GamepadOS is free to download and free to start. To keep it that way without charging everyone, it uses a simple play-time model: you get some free minutes, you can earn more by watching an optional ad, and you can buy Lifetime to stop counting altogether. This guide explains every rule in one place, so there are no surprises. Everything here reflects how the app behaves in the current version.
Your first 30 minutes are free
Every install gets 30 minutes of free play, once, the first time you launch it. You do not need an account, a card or an email address. The minutes count only while you are playing with the controller connected, not while you are installing, pairing or browsing the layout list.
There is no daily allowance on top of that. The 30 minutes is a one-time starting balance, not something that refills each day. If you used the app before this rule existed, you also receive the one-time 30 minutes once.
Watching an ad adds 30 minutes
When your balance gets low, you can choose to watch a short rewarded video ad. Finishing it adds 30 more minutes. A few things are worth knowing:
- An ad appears only when you tap the watch button. It never plays on its own and never covers the controller.
- The button is offered only while you have less than an hour left. If you have an hour or more saved, the app tells you so.
- One ad adds the full 30 minutes, even if that takes your balance a little past an hour, so you can end up with up to about 89 minutes.
- You can watch another ad whenever your balance drops below an hour again.
The cap exists so that time cannot be banked without limit by watching ads in advance. If you want a long session, a Lifetime plan is the better route.
What an account changes
You can do all of the above signed out. Without an account, your remaining time is kept on your phone. An account is free, and it adds three things:
- Your play time and plan follow you to any phone you sign in on.
- Your layouts are backed up, so a lost or replaced phone does not lose them. See sharing and backing up layouts.
- You can buy or use a plan, which needs an account.
When you play signed in, the app tells our server when a session starts and ends, so your balance works across devices. That record holds times and seconds played, never which games you play and never controller input. More in the privacy guide.
Lifetime: unlimited play
Lifetime is the plan for people who play often. It removes the play-time limit, and Lifetime players do not see the watch-an-ad button at all. You can get it from your account page on this website. Because the plan is tied to your account, it works in the app wherever you installed it from.
The Google Play version of the app does not sell plans. There, the way to get more time is rewarded ads. If you want Lifetime, buy it on the website with the same account you use in the app.
Promo codes
If you were given a promo code, you can redeem it on the account page by signing in and entering it in the promo code box. A code can give you a plan, and your account records how you got it. Codes are checked by the server, so you need to be signed in to use one.
Common questions
Does setup time count?
No. Time counts while you are playing with the controller connected.
What happens when I run out?
The controller pauses and the app shows your options: watch an ad for 30 more minutes, or get Lifetime. Nothing is deleted. Your layouts and settings stay exactly as they are.
Can I carry time between phones?
If you are signed in, yes. Signed out, your balance lives on that phone only.
Why ads at all?
Running the account system, the website and downloads costs money, and GamepadOS is made by one person. Optional rewarded ads and the Lifetime plan pay for that, without forcing everyone to subscribe. You never have to watch an ad. The choice is always yours.
Is there a refund if I buy Lifetime?
The refund policy sets out the rules. Read it before buying if you are unsure.
Getting the most from your free time
- Do your pairing, calibration and layout editing before you start playing, since you want your minutes spent on games.
- Try each connection method early. Our comparison of Wi-Fi and USB helps you choose.
- Use your first session to test the games that matter most to you, to see whether the controller suits them.
If you are new, start with how to use your Android phone as a PC game controller, then follow the setup guide.
Try it yourself. GamepadOS is free to start: download the PC server and the Android app, scan the QR code and play. Stuck? The support center and contact form reach a real person.