What Is USB OTG? 5 Cool Ways to Use It on Android

Frank.com

USB drives are convenient, but you can’t use one with your phone. Well, unless you have an Android phone and know what USB OTG is.[br][br]USB On-The-Go (OTG) is a standardized specification that allows a device to read data from a USB device without requiring a PC. The device basically becomes a USB host, which isn’t an ability every gadget has.[br][br]You can do a lot with this, For example, you might connect a USB flash drive to your phone.[br][img src="/storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Screenshot/Screenshot_20190408-075131.png"][br][a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/how-to-connect-a-game-controller-to-android-for-console-like-gameplay-si/"]USB OTG is not an Android-specific feature. But since that’s its most popular use, we’ll focus on using it with Android[/a].[br]The easiest way to check if your phone or tablet supports USB OTG is to look at the box it came in, or the manufacturer’s website. You’ll see a logo like the one above, or USB OTG listed in the specifications.[br][br]Another easy method is to use a USB OTG checker app. There are plenty of such free apps on the Google Play Store, but some are loaded with ads. [a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kjarvel.easyotgchecker"]Easy OTG Checker[/a] is a reliable app for this. Download and run it, and you’ll know if your phone supports USB OTG.[br][br]Not every Android device supports USB OTG; it’s something the manufacturer has to enable. If you find out your phone isn’t compatible when you use USB OTG Checker, this unfortunately won’t work for you.[br][br][img src="/storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Screenshot/Screenshot_20190408-075416.png"][br][br]1. Connect Flash Drives and External Hard Drives[br][br][br]Unsurprisingly, external storage is at the top of this list. Just plug a drive in and you’ll be ready to go. You can then transfer all kinds of files.[br][br]Flash drives are the easiest to connect; external hard drives may or may not work. Portable hard drives that draw power from the phone won’t always work, but external drives with their own power source should work just fine.[br][br]You’ll need these drives to be in FAT32 format, as NTFS doesn’t work properly with Android. For more, we have a full guide on [br][br][img src="/storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Screenshot/Screenshot_20190408-075652.png"][br][br]2. Play With Video Game Controllers[br][br]Android Pie and newer natively support the Xbox One controller. But the older Xbox 360 controller also works with Android devices via USB OTG. It’s as simple as plug-and-play to start gaming with a controller. Of course, you need to play games that compatible with a controller.[br][br]If you have [a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/free-manual-take-control-the-android-rooting-guide/"]rooted your Android device[/a], you can also connect PlayStation controllers. With this, you could connect a PS2 controller [a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/easily-turn-android-device-retro-gaming-hub/"]urn your Android device into a retro gamin[/a][br][a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/easily-turn-android-device-retro-gaming-hub/"][img src="/storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Screenshot/Screenshot_20190408-075845.png"][/a][br][a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/easily-turn-android-device-retro-gaming-hub/"]g [/a][br]3. Control Android With Keyboard and Mouse[br][br]Android’s open nature makes it easy to connect just about anything. If you want to [a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/can-use-tablet-laptop-essential-apps-gear/"]use your tablet as a laptop[/a], a keyboard and mouse is integral to the experience. You’ll be happy to know that Android works well with most wireless and wired keyboards and mice[br][img src="/storage/emulated/0/Pictures/Screenshot/Screenshot_20190408-080033.png"][br][br]4. Print Directly From a Printer[br][br]Much like keyboards, printers with a standard plug-and-play USB work well with Android devices. These let you start printing without requiring a wireless connection or having to transfer anything to a PC first.[br][br]Android hasn’t supported USB Mass Storage mode for some time. Thus, if you want to print photos and documents, you’ll need to use the PTP or MTP modes for your USB connection.[br][br]Of course, it’s easier if your printer has Wi-Fi support. If it doesn’t, it might be time to upgrade to one of the [a href="https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-budget-printers-home-offices/"]best[/a][br][br] [br]5. Control Your DSLR Camera[br][br]Photographers will love this one. You can wire your Android device up to your DSLR camera and turn it into a giant live screen, complete with the ability to capture, focus, control shutter speed, and much more. It’s one of the most [br][br][br][br][br]

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