6 Clever DIY Smartphone Stands You Can Make Easily - Make Tech Easier (2024)

Many of us use our smartphones to consume various forms of media. Whether we’re watching YouTube at home or catching a movie on a long haul flight, holding your phone in a position that allows comfortable viewing can result in a nasty case of carpal tunnel. While there are numerous stands for your phone on the market, some of the best ones can be made for free with everyday household items.

Plastic Card

Have a look through your wallet. Chances are there’s an old hotel room key or gift/rewards/loyalty/membership card in there. Before you chuck it in the trash, consider giving it a couple of key bends to transform that old useless plastic card into a durable smartphone stand. Although it may be a bit harder to bend, a thicker card can support bigger, heavier phones.

Binder Clips

If you work in an office setting you’re probably all too familiar with those black document clips. In addition to keeping your papers in order, these clips can be clamped together to fashion a number of awesome stands for your phone. While there are many possibilities with every day binder clips, this one has to be our favorite. It even leaves room for your USB cable, allowing you to charge your phone as well!

Plastic Card ver. 2

One of the niftiest features of the Nintendo Switch console is the little embedded kickstand. This allows Switch players to easily prop up their console for two player action. A kickstand for your phone certainly would be handy, however this has yet to be implemented on current devices. Fortunately if you have a plastic card and a pair of scissors you can fashion a custom kickstand.

Have a rummage through your wallet, and you’re sure to find an unwanted loyalty card or gift card. Cut on of the edges so that the card sits flush with a flat surface. On the opposite side of the card, cut a notch the thickness of your phone. Your phone should slide into this notch snuggly and the diagonal cut on the opposite end of the card props your phone up against the surface of a table. Follow this Instructable for a step-by-step rundown.

Fork

You’re definitely going to want to grab a pair of pliers for this one. There are a few different ways to fashion a fork into a stand for your device. One of the easiest ways is to start by laying the fork down on a flat surface. Bend the handle of the fork forward 90 degrees (or to your preferred viewing angle). Then simply bend the prongs of the fork upward to create a cradle for your phone to sit in. The back of the phone will be propped up by the handle. This creates a unique, cheap and sturdy phone stand solution.

Pencils (or sticks) and Rubberbands

This one uses five or six pencils and a handful of heavy duty rubber bands. Fashion three pencils into the shape of a triangle and use the rubber bands to secure them in place. Secure another pencil to the pencil at the bottom of the triangle. This will act as the “shelf” that your phone sits on. Finally, adhere a pencil (or two to provide more stability) to the top of the triangle pointing backwards toward the ground. These two pencils will prop the triangle up from a flat surface. If you’re looking for something more aesthetically pleasing, use some sticks to give your DIY stand a vintage rustic look.

Cassette Box

If you have any old cassettes lying around the house you can use the case as a stand. Virtually any cassette case will work from standard music cassettes to DV tapes. All you need to do is open the case and pop you phone inside. This makes this the quickest and easiest stand to “make” on this list. The only downside is that you won’t be able to put the phone in landscape mode.

Have you ever made your own phone stand? If so, what did you use? Let us know in the comments!

Image credit: Smartphone Stand (rear view)