Put simply, USB OTG (short for On-The-Go) enables an Android device to act as a “USB host”, enabling it to power and control other USB peripherals such as keyboards/mice, game controllers, and much more. There are many ways in which you can use USB OTG to enhance the functionality of your Android phone. But before even doing that, how do you find out whether your Android phone supports USB OTG in the first place? If you haven’t guessed it by now, that’s what we’re here to help you with. So without further ado, here’s a lowdown on how to check USB OTG support for your Android phone.
How to check USB OTG support for your Android phone?
You can use Easy OTG Checker, a simple app to check whether your phone supports USB OTG or not. Here’s how: Step 1: Install and fire up Easy OTG Checker, and connect a USB OTG device (e.g. SanDisk Ultra USB OTG) to the phone. Now, tap the “question mark” button.
Step 2: Easy OTG Checker will take a few seconds to check your Android phone’s USB OTG compatibility, and then display the result. Apart from that, the app also displays system information such as the device’s make/model, and Android version. Here’s the result, as displayed on a USB OTG supported Android device:
And here’s the result, as shown on a non USB OTG compatible device:
That’s all there’s to it. Can’t get any simpler than that, right?
Other noteworthy points:
If your Android phone’s retail box has the USB OTG logo (see below), it supports USB OTG.
Another simple method to check your Android phone’s USB OTG compatibility is to connect a USB OTG device to it. If the same is detected and you get a notification/confirmation prompt on the device, your Android phone supports USB OTG.
What to do if your Android phone doesn’t support USB OTG?
Even though majority of the newer Android phones support USB OTG out of the box, there are chances that your Android device doesn’t. And since USB OTG capability depends on various factors (e.g. Android/Kernel version, availability of USB OTG drivers, hardware support), the procedure to get USB OTG working on non-compatible devices differs based on different devices (and even different variants of the same device). That said, in all cases, you’ll need to Root your Android phone (using applications such as Kingo Android Root) first. After that, you can use apps like USB OTG Helper and StickMount to access devices connected via USB OTG (Do note that these apps only work for USB Flash Drives). SEE ALSO: 15 Best Apps for Rooted Android Devices
List of Smartphones and Tablets that support OTG
Note: The list might not have some of the latest smartphones that support OTG. Please use above mentioned methods to verify or check manufacturers website before buying.
Use USB OTG to get more from your Android device
Needless to say, the extra functionality afforded to Android smartphone(s) with USB OTG goes a long way in maximizing their potential. And as seen above, checking whether your Android device is USB OTG compatible or not is easier than you think. So try it out, and let us know your findings in the comments below.
