Most smartphones support OTG technology, although many users are unaware of it. The OTG allows you to connect any USB device to your smartphone, just like a computer. OTG has great potential. Let’s talk a little about this magical function…
USB OTG- what is it and how does it work?
We are hearing more and more about this technology called USB OTG. Despite its very technical name, this concept is present on most smartphones and tablets. Don’t you know what it is? You are in the right place. We will explain everything to you.
If you’ve already walked into your device’s settings, you may have found an option to control the speed of the mouse or touchpad. But how and why does such an option exist on a smartphone? This is exactly the USB OTG function, which means On-The-Go.
USB OTG, what is it?
Today’s smartphones – under Android – are all designed with a USB Type-C micro USB or USB port. The main function is obviously to charge the device or transfer data to/from a PC / Mac. What you might not know, is that they can do much more through OTG.
In fact, you can turn your smartphone or tablet into a real docking station for other connected devices. In addition, it is also possible to connect external devices such as a USB key or hard drive. In other words, it acts as your computer’s USB port.
What is the interest of this technology?
Why should we connect a mouse or keyboard to our phone? Let’s take a concrete example. Journalists sometimes use their phones to record interviews and the built-in microphone is rarely used. You can then connect a more powerful USB microphone and have a more powerful recorder.
Still not convinced? Let’s change the example. You may be passionate about video games. You probably have a controller, but unfortunately, this type of accessory can only be used via USB ports… This is where the USB OTG comes to your rescue. You can immerse yourself in your favorite mobile games as if you were playing with a classic console. This is one of the best ways to have fun with emulated games.
Is my device OTG compatible?
It is rare that a device does not have USB On-The-Go technology in 2024. There are several options available to check if your phone is compatible:
- See the features on the original box or on the manufacturer’s website
- Do a simple Google search
- Do you install a typical application like OTG?
How does it work?
Once you are sure of the compatibility of your device, all you need is an adapter. Inexpensive, these accessories can be bought in supermarkets or on the Internet for a few euros. Just connect it to the micro-USB or USB Type-C port of your phone and connect whatever you want- mouse, keyboard, printer, joystick, etc.
How to enable OTG support in any Android phone without root?
Ok now if you are trying to find a way to enable OTG support on Android without root, make sure your device has hardware support.
- First, you need to know if your device is compatible with OTG support or not? For this application Download USB OTG Checker from the Play Store.
- After downloading it, launch the app. Here you can see the option “Check USB OTG support“. Click to open it.
- Now the process will begin to check the compatibility of the phone and the message “Check” will be displayed.
- After verifying it, the message “The device supports OTG support” will be displayed.
- Congratulations !!! if you can see the previous message, it means you can manually add OTG support in Android by running the process below.
Remember if your device supports OTG function however it has been disabled by the manufacturer, the file manager will not support OTG and therefore users think their phone does not support OTG functionality. It is not true if you want to enable OTG support on Android, you need to install “Es File Explorer” from the Play Store.
- First of all, download and install “ES File Explorer” and start it.
- Now connect the USB drive using an OTG cable in the charging port.
- Now you will receive a notification asking “Enable USB OTG support“.
- Now click on “YES” to enable it on Android.
- Now Es file explorer will show you the USB storage folder.
- All done!!! Now you can access all the files and folders that are stored on your pen drive.
5 ways to use OTG on Android
Keyboard and mouse
It looks like witchcraft, but it’s possible. Just use a USB dongle to connect with the keyboard and mouse, then you can use the device as if it were a simple computer. If you have to write a lot, this can save you a lot of money.
Audio card
For one reason or another, you may want to use a sound card other than the integrated one. You can find a portable one, connect it to your smartphone with an OTG cable and then connect the audio equipment to the gadget of the sound card thanks to the jack.
Gamepad
The touch screen isn’t always extremely accurate and this can be a problem with some games. If you are a gamer, you will be happy to know that you can connect a controller to your smartphone. Many games on Android allow the use of a gamepad.
Ethernet connection
If for some reason you don’t have a wireless connection near you, maybe the only possible solution is to use the Ethernet cable that you usually plug into your computer. Fortunately, you can use OTG to use it on your smartphone. You will need two devices- an OTG cable and a USB-Ethernet adapter. You just have to connect it.
Print files
With Google Cloud Print, you can print easily without using a cable. Unfortunately, some configuration problems sometimes prevent you from reaching your goals. Don’t worry, you can speed up this process by connecting your smartphone directly to the printer with the OTG cable.
What if your Android phone doesn’t support USB OTG?
Even though most Android phones support USB OTG, your Android device is likely not working. And since the capacity of the USB OTG function depends on various factors (for example, the Android / Kernel version, the availability of USB OTG hardware support drivers), the procedure for obtaining the USB OTG on incompatible devices is different for various devices (also different variants of the same device).
Having said that, in any case, you will first have to root your Android phone (using apps like Kingo Root). After that, you can use applications like USB OTG Helper and StickMount to access devices connected via USB OTG (Note that these applications only work for USB flash drives).
