How to Attach a Phone Charm: Charm Hole, No Hole, String or Clasp

A phone charm attaches to the case, not to the phone. If your case has a charm hole, thread the charm’s string through it and pull the charm back through its own loop. If the charm ends in a clasp, clip it to a ring or tab. If the case has no hole, add an attachment point or choose a case that has one. This guide walks through each situation.

We sell beaded phone loops, so read this as a shop’s notes on its own listings plus what owners ask online.

Check your case first

Take the case off and look along its edges and corners for a small paired hole or slot. That is the charm hole, which some sellers call a lanyard eyelet. People looking for one search for a phone case with a charm hole.

Then look at the charm. A beaded phone charm or phone charm strap ends in one of two things: a thin string loop, or a metal clasp. The two fasten differently, so the next two sections take them in turn.

A charm with a string loop

Our listing for the Lilac House and Heart Mixed-Bead Phone Loop says it includes one complete beaded loop and its attached thin white phone string. The same listing says it requires a compatible phone-case lanyard eyelet and suitable secure string fastening.

To fasten a string loop:

1. Take the case off the phone. You need to reach both sides of the charm hole.
2. Push the string loop through the hole from the outside. If the string is too soft to push, pull it through with a pin or a loop of sewing thread.
3. Pass the charm through the string loop. The beaded end goes through the loop of string that now sits inside the case.
4. Pull it snug. The knot should sit against the hole with no slack.
5. Put the case back on. Check that the phone still seats flat and the string is not trapped under a button.

A charm with a clasp

Our listing for the Pale Pink Faceted-Bead Wrist Phone Lanyard describes a single pale-pink wrist loop of faceted beads with two end links and a silver-tone circular spring clasp. The same listing says it includes one selected pink loop with clasp.

A clasp cannot go through a charm hole on its own. It needs something to clip to: a small ring or a short cord loop tied through the charm hole, or a tab that sits inside the case. Open the clasp, hook it on, and check that it has sprung fully shut.

If your case has no charm hole

Two posts on Reddit show the problem. One owner asked how to attach a phone charm somewhere other than the charging port, and whether a thin cord could go through the small holes at the top of the case. Another owner wrote that not enough phone cases have phone charm holes.

You have two practical options.

• Add a tab. A tab sits between the phone and the case, and its loop comes out through an opening in the case. Our phone lanyard guide explains how tabs fit and what to check.
• Choose a case with a charm hole. If you plan to keep a charm on the phone, look for the hole in the case photos before you buy.

Keep any other opening in the case clear if you are not sure what it is for.

Charm or strap

A charm is decoration. Hold the phone, not the charm. If you want to carry the phone on your wrist or around your neck, use a lanyard made for that job. The phone lanyard collection and the wrist loops are sorted for carrying.

Quick answers

Can I attach a phone charm without a case?

A charm needs something to loop through, and a case with a charm hole is the simple way to get it. Start with the case.

Can I put a phone charm through the charging port opening?

That is how a tab works. The tab sits inside the case and its loop comes out through the opening, so check that your charging cable still plugs in fully.

Is a beaded phone charm strong enough to carry my phone?

Treat a beaded charm as decoration and keep the phone in your hand. For carrying, pick a lanyard made for it.

Where to go next

Browse the phone lanyards, or read how to attach a phone lanyard if you want a strap that carries the phone.