Once again, Google extends the ability to convert your Stadia controller another year

Many of us fondly remember Google’s Stadia platform; a cloud gaming service that Google unceremoniously shut down, leaving many with a perfectly good controller that was basically useless. Seeing this as wildly wasteful, Google did give us a tool to unlock the Stadia Controller’s Bluetooth capabilities, essentially turning it into a standard wireless gamepad. But there was a catch: it was only available for a limited time.

Originally, the ability to switch your Stadia Controller to Bluetooth mode was set to expire at the end of 2023. Then, in a move that surprised me a bit, Google extended the deadline to December 31st, 2024. And now, just as we were all mentally preparing to say goodbye to wireless Stadia Controller conversions for good, Google has thrown out another lifeline. That’s right; you have until December 31st, 2025 to unlock your Stadia Controller’s Bluetooth functionality.

Why the deadlines if Google just keeps giving out extensions? The service is simply a basic web app that handles the quick firmware re-write, so there’s no real overhead for Google to manage. They could put an arbitrary 5 year deadline on it and by that time, most people wouldn’t even be thinking about the conversion tool being turned off.

Regardless, the tool is here to stay for another year, so if you’ve not yet converted, just go do it. Head over to the Stadia Controller Bluetooth tool website and follow the simple instructions. It’s a quick and painless process, and once it’s done, you’ll be able to use your Stadia Controller with a wide range of devices, including phones, tablets, smart TVs and computers.

So if you have a Stadia Controller gathering dust in a drawer, now’s the time to get it out and give it a new lease on life. You at least have another year, but if Google does end up shutting down the tool this time next year and you – for whatever reason – didn’t take the 5 minutes to convert a perfectly good controller, you’ll be kicking yourself over it.