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How to use the physical keyboard on an Android phone

 

How to use the physical keyboard on an Android phone

If you type a lot on your smartphone and are tired of the small on-screen keyboard, then here is the solution to this problem. You can connect a fully functional physical keyboard to your Android smartphone using our guide.


Wired keyboard

If you want to connect a wired keyboard because you don't want to spend money buying a new Bluetooth keyboard. You can do this with the USB OTG function, which is found in almost every Android smartphone these days. If your phone has a micro USB connector, then chances are your phone supports USB OTG function.


But if your phone has a USB Type C port, it is more likely that your phone supports this feature. Once you find out if your smartphone supports OTG, you should choose a suitable OTG micro USB / USB or OTG USB Type C / USB adapter. You can get these adapters pretty cheaply at any electronics store.


OTG USB Type C / USB adapter

When you have an OTG adapter, you just need to connect it to your phone and then connect your wired keyboard to it. You don't need to configure anything on the phone, the keyboard will work just like with a computer. The smartphone will disable the on-screen keyboard and you can use the physical keyboard in any browser and application.


Wireless keyboard

If you have a Bluetooth keyboard, pairing it with your smartphone should be pretty easy. All you have to do is just turn on the keyboard and put it into pairing mode. Now open your phone settings, go to Bluetooth settings and start searching for new devices. When you see the keyboard, click on it to connect.


The keyboard may ask for a password, just enter the password displayed on the screen and press the Enter key. Once connected, you will see a notification in the status bar indicating that an external keyboard is connected.


Conclusion

This way you can connect a physical keyboard to your Android smartphone. You can also buy some keyboards that are made specifically for smartphones and come with very comfortable keys.

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