GoPhones with USB-OTG Support

Hello @MikeRivers!

Thanks for joining the Forums! I know how important it is to know which phones are compatible with different types of USB cords! It would be a pleasure to help you out!

I did some research, and it doesn’t appear we list phones which are compatible with USB-OTG (On the go). The best way to tell is by connecting a USB-OTG cord and see if it will connect properly. You may also be able to find an app within the Google PlayStore which will let you know if your device is OTG capable.

Thanks again for reaching out! Have a wonderful rest of your week!

Michelle, AT&T Community Specialist

Thank you for trying, Michelle, but BZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!

I did some research, and it doesn’t appear we list phones which are compatible with USB-OTG (On the go).

I did quite a bit of research myself, and it was because you don't appear to list phones which are compatible with USB-OTG that I asked the question. But don't feel singled out. Practically no carrier, or even phone manufacturer, mentions this capability.

The best way to tell is by connecting a USB-OTG cord and see if it will connect properly. You may also be able to find an app within the Google PlayStore which will let you know if your device is OTG capable.

Have you ever been to an AT&T store? Or even a Best Buy store? You can't connect anything to the USB port of any phone that they have on display because the alarm system is plugged into it and they won't disconnect it. I've asked. At two different stores. I have a USB-OTG-test app, which is how I confirmed that my present phone, an AT&T Radiant, doesn't support OTG. Phones on display are blocked (understandably) from downloading apps, so I can't test one that way either.

Short story - the only way I can determine whether a phone supports OTG is to buy it first. This is the problem. If I could find a store, or a store manager near me (ZIP 22044), who would work with me, I'd be happy to check out the available phones, and maybe even teach them a thing or two. But since AT&T charges a restocking fee when returning a phone, and Best Buy will probably throw me out of the store if I buy and return another one - I've tried two from there already - I really can't be buying phones, testing them, and returning them.

Can you be of assistance with this? I realize that mine isn't a common question, and it's not inconceivable that the store personnel don't have an answer, but it's hard to accept that nobody within the organization knows, or will make the effort to determine, which phones support OTG. A discouraging but acceptable answer would be "No Go Phone supports OTG, because that's how we specified it to our suppliers." Sadly, I believe this is the answer, but I would like to know if I have any options.

Hi there @MikeRivers!

I appreciate your prompt response regarding this matter. In the case our devices do not list the USB-OTG compatibility, the next best way to determine compatibility would be through the manufacturer of your chosen or preferred cable. Most accessory sites offer support through chat or phone. This way you may get additional details on what your USB-OTG is supported by.

Thanks again for reaching out to us on the Community Forums!

Michelle, AT&T Community Specialist

In the case our devices do not list the USB-OTG compatibility, the next best way to determine compatibility would be through the manufacturer of your chosen or preferred cable. Most accessory sites offer support through chat or phone. This way you may get additional details on what your USB-OTG is supported by.

Sigh . . .  yet one more answer from someone who can't answer my question.

Why can't I go into a store that sells phones, like the AT&T store and say: "This is what I want the phone to do. Which one should I buy?" and get a valid answer? Usually it's like "Oh, all you need is a cable." They don't understand that a cable isn't all you need. The phone must have OTG support software installed (most do) and enabled (most Go Phones, it seems, don't).

As I understand your suggestion, I must first determine the manufacturer and model number of each phone that you sell, then call or e-mail the manufacturer and ask "Does your Model XYZ123 support OTG?"  Actually, I've done quite a bit of that, and the usual answer is along the line of "Ask your carrier. We don't provide this information." I've had fairly good success finding phones with OTG support that aren't official AT&T Go Phones, but then I'm faced with another problem of determining to what extent do those phones support the AT&T network, or rather, that portion that Go Phone accounts have access to. And of course they don't know that, they tell me to ask AT&T - who tell me they don't have support for that model.

I hate to keep going around on this, but the Go Phone plan suits me perfectly. I've been on the program with AT&T since before it was named Go Phone, since 2001, actually. I just want to upgrade my phone hardware, not buy into a monthly plan that costs more than I'm paying now and offers more more air and data time than I can possibly use. Why is this so hard?

Great to hear from you again @MikeRivers,

I do understand the information is extremely useful, however there is not currently a list put together with all GoPhone devices which are capable of USB-OTG hosting. I completed some research, and there are quite a few newer phones which are capable, including the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the LG G4.

You can check out phonearena.com, and search any make and model of your choosing. Scroll down to locate the “Connectivity” header. If you see USB host listed, the phone is capable of utilizing USB-OTG. The SIM card is what makes your device a GoPhone, so you can insert your SIM card into any device and still get the service you’re used to.

I hope this information helps out. Have a good one!

Michelle, AT&T Community Specialist

I completed some research, and there are quite a few newer phones which are capable, including the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the LG G4.

 

You can check out phonearena.com, and search any make and model of your choosing. Scroll down to locate the “Connectivity” header. If you see USB host listed, the phone is capable of utilizing USB-OTG. The SIM card is what makes your device a GoPhone, so you can insert your SIM card into any device and still get the service you’re used to.

Good info on phonearea.com. Thanks. I've visited there before but didn't know what search term to use to find phones with OTG support. The Galaxy S5 and LG G4 are $500+ phones. That's easy. I was hoping for a less expensive option. Glimmerman76 seconds your motion:

Long story short you cant get a cheap gophone to get this feature.  It will have to be a flagship phone.  But you still can buy older phones that will do it.  A s6 can be had for a good price these days.

OTG seems like such a useful feature that it seems odd to me that it's only offered on "flagship" phones. But I'll concede that it's of no value to someone who uses his or her phone for nothing more than texting, social media, and watching TV.

But who do you trust when buying a used phone, other than your neighbor? There are some very accurate-looking counterfiet Galaxy phones on the market these days.

The reason I asked about the network compatability is that I found a phone in my price range that supports OTG, but in one set of published specs for it, there was a check mark for AT&T 3G and an asterisk for AT&T 4G which, in the footnote, said something like "may not be fully compatible." I wish I could find it again. A Blu, I think, which a Blu rep told me supported OTG. It's one that I can buy from a local retailer, which makes it easy to return if it doesn't suit my needs.

you can check is you phone compitable with usb otg cable from here : https://m.gsmarena.com or

download usb otg checker from here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.app.usbotgchecker&hl=en

maybe this could help:

https://pricebaba.com/mobile/pricelist/phones-with-otg-support-in-india

or

https://www.symlis.com/blog/2015/1/12/list-of-otg-supported-devices

or

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/31/amazonbasics/B00EOONL36.01._V311726434_.pdf

or comment the name of the phone on this article, they will help: http://technobite.in/top-10-uses-of-usb-otg-cable.html

Well, since I started this discussion, I found a cheap ($140) phone that supports USB audio, a BLU Vivo XL. It actually worked pretty well with both a USB microphone and an outboard USB audio interface. Unfortunately, as a piece of hardware, it isn't working out so well. It went back once (under warranty, of cousre) because the battery stopped charging. The battery, charger, and cable were fine, the problem was with a circuit board, the on with the USB-C connector on it. Apparently that was a weak spot, because in the BLU forum, I found several people who mentioned that they replaced that part and got their phone working again. Then it started to try to reboot at random, but never got to loading the operating system, and started the cycle again. Nothing would stop it but removing the battery. It's gone back again and hopefully they'll send me a new one that isn't haunted. Although this BLU Vivo XL is nicer in many respects than the ZTE 740 Radiant (which I'm back to using while the BLU is off to the shop again) it doesn't feel like it's going to last as long as the ZTE has. I guess that even us cheapskates in the prepaid corner of the market are expected to replace our phones every year or two now.

Incidentally, BLU told me that they've dropped OTG support in their 2017 models. The Vivo XL is a 2016 model, one of the last of that breed. Other manufacturers have told me the same. I think Samsung is hanging in there since they put a lot of money into developing Samsung Professional Audio (something I haven't heard boo about in more than a year), but OTG audio isn't supported in any of their low cost phones like the J3 that's in the AT&T GoPhone roster.

After playing with the feature for a while, I've decided that it's more trouble than it's worth. I have better handheld digital recorders here, but it was something that I wanted to try.

This is an important feature and AT&T needs to be honest and allow an affordable USB OTG phone to have this feature.