What actually gives the Flex its name, however, isn’t that strap, but the inclusion of various spacers of different sizes and materials that help the controller securely fit a wide variety of smartphones and phone cases. The spacers also help ensure the Gamevice Flex’s USB-C or Apple Lightning connector is positioned at the proper height to connect to an inserted smartphone, even while the device is still in a protective case, which often adds quite a bit of thickness around the connection port.
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Gamevice promises the Flex gamepad can be used alongside thousands of different smartphone cases, and specifically mentions brands like OtterBox, Urban Armor Gear, Casetify, as well as first-party case offerings from Apple and Samsung. That being said, if you’re using a folio-style case with a flap that covers the screen, you’ll still need to pop it off to use the Gamevice Flex. The controller also isn’t compatible with folding phones, like those from Samsung and Motorola.
The only thing not flexible about the Gamevice Flex is that you’ll need to choose between either the $100 USB-C version designed for Android devices, or the $110 MFi-certified Apple version made for iPhones with Lightning ports. Being able to swap the connector type as needed would be a neat trick, but the better solution is for Apple to finally adopt USB-C for all of its mobile devices.