How to connect a Blue Yeti or any USB mic to an Android Phone

When using your mobile device for video or conference calls, the sound quality frequently lets you down. Your viewers or co-workers often find it difficult to hear you clearly because your voice must compete with room echo and background noise.

There are three parts to improving your sound quality when recording on your Android device.

1. Connect the Blue Yeti, or another USB microphone, to your Android phone with a USB-A to USB-C adapter.
2. Move the microphone closer to you.
3. If possible, adjust the audio level to prevent clipping.

To connect a USB mic to a modern Android phone you will need a USB C to USB OTG Adapter. Plug the adapter into the phone’s USB-C port, then insert the USB-A plug of the microphone cable into the OTG adapter. If your mic requires extra power include a powered USB hub between the OTG adapter and the mic cable.

The OTG adapter I know works, because I have tested a few with my own Android phone, is the Syntech USB C to USB OTG Adapter.

Last update on 2023-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Please Note: Although the instructions in this article show the use of a Blue Yeti USB microphone, any USB mic can be connected to an Android device in the same way. I recommend using a USB microphone that, like the Blue Yeti, has a headphone socket for zero-latency monitoring of your voice and playback of the audio. This will ensure you do not hear yourself in your headphones with a slight delay. In my demonstration, I also use a Samsung A53-5G Android phone, although any Android phone with a USB-C port will work.

IN A HURRY? Jump to where I show and explain, in detail, how to connect a Blue Yeti USB Mic to an Android phone.

So, now you know what you need to do to improve your sound quality when using an Android mobile device. But first, let me explain why you should connect an external USB mic to your Android phone and a bit more detail on what you’ll need.

So, let’s get into this.

Why use an external microphone with your phone

When recording video or participating in a Zoom call, the main reason your audio sounds bad is that the microphone is in the wrong place. Instead of being close to your mouth, because you’re using the phone as a video camera, the mic will be 18-24 inches (45-60cm) away.  

So why is that a problem?

Basically, the best audio would be your voice with very little else in the background. But when you put your phone at about an arm’s length from your mouth, you won’t be the main or only sound source. Now the mic will “hear” you, any background noises, and the echo (or reverberation) of your voice as it bounces around the room. Turning up the mic gain won’t improve things; those extra noises will be boosted just as much as your voice.

What you need to do is ensure your voice is the main or only sound that the microphone picks up, and you can do that by placing the mic close to your mouth, at about 6 to 10 inches (15 to 20cm). At that distance your voice will seem louder, therefore the audio gain can come down, so you don’t sound too loud. In the process, any background noise and room echo will become very quiet or even so quiet it will be imperceptible.

In the past, smartphones had 3.5mm sockets that combined microphone input and headphone output, but recent models frequently have omitted the 3.5mm jack connector. So the only option to connect an external device is to use the USB-C connector on newer phones or micro USB on slightly older phones.  

That’s where the Blue Yeti, or another USB microphone, comes into play. If you can use an external microphone with your Android device, the phone can be placed where you will look good on the camera display, and the microphone can be placed close to you, so you also sound good.

But the question is, how do you connect a USB mic, like the Blue Yeti, to an android phone?

Unfortunately, the USB cable that came with your Blue Yeti won’t work directly. You’ll need an adapter.

What you need to connect your Blue Yeti to an Android phone

Most recent Android phones have a USB-C port, while older ones may have micro-USB ports. Therefore, you can’t automatically plug a USB mic into the phone because the Blue Yeti, and many other USB mics, use USB-A connectors. That’s the connector shown below.

Clearly, you need a USB adapter, because a USB-A connector won’t fit into a USB-C port. But don’t jump over to Amazon or eBay and get the first adapter you find, because there’s a chance it won’t work.

What you need is a USB-C or Micro-USB OTG adapter.

OTG stands for On-The-Go. An OTG adapter or cable connects to your Android device on one side and has a female USB-A plug on the other side, allowing you to connect to external devices such as keyboards, memory sticks, and USB microphones. They are available for mobile devices with either micro-USB or USB-C ports.

I use a Samsung A53 5G phone, a mid-range phone with good audio and video recording capabilities. To connect a Blue Yeti to the Samsung A53-5G I use a Syntech USB C to USB OTG Adapter. It has male USB-C to female USB-A connectors. But if your device has a micro-USB port instead of USB-C, you’ll need the appropriate OTG adapter.

For Android phones with USB-C ports, I recommend the Syntech adapter. I have used it with various apps on my Samsung A53-5G phone and I know it works.

Last update on 2023-10-11 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

An optional accessory you may also want to use is a set of headphones with a 3.5mm headphone jack. This is to connect to the Blue Yeti’s headphone socket that will enable you to monitor your audio and playback from your Android device.

How to connect any USB mic to an Android phone

Connecting a Blue Yeti USB microphone to your Android phone or device will dramatically improve your sound when using an audio/video recording app, or video conferencing app.

So, this is what you need to do.

1. Insert a Syntech OTG adapter into the USB-C port of your Android phone.
2. Plug the USB-A end of the Blue Yeti USB microphone cable into the female USB-A socket of the Syntech adapter.
3. Connect the mini-USB end of the USB mic cable to the socket on the base of the Blue Yeti. You should see the red power LED on the mic’s mute button light up, indicating that the connection has been made and the mic is receiving power.
4. To monitor your audio and hear the playback of your audio or video recordings, plug your headphones into the 3.5mm jack on the base of the Blue Yeti.
5. Now open the audio or video app you want to use.

That’s it. Your Blue Yeti should now be connected to your Android phone and you’re Yeti should be used by any audio or video recording apps, or conference call apps.

If you’re using a different make of USB microphone the instructions to connect to an Android device are the same. However, the USB socket on your microphone may be USB-B or micro-USB, depending on the model of the microphone. That won’t be an issue since the other end of the cable will probably have a standard USB-A plug. If your USB mic uses a cable that ends with a USB-C connector you should be able to plug it straight into your phone’s USB-C port.

Using your Blue Yeti to record videos on your Android phone

Now that you have connected your Blue Yeti USB microphone to your Android phone you obviously want to use it. If you’re a creator or YouTuber who needs to record videos, your first option might be to use the camera app that comes with your phone.

If you are a Samsung user, you should be OK with the camera app that shipped with your phone. At least that is the case with my Samsung A53-5G phone, which works fine with my Blue Yeti. The procedure is to open the camera app, choose the video option, select the resolution/aspect ratio you want, then tap the record button. At the start of the recording, you should see a notification letting you know that the video camera is using what it thinks is your headset microphone. We know that it will be your Blue Yeti.

Unfortunately, some Android phones come with camera apps that only select the built-in microphone as the audio source. You can get around this problem by downloading the free Open Camera app from the Google Play store. Go into the Video settings and choose Audio source. You can then select External mic.

Last update on 2024-03-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Conclusion

You can use any USB mic, including the Blue Yeti, with your Android phone. Most recent Android phones, like the Samsung A53-5G or Galaxy S20FE, have a USB-C data and charging port, and you will connect the microphone via this port. But most USB microphones use cables that have a USB-A connector at the end, which obviously cannot be inserted into the phone’s USB-C port. To overcome this problem, we can use a USB-C to USB-A, or micro-USB to USB-A, OTG adapter. When using a USB mic with an Android phone it is recommended that you use a microphone that has zero latency headphone monitoring and playback since you can monitor your speech without any delay. Effectively, this means the microphone has a built-in sound card.