You see it every day but ignore it Do you know the purpose of the two holes in the USB ports?

You see it every day but ignore it Do you know the purpose of the two holes in the USB ports?

You’ve probably seen them dozens (if not hundreds) of times and never paid any attention to them. All USB-A connectors have this feature that usually goes unnoticed, but it has several important functions. All cable connectors have two slots, but do you know what they’re called and what they do?

You may not know this, but not all USB cables and connectors are the same, even if they actually look like they are. There is a wide range of features that change depending on the version of the universal interface. In addition, they hide many “secrets” and some of them are in plain sight.

I invite you to take your charger cable or any other cable that has a USB-A male connector and examine it from all sides. Now, look at it again and notice those two strange square holes in it. Well, these two holes are called alignment or positioning holes, and they have a specific use that we will tell you about right away.

The first feature you should know is that these holes help align the USB connector to the port properly. They ensure an accurate and stable connection. Additionally, they help prevent pin damage, ensuring high-quality data transfer.

Additionally, these act as a retaining element (in fact, out of curiosity, we'll tell you that this was their initial purpose, although they later realized they could have done more), being little stops that prevent the connector from accidentally leaving the port. This feature is especially important in mobile devices or when using cables in environments where there is a lot of movement as these holes help to secure them.

These two properties are the main ones, but they are not the only ones in these holes. They have two additional functions that are somewhat unknown, such as:

- Data communications: It can be used to transfer data at low speed. It is mainly used for device identification or for power information. These are very simple uses, but they can be important in some areas.

- Data Protection: It can be used to block access to certain connector pins, preventing unauthorized data transfer. It is an interesting and little-known security supplement.

Now you know the real benefit of the holes in USB-A cable connectors.