USB OTG: How to use USB devices on your Android

In the 2000s, USB became the plug standard for all of our computer peripherals. Thus, an evolution of almost 20 years of existence, USB has seen the format evolve through variations such as micro-USB, nano-USB, and the latest USB Type-. C, a large number of formats that interfere with the original universality of the socket.

USB On-The-Go is an extension of the USB 2.0 standard that provides improvements in the management of your USB connections. Thanks to On-The-Go, two terminals can exchange data without having to go through a computer. OTG provides you as a host with functionality not allowed by all terminals. If the latter supports it, great freedom opens up for you in the use of peripherals from your Android smartphone or tablet.

This standard is not specific to the Android system, but is most commonly used on this platform. Microsoft is expected to include it in Windows Phone 10 as Apple has, this doesn’t seem relevant. A bug that would definitely add a point in favor of Android.

Check compatibility

First of all, it is indicated check beforehand if your smartphone or tablet is compatible With USB OTG. The easiest way is to check if the abbreviation is on your device box. You can also go to the official website of the manufacturer of your device. Here’s the logo you need to see, also check out the list of specs.

It is called one of the alternatives that gives you access to all the technical sheets of your terminals. gsmarena.com. Check the USB header and see if it says “USB Host”, if yes, everything is fine with you, USB OTG will work. From there, it is necessary to tackle the problem arising from the differences between the formats. To do this is simple, you will need to get a micro USB male to USB female adapter.

If this male/female differentiation is to end with the development of Type-C, the classic format remains largely in the majority for now. One of the best known is the UGreen OTG Adapter. By combining these two parameters, we nowuse USB devices on our smartphones and tablets.

5 possible uses

Many uses are open to you as soon as you are set up on your Android smartphone or tablet. If you’re having a little trouble understanding the range of possibilities, check out the Internet, which can blow you some very practical ideas. Here we give you an overview of the scope of USB OTG capability, showing you 5 very easy and practical jobs highlighting USB OTG.

External hard drives and USB sticks

Perhaps the most interesting and, above all, the most practical alternative to USB/Micro-USB end USB keys. connect your device to the adapter attached to your smartphone To perform your desired content transfers.

Regarding external hard drives, some of them tend to drain the battery of the Android terminal, it will not work every time, but the mains connected ones will work without problems. These drives must be in FAT32 format, NTFS may cause some malfunctions.

Play with a console controller

One of the fun aspects of this On-The-Go function will delight fans. shovel. We devoted a tutorial to this topic, Using console controller on Android device Checking out your favorite games is a possibility, provided you choose the games that can be checked. Again, simply plug the controller into an adapter.

Games like Modern Combat 5, Asphalt 8 are compatible games. The most famous controller at this level is the Xbox 360 and there is a tutorial explaining how to set it up here, but some smart people recommend the Dual Shock 2 for PlayStation 2 just to give it a little more retro gaming side.

If you have a rooted Android device, you can also connect Dual Shock 3 or even 4. The Wiimote is also a possibility.

Control your Android with keyboard and mouse

Thanks to the openness of the Android platform, almost endless freedom to fine-tune can be achieved. Therefore, it is possible for youuse your tablet as a laptopA lower cost hybrid computer by connecting a wireless keyboard and mouse. It would be preferable to have peripherals managed by a single infrared sensor as you will have only one USB socket for this.

Connecting a Hub can also represent an overload for the connection, as this multi-socket solution for USB. If you try the experiment, make sure you connect to each other. same brand equipment and does not require installing special software such as SetPoint for certain Logitech devices.

Attention, if the keyboard appears in qwerty, you can replace it with the External Keyboard Assistant Pro application cost 2.49 €.

Print from your smartphone

Again, we have presented some techniques to easily print from your smartphone. Finally, this would be the simplest. Just like keyboards, USB Plug and Play printers will work seamlessly with your tablets and smartphones. No need for internet connection and less switching via PC.

If Mass Storage doesn’t always seem to work properly, varies by device. If you want to print your photos and documents, you will need to switch to PTP (Photo to Photo) mode on your USB connection.

Control your DSLR

A good spot for amateur or professional photographers. To use your smartphone/tablet’s touchscreen, Reflex can be connected to your camera. Android as preview window and live settings. Capture, focus, shutter speed and many other settings are easily accessible. A really creative use.

To take advantage of this possibility you need to download the DSLR Controller app and preferably have a Canon brand device as some Nikon and Sony compatible but none officially supported. The application represents a certain cost (€7.13), so be sure to learn more about it on the official website.

Solution

Did you know how to start using USB devices on your Android smartphone with USB On-The-Go? What implementations of the standard do you usually do and which would you like to share with us?