Owners of previous Nexus devices have enjoyed the ability to directly connect to USB flash drives and other peripherals using USB OTG (On The Go). The online help manual for the Nexus 4 originally said it would also have this feature, until Google removed it, instead suggesting the use of Bluetooth accessories. Many speculated about why this happened, and wondered if this was a hardware limitation or simply something missing from the software. Thanks to the proof of concept by CaptainMuon and the subsequent work of ziddey at XDA Developers, we now have a clearer picture of exactly what went wrong with the Nexus 4's OTG capabilities, as well a working solution for those still wanting connectivity to things like thumb drives, mice, and keyboards. Verizon is offering the Pixel 4a for just $10/mo on new Unlimited lines This is no simple app install - root is required, as well as modifying your phone's software. No hardware modifications to the phone itself are needed, but you will need a special cable, which can be purchased or built at home. Ready to jump in? Hit the break for the complete guide.

Background The first problem with getting OTG working on the Nexus 4 is that the kernel does not support it. This has been solved using a modified version of Franco's kernel. The second problem is that the Nexus 4 cannot physically supply the necessary 5 volts. The way around this is to use a Y-cable, and supply the needed voltage from an outside power source such as a wall outlet or external battery pack. Some users have also reported success using a powered USB hub. Part 1 - preparing the software To solve the software problem, you'll need to root your Nexus 4 if you haven't already done so. Make sure you're on a deodexed ROM - I'm using CyanogenMod's 10.1 M2 release. Once you're set up, head over to ziddey's thread and download his zip file (found at the bottom of the first post; "ziddey-otg-03192013.zip" is the latest as of this writing), which you'll flash in your custom recovery. This zip contains the the modified kernel, framework, and system files needed to make OTG work. Part 2 - preparing the hardware

To solve the hardware problem, you'll need a special cable. I chose to purchase an OTG Y-Cable. If you have the tools and extra parts, you could also build your own. Whichever you choose, make sure your cable has a male micro-USB and female micro-USB leading into a female USB as pictured above. The portion of the cable that data is transferred through is the male micro-USB to female USB, with the female micro-USB supplying the extra juice. Getting everything connected