Most of us treat our smartphone's charging port as if its sole job is to keep the battery alive. But that little port is much more powerful than it's given credit for. Your phone can do a lot more than you expect if you know how to use it.
10. Flash drives and external hard drives
When your phone starts to struggle under the weight of thousands of photos, random downloads you don't remember saving, or large videos, sometimes the easiest fix is to plug in a flash drive or external hard drive and move the data to it. It's also incredibly handy when you want to quickly watch, read, or listen to something without having to bother with file transfers or cloud syncing. All you need is a USB OTG (On-The-Go) adapter—or, if your phone supports it, a USB-C flash drive.
External hard drives can be a little trickier. Most portable hard drives draw power directly from your phone, and unless you’re using something lightweight like the Samsung T7, your phone won’t have enough power to keep the drive spinning. In those cases, a self-powered drive (one that plugs into an outlet) is much more reliable. Additionally, a USB hub with a power supply can help bridge the gap if your drive doesn’t power directly.
9. Game controller
Mobile gaming is great fun, but touchscreen controls are rarely the best option. Thankfully, you can plug a game controller into your smartphone's charging port and instantly upgrade your experience. Whether it's an Xbox or PlayStation controller, all you need is the right USB cable for the controller and maybe an OTG adapter. You can also get a dedicated mobile controller that clips directly onto your phone.
8. Keyboard and mouse
If you want to turn your phone into a computer, connecting a keyboard and mouse can make tasks like writing, emailing, and light spreadsheets much more comfortable. With a USB-C or Lightning-to-USB OTG adapter, you can plug wired peripherals directly into your phone's charging port.
Most USB keyboards and mice are plug and play on both Android and iOS, so no additional drivers are required.
7. Ethernet cable
When Wi-Fi fails or is unavailable, you can plug in an Ethernet cable to give your smartphone a stable, high-speed wired Internet connection.
To use it, you'll need a USB-C-to-Ethernet adapter for most Android phones and newer iPhones. If you have an older iPhone, you'll need a Lightning-to-Ethernet adapter. Your phone will automatically detect the connection and prioritize it over any wireless connections.
6. Projector
Many modern smartphones can push video out of their USB-C ports using something called DisplayPort Alt Mode. In simple terms, this allows you to connect your phone to a projector using a USB-C to HDMI (or even USB-C to VGA) adapter. In most cases, your phone will automatically detect the connection and start projecting its screen.
5. DSLR Camera
If you like to shoot on the go, you can transfer photos and videos from your DSLR directly to your phone using a USB-C or Lightning-to-USB adapter. With a camera-compatible cable, this transfer option allows for quick editing and sharing without having to wait for the files to return to your computer. However, you’ll need to confirm that your camera is powered on and supports USB transfer mode.
Many Android phones recognize connected cameras immediately, while iPhones support importing photos via the Photos app.
4. Printer
There are plenty of times when the option to print directly from your phone can be useful. Maybe someone sends you a document via WhatsApp or email and your computer is out of reach or you don't want to transfer the file to your PC first.
Most smartphones can automatically recognize USB printers, provided you're using the correct adapter.
3. MIDI Controller or audio interface
If you're into music production, you'll be glad to know that your smartphone can handle the same rigging you'd normally reserve for your laptop or desktop. Plug the controller's USB cable into the OTG adapter, then plug the adapter into your phone's charging port.
From there, you can launch a compatible app like GarageBand , Walk Band , BandLab , or FL Studio and adjust the settings to make sure the app detects your controller. Some apps will automatically recognize the controller, while others may require manual MIDI mapping.
2. External microphone
Depending on what type of microphone you have, there are a few ways to connect it to your phone. The easiest option is to use a microphone designed specifically for the phone port. These days, you’ll find quite a few high-quality USB-C and Lightning microphones (e.g., Mini Mic Pro, HEHOTTC M2 Mic, GoorDik Lavalier Mic, etc.) that are truly plug-and-play. Simply connect the microphone to your phone’s charging port and it will automatically override the built-in microphone. Your phone will immediately start using the external microphone as its main input without any special apps required.
1. TV or monitor
Connecting your phone to a TV or monitor works much like connecting to a projector, as mentioned above. The important thing to note is that your phone must support DisplayPort Alt Mode for this feature to work.
If you're using a Samsung Galaxy device, you're in for a great upgrade: Samsung DeX . It turns your phone's interface into a desktop-style workspace.
Many people never thought they would leave Stock Android. But after just a week of using this launcher, they now find the original interface bland and restrictive.
Microsoft's new feature makes it easy to open shared files on Android anonymously without having to log in to your account.
Losing your phone is one of the most frustrating experiences you can have. While you may not be able to get your old device back, there are ways to recover your data.
Smartphones have replaced so many other devices. They are so versatile that you probably don't need any of the categories of devices they replace.
With auto click applications. You will not have to do much when playing games, using applications or tasks available on the device.
Notifications are great for staying informed, but they can quickly get out of hand. With so many alerts coming from different apps, checking the notification center can feel like wading through a sea of information.
Many people never expected the weakest camera on their phone to become a secret weapon for creative photography.
Maybe your Google Play payment card has expired, or you want to switch to a new bank. Here's how to remove a payment method from your Google Play account.
Sometimes, if there is a problem with this tool on your Android phone, uninstalling and reinstalling Google Play Store is one of the recommended solutions.
If you're an Android user, you're probably familiar with the term APK, but did you know there's also something called XAPK? This guide explains what XAPK files are and how you can install them on your device.
Deleted contacts on Android phones will be moved to the Google Contacts trash folder, from there you can restore deleted contacts according to the instructions below.
While most of us look for the best specs at the lowest price, it's important to remember that they aren't everything.
While Android 16 doesn't introduce any major changes, it does incorporate some important new security features that you should consider right away.
If you've ever used your phone's built-in compass and felt like something was wrong, then there's probably something wrong with it.
Android 16 has lock screen widgets for you to change the lock screen as you like, making the lock screen much more useful.
You can use iCloud Keychain or iCloud Keychain to save your passwords and easily access them on your iPhone. Here's how to recover deleted passwords on your iPhone.
The Phone app on iPhone when upgraded to iOS 18 has been updated with a call history search feature. Below are instructions for searching call history on iPhone.
The Wallet app on iOS 26 lets you store physical card information alongside your digital payment card. This feature lets you quickly access your account number, expiration date, and other information without having to carry your physical card.
You may have had an iPhone for years, but pairing it with a Mac completely changes the way you use it. There's a whole layer of functionality that only comes to light when the two devices work together.
The yellow battery color displayed on the iPhone screen is actually due to a new feature called Low Power Mode by Apple. This feature will not be automatically activated without the user's permission. If you accidentally allowed the mode to be activated while using it and now do not know how to turn off the yellow iPhone battery icon, please refer to the following instructions.
The Notes app on iOS 26 gets an update that lets you create 3D graphs from functions you enter without needing another app or doing too much work.
The Messages app on iPhone has a lot of fun and cool features, like the invisible ink effect that will hide your messages.
Many people never thought they would leave Stock Android. But after just a week of using this launcher, they now find the original interface bland and restrictive.
iOS 26 has added an option to enlarge the lock screen clock so that users can adjust it if needed. Below are instructions to enlarge the iPhone lock screen clock.
The Apple account web interface in your browser lets you view your personal information, change settings, manage subscriptions, and more. But sometimes you can't sign in for a variety of reasons.
When Find My becomes inaccurate or unreliable, apply a few tweaks to make it more accurate when it's needed most.
Microsoft's new feature makes it easy to open shared files on Android anonymously without having to log in to your account.
Losing your phone is one of the most frustrating experiences you can have. While you may not be able to get your old device back, there are ways to recover your data.
Smartphones have replaced so many other devices. They are so versatile that you probably don't need any of the categories of devices they replace.
With auto click applications. You will not have to do much when playing games, using applications or tasks available on the device.
