Bluetooth’s rapid rise in popularity leads to an ever-increasing availability of Bluetooth-enabled devices, ranging from mice to keyboards, headphones, remote speakers, and more. How do you proceed when facing a situation where the laptop/desktop pc you use lacks Bluetooth connectivity? Can You use your Android phone to connect these devices to your computer?
The Android phone cannot fulfill the role of a Bluetooth receiver for a personal computer that lacks Bluetooth connectivity. The best solution for adding Bluetooth connectivity to your PC is to purchase a USB dongle (transceiver) or install a Bluetooth-enabled PCIe expansion card.
Connecting Bluetooth devices to a computer without Bluetooth connectivity should not prevent you from using these devices on your computer. Let’s see if you can use an Android phone as a receiver to connect these devices, and if not, what else can you do to establish connectivity between your PC and the Bluetooth device?
Can My Android Phone Act As A Bluetooth Receiver For My PC?
Unfortunately, an Android phone cannot act as a replacement Bluetooth receiver on a personal computer without Bluetooth connectivity. The phone lacks the pass-through capability to receive a signal from a source (Bluetooth keyboard) and then pass that signal on to another connected device (the pc in this case).
The only way to add Bluetooth connectivity to a desktop computer is to purchase a transceiver USB Bluetooth dongle or add a dedicated PCIe expansion card. The last option will provide a more stable and reliable connection. The PCIe expansion card is also available as a dual WiFi/Bluetooth adapter, providing WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.
What Functionality Can An Android Phone Add To A PC?
Although an Android phone cannot act as a Bluetooth dongle, it can help enhance the user experience for a laptop or computer with Bluetooth connectivity.
Some examples include:
- Use the Android phone’s “USB tethering” function to share the phone’s internet connection with your Windows computer. The phone will need to be connected to the computer via a USB cable. The connection speed will be limited by the speed of the phone’s USB port.
- Connect to the internet using Bluetooth. Instead of using “USB tethering” and a cable, you can use the “Bluetooth tethering” option to connect to your pc. Beware that using Bluetooth tethering can result in slow internet speeds.
- Apps are available that can emulate the function of a mouse or keyboard. “Bluetooth Keyboard & Mouse” and “Unified Remote” are two popular apps. They allow you to use your Android phone as a keypad or mouse on your computer.
- You can also use the Android phone as a Bluetooth speaker for your pc or laptop. Two suggested apps are “SoundWire” and “AudioRelay.” Both these apps only work with Android phones and require software to be uploaded on your phone and pc to work.
- Do you have tons of photos on your Android phone? Download them to your pc using Bluetooth. (Note that it will take a long time as Bluetooth is a very slow interface) or use a USB connection for a faster download experience.
Although your Android phone isn’t capable of servicing as a Bluetooth receiver for your pc, it does come in handy to enrich your pc/phone usage experience. More apps are available every day while Bluetooth standards are improving to meet the user’s demands.
