4 easy ways to DIY decorate your iPhone 7's headphone jack dongle

Image: martha tesema/mashable; art: dennie bright/mashable

The iPhone 7 is finally out and you might find the phone design a little boring.

But the biggest thing about the new phone’s design not having a headphone jack and having to use a dongle to listen to music with our old headphones gives us an opportunity to add some flair.

Luckily, all iPhone 7’s actually come with a trusty dongle. Not so luckily, the dongle is an extra thing to carry around that’s bound to get lost or mixed up amongst all your other white wires.

We figured it would be easier to cope with this new wire if it was a little cuter.

So, here are four different DIY options for making your dongle stand out (and they’re all super easy).

1. Washi tape

Washi tape is industrial masking tape made of rice paper. It’s not too sticky, so it can be moved around without leaving a residue. It’s a low-level DIY commitment, and probably the quickest way to decorate your dongle.

1. Wrap a piece of washi tape around the wire, letting the tape go all the way around.

2. Cut it off in a straight line, close to the base.

3. Repeat the first two steps on the ports with a different patterned piece of washi tape.

Remember, Washi tape can be easily peeled off and reapplied if you don’t nail it the first time, so no pressure.

2. Friendship bracelet string

Feeling nostalgic for the days of sleep away camp? Decorate your dongle (and a friend’s!) with embroidery string. Our favorite (and arguably the easiest) stitch is the Chinese Staircase.

1. Cut a 12-inch a piece of embroidery floss (we recommend a multicolored one, so you don’t have to worry about stealthily switching strings halfway through).

2. Tape the dongle to the table, and tie a double knot at the very top of the wire. Cut off extraneous string.

3. Make a P shape with the string.

4. Loop the string through the P, and pull tight.

5. Repeat until the wire is totally covered in a glorious spiral staircase. Then, loop your last stitch through the P twice, to form a double knot. Then, cut the string off close to the knot.

3. Sharpies

Everyone has a few Sharpies lying around. Luckily, the ones I had fit into a fall color scheme.

We recommend keeping rubbing alcohol on hand for any mistakes.

1. Simply draw a design of your choosing on both the wire and the ports and let dry.

And that’s it. That’s the only step. Just doodle.

We assume these fall colors will wear off by spring.

4. Nail polish

This DIY route requires the most drying time so don’t try it if you’re planning on using your dongle in the next few hours. And have some nail polish remover and Q-tips at the ready, just in case.

1. Paint one side of each port, either solid (just like a fingernail) or a pattern and let dry.