When you’re shopping for iPhone 4 Cases for girls online, your searches might turn up phone charms as well. They may look like small figures or jewelry, and by their name you can probably guess they’re intended for use with phones, but it’s easy to get confused about them. They are definitely marketed towards women, though there’s nothing stopping a man from using them, besides perhaps social norms. These charms plug into the headphone jack and claim to serve a practical purpose, but their true purpose is all about looks.
Headphone Jack
Most phone charms plug into a standard 3.5 mm phone jack, which just about every phone has. This may lead you to believe that they are somehow associated with phone audio, but they are not. Charms do not carry or amplify sound in any way. Basically, the reason for the plug is to provide users with an easy way to attach and remove charms from the phone. Instead of using some type of adhesive that takes time to set up and leaves residue, using the headphone jack provides instant installation.
Dust Plug
Sometimes these charms are referred to as dust plugs or anti-dust plugs. Because the charm occupies the headphone jack when you aren’t using it, it prevents dust from accumulating inside the hole. It truly does accomplish this feat, but there is some debate as to whether many phone users have ever or will ever experience issues caused by dust in the headphone jack. So while calling a charm a dust plug isn’t lying, it can be a bit misleading.
Style
To truly understand phone charms, you have to understand that they are less about function and more about style. When you’re looking at iPhone 4 Cases for girls, you’re not only looking for cases that perform the practical function of protecting the phone, but you’re also looking for cases that are stylish. A phone charm is yet another way to add style and personalize a phone. So the next time you come across phone charms online or see a small cat or other figure dangling from someone’s phone, you don’t have to wonder what its purpose is.
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Some of these are very cute and I like that something like these accesssories whether cases or charms are both functional and decorative.