An app to check if a phone/device has MHL support (Mobile Highdefinition Link)

[avique]

Hello, people from F-droid community. Today, I saw a device being sold with several features. But in the end, it seemed to be the seller was not much informed, and had a few problems with some people, and this made the confusion where I can know something simple: there is a function in this device that may or may not be possible in some device I use. And in this is the point which I expected to also find an app in F-droid for it, but there is none. Neither are there similar ones (I did not search much).

The app to tell if the device has HDMI support (or something related to it) and is, thus, called “MHL support checker” or similar names. And MHL here, as written in the title, means Mobile Highdefinition Link.

There are at least a few free apps in the store. But it seems to be something simple, just checking if the device supports it or not.

The device I was thinking if it can be useful or not, if I buy it, is (in a free translation I do myself, since the shop has most things in my language) a “adaptor and extender 3 in 1 Type-C for PD HDMI USB 3.0”, and also a charger described as “PD 3.1A turbo fast charging”. Cover: aluminium.

It is also said:

"3 [connections/outputs/…?] : 1 HDMI, 1 USB 3.0, 1 Type-C "
“HDMI support: 4k x 2k @ 30Hz resolution”

Brand/label: “Exbom”
Model: “U3V-A3N1”

The seller mentions an update for Samsung phones is needed: “PIE update”.

Besides the suggesteed app here, if you can help me with information about this device, or things involving it, I will be much greatful. I have guesses for a few of them, but I assume that some “obvious” things will not be noticed by me.

[freecycler]

I have not tried any of these 3, but might be worth a look:

https://f-droid.org/packages/com.kgurgul.cpuinfo/

https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.oF2pks.kalturadeviceinfos/

(this one may not be open source)
https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/inkwired/droid-hardware-info/

@avique

But it seems to be something simple, just checking if the device supports it or not.

If the above apps don’t check what you need, the next best bet is to check some documentation for your device. I mean your phone itself, not the device you contemplate buying. You don’t tell us that so I can’t give a direct link. But you can look it up at https://phonedb.net/index.php?m=device&s=query
then look at the section A/V interfaces. But even that is not the whole story, since that refers to what the phone ships with, and you are talking about buying additional hardware, as well as the possibility that support was added later via system updates. Does your phone run at least Pie or later?

Maybe the better way is to find some support forums for your particular device, and ask there whether anyone has had success with items similar to the one you are considering to buy. https://xdaforums.com/ has an extensive collection of boards devoted to specific devices, you can search for your phone there and find a place to ask.

[avique]

What are the numbers I see after the 2 first links you give? The first is before a 3, and the second is before a 1. The third one has nothing. (if this is an F-droid feature, I am possibly unaware of that because this thread is the first I create here)

I will check the apps you pointed. And I will tell what they helped or not for. In the 2 that are in this repository, maybe something else is useful.

You noticed the fact that did not mention my device. This is because I want to know something easy to do in any device. And I do not have the manual of all of them. And also because the device I mentioned is made to be compatible with all kinds of devices, given some kind of minimal limits.

Limits like, for example: “to run f-droid in your device you need to have Android 5 or newer; connection to internet, at least in moments you want to install or update apps; have a phone number to send and receive SMS, which happens a few times, for security purposes”. (these are made up freely, do not discuss if and how much they make sense or not)

But I have a very limited knowledge in IT mobile things. So, I think I did not understand most about the device, and part of this may be in the way I saw data about it.

Your idea of knowing my device is partly unneeded because it can be as important as the fact that () “TV has 2 RCA inputs with stereo sound in them”. So, if someone give me a bluray player with TV channels in it, as well, it may be useless to me, since I will not be able to plug it into my TV! — unless I find an adaptor! And while some adaptors, in some situations, can be simply a matter of shape (like electric energy for devices in some situations), other may need something complex.

I am not sure in which set the device I described is. This is why I told you the model of it. I imagine it would be useful, although seems it is not. I can give more information about the device.

I did not give importance to the device I will probably use it more with because I do not play to use with it only. It will probably be with any device that fits a given clear criteria, I think.

I will check what help I can find also in the XDA Forums. Thank you. I never heard about the 2 you pointed me to. Thank you!

[freecycler]

@avique

What are the numbers I see after the 2 first links you give? The first is before a 3, and the second is before a 1. The third one has nothing. (if this is an F-droid feature, I am possibly unaware of that because this thread is the first I create here)

That is a f-droid forum feature, it is not something I put there. The numbers are counters indicating how many people have clicked those links.

There is a wording problem that is not helping you. Oftentimes “device” refers to your phone or other android (tablet, watch, TV, etc) or even PC, while other times it refers to some other additional accessory, possibly the item you consider buying. You don’t tell us your android details so that phonedb link is the best I could do; you could look up any number of phones you might have or contemplate getting.

I do understand about the device you consider buying. I did try searching for the brand Exbom and model number U3V-A3N1 you mentioned. The results all seem to be in Brazilian Portugese which I do not read but the pictures make plain what its nature is.

There are at least tens of thousands of similar items by many different manufacturers. The common elements are that they are all basically USB hubs, with possibly a mixture of type A (could be either standard, mini, or micro) and/or type C ports. There can be one or more (I have seen up to 8 but could be even more) child USB ports of either flavor. There can be some type of power supply or charging input. (This port sometimes does not carry data, only incoming power, you will have to ask the seller about this. Not every phone is compatible with every charging protocol so a mismatch here is still a possibility.) There can also be whatever other functions the maker thinks customers will want - RJ45 ports for Ethernet cables, jacks to connect audio cables, different types of cable connectors for different types of video monitors (DisplayPort, VGA, DVI/A, DVI/D, S-video, RCA, HDMI, etc) or other less common connectors (FireWire, FDDI, TokenRing, serial ports, parallel ports, SATA ports, IDE ports, SD card slots, … etc). And yes, if the usb connector matches the types available on your desktop or laptop computer the adapter can be used there too (though again the charging protocols could have a mismatch).

The things your phone needs to use this would start with support for USB-OTG. Almost all androids nowadays (at least made in the past 10 years) have this. I only own 1 that does not, it is from 2010 and runs FroYo. I’m guessing that yours is newer than that and does support USB-OTG.

The other point is that Google added builtin support for this MHL thing starting in Pie. Before that it was something that phone manufacturers could add if they wished but not all (actually relatively few) chose to add it so there could have been an issue with missing device drivers in some of those older devices.

Some of those androids that did not initally work with those adapters shipped with Nougat and/or Oreo and later got updated to Pie, when they gained the compatibility to work with accessories like the one you are considering. There are a couple of those in my household as well. The ones that shipped with Pie are more likely to “just work”, though you may need to adjust some settings to enable them.

All of that ambiguity is why I suggested you find a forum for your android (or multiple forums for several different androids) and ask there. Because the android and its update status is likely more relevant. The accessories use standard USB connections and take standard drivers even across the huge variety of different models so there is actually less variety between them than their numbers would have you think, at least for the data functions. The details can vary according to what if any cellular carrier your android uses; the forum users are more likely to know these specific details around updates and charging protocols that may or may not be compatible.