Otterbox Defender Belt Clip As Kick Stand

By Pete De Vasto, 10 March, 2021

Forum
Apple Hardware and Compatible Accessories

Hi everyone, I just got an Otterbox Defender case for my 2nd generation iPhone SE. I really love the protection it gives the phone, but there's one feature I can't figure out how to use. The case comes with the holster with belt clip, and they talk about how you can somehow extend the belt clip in order to turn it into a kick stand so you can put the phone down, say, while you're on a call. I get how the clip rotates to different positions, but what i do not get is how you extend the clip. They show you how to do it in numerous videos, but that's not helping me. Has anyone with one of these cases been able to use the belt clip as a kick stand? Thanks so much, in advance, for any help.

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By Misty Dawn on Monday, January 3, 2022 - 05:48

I, too, was having a hard time figuring this out until I messed around and experimented with it a bit. So, if you’re still having this issue

To extend the belt clipand make it into a kickstand, you need to push the top of the belt clip in decently hard until you hear a click sound. The belt clip should then be opened and locked into place. There you go! You now have your kickstand!

Note that you can only use the kickstand in landscape mode (at least as far as I know). When I’ve tried using it in portrait mode, the phone just falls over because the bottom of the clip is higher than the bottom of the phone. To do this, you’ll need to orient the belt clip accordingly. When it is not pushed out in kickstand mode, you can rotate it 360 degrees. It appears that you cannot rotate it at all when it is extended and in kickstand mode, so you’ll have to rotate it before you make it into a kickstand.

Also, I think you’ll need to make sure your phone is placed in the belt clip plastic thing so that your Home Button is to the right and so that the top of the clip/kickstand is at the top (sticking up into the air, so to speak). In this arrangement, I’ve found, my side/sleep-wake/power button should be on the same side as the top of the clip/kickstand. (I have an iPhone 8, and I’m not sure other models would be arranged in the same way.)

Now, I believe, to make your kickstand back into a belt clip, simply push in hard on the bottom (wide-open part) of the clip/kickstand until you hear a very very very loud click. (It almost sounds like it’s breaking, it’s so loud!)

Mine is for an iPhone 7, so might be a little different. You close mine by pushing down on the tab sticking up with grooves across The top. The tab is on the part that sits flush against the back of the phone holder. It sticks out from the side when rotated to landscape. And yes, it sounds like it's breaking when it releases the kickstand.
For some reason, mine also rotates when the kickstand is out.

By Misty Dawn on Monday, January 3, 2022 - 05:48

In reply to by OldBear

Well, I’ve tried closing the kickstand from the top as you describe, but it doesn’t seem to work for me. Maybe I’m not pushing hard enough? (I think I understand where you mean…)

Also have tried rotating when the kickstand is active, but I can’t seem to. Again, this may just be weak hands on my part (which is not entirely impossible)?

Basically, I just don’t want to run the risk of breaking things. LOL

Oh, I understand about feeling like something is going to break. Things do tend to break too easily, and I don't use the kickstand because it requires too much wrenching and yanking. I doubt pushing down on the open end of the clip to close it, like you suggest, is going to cause any problems.
Mine is an earlier version than yours, so the rotation part might be different.

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Friday, June 3, 2022 - 05:48

What do you mean by "top"? Is that the hinged (open) end, the tab on that end of the clip...

And push in..is that towards the flat plate, or towards the sauce of the case with 2 corners, or,,,

Stupid sounding questions, but these cases not intuitive

By OldBear on Friday, June 3, 2022 - 05:48

Ya, it's confusing if you haven't done it. Just open the clip by pushing down on the short end passed the hinge with your thumb, and push a bit harder to lock it open. Once it's locked open, there's a tab with grooves a little passed where you were pushing that's next to the surface of the holder and has locked it in place. It's that tab with grooves that I push on to release the jaws, but you have to push fairly hard on that tab, then it makes a loud pop, the jaws unlock. The other way is to push on the open end of the jaws hard and they unlock. Both operations take a whole lot of force, and I always worry it's putting bending stress on the phone if it's in the holder, so I don't use that feature.

By Unregistered User (not verified) on Friday, June 3, 2022 - 05:48

Once you do it makes sense...

By mcox on Friday, March 3, 2023 - 05:48

How do you rotate the clip?
I know you can't do it when the kickstand is open, but i'm kind of worried i'll break the thing, and I only just got it!
I have an iPhone SE 2022.
Also, I've disasembled and reasembled the case several times now, for different reasons, and the plastic screen protecter is still not quite flush with the screen.
AT the bottom and sides it is, but the middle... Maybe i'm not pushing hard enough when I slot it in? the clips all snap together as expected, though.
PS:
Using Otterbox Defender Pro.
Thank You all in advance.

By OldBear on Friday, March 3, 2023 - 05:48

it's kind of like the rotor gesture, except you're probably going to need to put your thumb and index as far to either end as possible to get enough leverage to turn it. It has several click stops as it turns. I've had three of them over the years, and they all can be rotated whether the kickstand is extended or retracted, so you might want to try yours.