If you’ve ever jumped into a quick Apex Legends match on your phone during your commute, then wondered if you can squad up with your friend who’s playing on their PS5 at home, you’ve probably asked is apex legends cross platform with mobile. For years, players have pushed for unified crossplay across all Apex Legends versions, and the current setup has a few key details you need to know before you try to queue with friends on different devices. I’ve tested crossplay across every supported Apex platform over the past year, so I’ll break down exactly what works, what doesn’t, and how to avoid common frustrations when playing across devices.
How Does Apex Legends Cross Platform With Mobile Work?
First, it’s important to distinguish between the two official mobile Apex offerings available right now. The older standalone Apex Legends Mobile, which launched in 2022, was a separate build with exclusive content and no crossplay with PC or console versions, and it was sunset in May 2023. The new in-development Apex Legends mobile build, set to roll out widely in select regions first, is built to sync with the core Apex ecosystem, so crossplay functionality is baked in from the start.
For the currently supported global versions, crossplay between mobile and PC/console is only available if you’re playing the cloud streaming version of Apex Legends on your mobile device, not the standalone native mobile app. Cloud streaming lets you run the exact same build of Apex that’s available on PC or console right on your phone via an internet connection, so you’re playing the same lobbies as players on other devices.
That means if you’re using a cloud gaming service to play Apex on your phone, you can squad up with anyone playing on PC, PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch, as long as you have crossplay enabled in your settings. If you’re playing the standalone native mobile build (when it launches fully), crossplay will be limited to other mobile players at first, per Respawn’s official development updates.
Key Restrictions For Crossplay Between Apex Mobile And Other Platforms
Even when crossplay works between your mobile device and other platforms, there are a few hard limits you can’t work around, no matter what settings you adjust. I ran into most of these myself when testing cloud play on my Android phone last month, so you can save yourself the hassle of troubleshooting by keeping these in mind:
- Input-based matchmaking is enabled by default: If you’re playing on mobile with touch controls, you’ll only be matched with other touch input players, even if you’re in a crossplay lobby. If you connect a controller to your phone, you’ll be placed in lobbies with controller users on PC and console.
- Progression doesn’t sync across standalone mobile and core Apex versions: Your skins, rank, and unlocks on the native mobile Apex build won’t carry over to your PC/console account, and vice versa. Cloud play uses your existing core Apex account, so progression syncs perfectly there.
- Regional lock applies to most crossplay lobbies: If you’re playing on mobile in a different region than your friends on PC/console, you won’t be able to join the same lobby unless all of you change your server location to match.
- Custom lobbies have separate crossplay rules: If you’re hosting a custom lobby, you have to manually enable cross-platform play for mobile users in the lobby settings before anyone can join from a phone.
You might also notice slightly longer queue times when playing crossplay from mobile, especially if you’re using touch controls. That’s because the pool of touch input crossplay players is smaller than the controller or keyboard and mouse pools, so it takes longer to fill a balanced lobby. It’s a small tradeoff for being able to play with your friends no matter what device they’re on, in my experience.
Step-by-Step To Enable Crossplay For Apex On Mobile
If you’re using a cloud gaming service to play the core version of Apex Legends on your phone, enabling crossplay only takes a few seconds, and the process is the same across all cloud platforms. I’ve done this dozens of times on both iOS and Android devices, so these steps work for both operating systems.
First, launch Apex Legends via your cloud gaming app of choice, and sign into your EA account that’s linked to your platform profile (PlayStation Network, Xbox Live, Steam, etc.). Once you’re on the main lobby screen, tap the gear icon in the bottom right corner to open your settings menu.
Navigate to the Gameplay tab in the settings menu, and scroll down until you see the Cross Platform Play option. Toggle it to On, if it’s not already enabled by default. You can also toggle Cross Platform Friends to On if you want to be able to add friends from other platforms directly through your in-game friends list.
Once you’ve saved those settings, you can exit the menu and go back to the lobby. You’ll now be able to see friends from all supported platforms on your friends list, and you can send them squad invites or join their lobbies just like you would if you were playing on the same device. If you don’t see your friend’s name pop up, make sure they also have crossplay enabled on their end, and that you’re both on the same server region.
If you’re playing the native standalone mobile build, crossplay options will be grayed out until Respawn rolls out full crossplay support for that version, which is expected to happen a few months after the full global launch. You’ll get an in-game notification when that feature goes live for your account.
Pros And Cons Of Playing Apex Cross Platform With Mobile
Playing Apex on mobile with crossplay enabled is a game-changer for a lot of people, but it’s not the right fit for every player. I switch between mobile cloud play and PC play regularly, so I’ve got a clear sense of where it shines and where it falls short.
The biggest upside by far is flexibility. If you’re traveling, stuck waiting for an appointment, or just don’t want to sit at your desk, you can still jump into a match with your regular squad without missing out on ranked progress or weekly challenge rewards. Cloud play crossplay also lets you keep all your existing skins and unlocks, so you don’t have to start from scratch on a separate mobile account like you did with the old standalone Apex Mobile.
There are downsides too, though. Even with a fast 5G connection, you’ll probably notice a small amount of input lag when playing on mobile, which can put you at a disadvantage against players using a keyboard and mouse on a wired PC connection. Touch controls are also far less precise than controller or keyboard inputs, so you’ll likely have a lower win rate when playing on mobile against non-touch players, even with input-based matchmaking.
Battery drain is another big issue. I’ve found that playing Apex via cloud streaming uses up almost 30% of my phone’s battery per hour, even with the screen brightness turned down low. If you’re planning to play for more than an hour at a time, you’ll want to have a portable charger handy, or play while your phone is plugged in.
So crossplay from mobile is best for casual matches with friends, or for grinding out daily challenges when you don’t have access to your main gaming device. If you’re trying to climb to Predator rank, you’re still better off playing on your main PC or console setup for the best performance.
At the end of the day, the answer to is apex legends cross platform with mobile depends entirely on which version of the game you’re playing. Cloud streaming versions of the core Apex Legends build support full crossplay with all PC and console platforms, while the standalone native mobile build will only support crossplay with other mobile users at launch. As long as you know the restrictions and adjust your expectations for performance on mobile, you can easily squad up with your friends no matter what device they’re using, whether you’re at home or on the go.