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Six free DIY smartphone stands

Need a way to prop up your phone? Channel your inner MacGyver and turn some ordinary household objects into perfect stands.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
Turn any hard-plastic card into a killer smartphone stand with just two strategic folds.
Turn any hard-plastic card into a killer smartphone stand with just two strategic folds. Photo by Rick Broida/CNET

Whenever I envision the perfect smartphone, it has one key feature: a kickstand. (Bet you thought I was going to say freeze-ray. That's no. 2 on the list.)

Why the deep-seated longing for a pop-out propper-upper? Because my phone is my constant companion, used for everything from reading while I eat breakfast to watching movies on long flights to showing recipes while I'm in the kitchen. (That's right, I bake. Got a problem?) Unfortunately, it's always lying down in the job. I need a way to hold it up so I can keep both hands free.

There are cases that have build-in kickstands, but those require spending extra money -- and giving up the case you already have. That's why I prefer MacGyver-style solutions: household objects that can be turned into smartphone stands. I've rounded up six of my favorite do-it-yourself options, all of which you can cobble together in a matter of minutes -- or possibly even seconds.

Needless to say, if you know of another craft-y way to give your phone a leg up, tell me about it in the comments!

Six free do-it-yourself smartphone stands (pictures)

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