When we talk about mobile phone accessories, many of us think about screen protectors, headphones, cases and even external batteries. But, for me, there is one little device much more important than all of them: a USB OTG adapter. Or, better yet, a pendrive with dual ports, a Type C to connect to the smartphone, and a USB 3-0 to connect to the PC.
He USB OTG (short for On The Go) is a technology that allows you to connect USB devices to your mobile, such as a pen drive, a keyboard, a mouse, a camera or even a printer. To do this, you only need a adapter that converts the port of your mobile (either micro USB or USB type C) into a standard USB port, although, as I just said, it is also very practical to use a dual port pendrive that has both USB type C and USB 3.0.
And what advantages does this have? Well, many. For example, if you choose connect a USB drive or external hard drive to your smartphone, you can make backup copies of your photos, videos, documents or contacts on a pendrive, without having to use a computer or a cloud. This way, you can free up space on your phone, or have an extra copy just in case. You can too expand your mobile storage, using the pendrive as an external memory. This way, you can carry more files, movies, music or games with you, without worrying about the internal space of your mobile. Additionally, you can access them from any other device with a USB port.
Another thing you can do with USB OTG is connect peripherals to your mobile, such as a keyboard or mouse. This can be very useful if you want to write more comfortably on your mobile, or if you want to use it as a mini computer by connecting it to a screen. You can also connect a camera or printer, and transfer photos or documents directly from your phone.
How do I use it?
At this point it is fair to say that, although the vast majority of smartphones you buy in 2024 are compatible with this technology, not all mobile phones can read external storage or use USB OTG to connect devices like the ones we have mentioned. To find out if yours is, you can do the following:
- Search in the etechnical specifications of your mobile if it has USB OTG or USB host function. You can consult an online manual for the equipment or look at the device box itself.
- try to connect a USB device to your mobile with the adapter or dual-port pendrive, and see if it recognizes it and works correctly.
- Download a free app like USB OTG Checker which will tell you if your mobile supports USB OTG based on the information it has about the mobile itself.
If you mobile supports USB OTG, I recommend that you get this accessory as soon as possible, and that you always carry it with you. Furthermore, if you choose to directly buy a pendrive that connects to the phone, you have all the capacities and prices in stores like Amazon that take up very little space.