub. You can configure an unfamiliar device without needing its model in a predefined list, provided it exposes usable input.
Detection happens at startup and when devices connect or disconnect. Names and connection states help you choose the right source. Received events, mappings and controller activation are separate steps: a device can be connected and still inactive, or visible without delivering any usable controls.
Choose a connection
| Connection | What must be available | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| USB gamepad or joystick | Data cable, phone USB-host support and OS-exposed input | Setup |
| Compatible RC transmitter | USB joystick/HID mode and usable channels | RadioMaster and RC radios |
| Bluetooth controller | Android pairing and exposed joystick/button/key events | Wireless setup |
| ExpressLRS Wi-Fi joystick | Compatible module/firmware and joystick protocol | Wi-Fi connection |
| Custom Wi-Fi device | An adapter implementing Drone Horizon's input protocol | Adapter interface |
| Keyboard-style device | Available key events that can be bound | Mapping steps |
“Universal” describes configurable input, not automatic decoding of every USB, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi product. Charging-only connections, storage devices, RF receivers and proprietary protocols may provide no accessible controller events. Some require adapters.
Map the controls you need
Assign throttle, yaw, pitch and roll, then bind arm/disarm, Take Off, reset, camera and menus. The wizard accepts available analog axes, buttons, triggers, hats and keyboard-style inputs. Manual mapping remains available for adjustments.
Analog-only radios can use touch for the remaining actions. Touch flight controls also remain available as an explicit input choice. A second controller cannot take over flight simply because someone moves its sticks.
Calibrate once, understand each mode
Calibration measures travel and neutral, including uneven endpoints. Inversion corrects direction; dead zones remove small drift; sensitivity and response curves adjust the response. A spring-centered gamepad and a ratcheted RC throttle need different centering choices.
Manual collective, assisted vertical control and signed 3D thrust do not share one blind throttle mapping. The flight-mode guide explains the safe position and meaning for every selectable mode.
Save and reconnect deliberately
Named profiles preserve mappings, calibration and response settings for a device identity. Rename, load, edit, reset or delete profiles from Controllers. Android descriptors are used when available; fallback identities can group identical hardware. USB and Bluetooth may use different profiles.
An active disconnect releases input, disarms and pauses flight. Reconnecting does not automatically resume it. Profile or input-semantics changes also require safe activation. See profiles and safe resume for the sequence.
Build availability
These guides cover the implementation built on 4 October 2026, version 0.7.71, build 91. A signed Android test build exists. Publication of this Universal Controller update to Google Play has not been confirmed; the website documentation is not a release announcement. Check the controls available in your installed version.
Automated checks passed: 79 synthetic controller cases, 13 controller coverage suites, 15 regression checks and 21 rendered layouts. They include all nine flight modes, profile persistence, disconnect safety, touch independence and local HTTP/UDP transport tests.
No phone, RadioMaster transmitter or Bluetooth controller was attached during this verification. Real USB launch prompts, pairing, model channel layouts and hardware reconnect behavior still need acceptance testing. No model is marked physically certified on that basis. The compatibility record retains those distinctions.