How to connect a USB flash drive to an Android device using a special OTG cable: solving reading and recognition problems

In this article we will figure out how to connect Android to a computer/laptop via USB as a flash drive and be able to transfer information without using a classic flash drive.

This article is suitable for all brands that produce phones on Android 9/8/7/6: Samsung, HTC, Lenovo, LG, Sony, ZTE, Huawei, Meizu, Fly, Alcatel, Xiaomi, Nokia and others. We are not responsible for your actions.

Before Android 4.4 KitKat, it was possible to connect via USB as a flash drive. The PC saw the device as a removable disk and provided the same rights: the user could also perform other actions.

Then, in new versions of Android, the USB mode was replaced by MTP, in which only the data transfer function remained, and the same formatting did not work.

Setting up a USB connection

To manage the connection to a computer via USB, you need. To do this, add the “For Developers” section to the Android settings (if it doesn’t exist):

1. Open settings.
2. Go to the "About phone" or "About device" section.
3. "Build number" or "MIUI version".
4. Press (click) on this item until you see a message that you have become a developer (usually 7-10 clicks are enough).

After the developer section appears in the settings, you can enable USB debugging. The item is called that way, so you just need to move the slider to the “On” position and confirm the resolution.

Now you can connect the device to your computer via USB and select the operating mode. In the latest versions of Android, the most used ones are:

• MTP - transfer any files from computer to phone and vice versa.
• PTP - transfer of photos, as well as transfer of files not supported in MTP mode.
• Charging only.

Connecting in USB storage mode

If you can't get used to using the media player, go back to using USB storage mode. For this you will need:

• USB MASS STORAGE Enabler installed.

Using this method may damage system files. In this case, you will have to reflash Android.

To connect Android to your computer as a drive:

1. Launch USB MASS STORAGE Enabler.
2. Grant superuser rights and agree to change how Selinux works.
3. If the device is supported, the main application menu will open.
4. Click "Enable USB MASS STORAGE".

Now, when connected to a PC, the phone or tablet will appear as a drive. To connect in MTP or PTP mode, just restart the device. Once you're done with mass storage mode, go back into the app and disable USB MASS STORAGE.

On a smartphone you will not find a full-fledged USB port into which you can insert a flash drive. Therefore, connecting a USB flash drive to Android must be done using additional equipment.

Connecting the drive

For your phone to see and open devices connected via USB, it must have On-The-Go (OTG) support. The essence of the technology is that the mobile device supplies power to external equipment via a USB connector. The function is implemented in Android 3.1 and higher, so before you try to connect a flash drive to Android, you need to make sure that this is even possible. First of all, check the OS version:

To make sure there are no problems with the connection, install the USB OTG Checker application. This small program will check for OTG support and, if available, issue a confirmation. The next step is to purchase a special adapter (equipment cost starts from 100 rubles). The smartphone has a microUSB port; the flash drive physically cannot fit in it. Therefore, you need to expand the port using an OTG adapter, which can be purchased at any mobile equipment store. Some phones, like tablets, come with a “native” OTG cable, so manufacturers also assume that external drives and other USB devices will be connected to their devices.
The connection procedure itself is extremely simple: one end of the adapter is installed in the microUSB connector on the phone, and a flash drive is inserted into the USB port at the other end. Now you can find universal flash drives with USB and microUSB, which do not require an adapter to connect.
This is still rare, but it is quite possible that over time the ports will become universal, and users will be able to abandon adapters and other additional equipment.

To open a flash drive on a tablet or smartphone, it is usually enough to have a file manager installed on the device. The flash drive must be formatted in FAT32; data from NTFS cannot be read on Android. This primarily applies to the latest models of smartphones from Samsung: just connect the flash drive via an OTG adapter and find the drive through any file manager. The data will be located in the /sdcard/usbStorage directory.
However, the procedure does not always go so smoothly: even if the device supports OTG, the question of how to open a connected flash drive on Android causes difficulties. The problem is that not all mobile devices automatically mount external equipment, be it a flash drive, camera or mouse.

You can eliminate the shortcoming using the paid application USB Media Explorer, which allows you to copy music, video photos, documents from flash drives connected to Google Nexus smartphones and other devices with Android 4.0 and higher.
The application has two drawbacks: it is paid and correct operation is guaranteed only on Nexus phones and tablets, although the developers claim support for other devices. One of the advantages is support for the NTFS file system, that is, you do not have to format the flash drive in FAT32 before connecting.

If you don’t want to spend money on an application for copying data, or you basically can’t install USB Media Explorer on your device due to lack of model support, then the only way to access the data recorded on the flash drive is to use superuser rights (root).

For each model, it is better to look for its own separate instructions for obtaining superuser rights. There are also universal methods, such as using the Kingo Root program, but it should be borne in mind that obtaining root rights is a potentially dangerous operation, as a result of which the mobile device will be removed from warranty. In addition, performing the procedure incorrectly may damage the system.

If your phone is rooted, you can use the free StickMount app to detect a connected flash drive on Android.

1. Launch StickMount.
2. Connect the flash drive to your phone.
3. Set StickMount to open automatically when this drive is connected and give the application superuser rights.

You can view and copy the contents of the flash drive after mounting through any file manager. The information will be located in the sdcard/usbStorage directory.

Connecting via a USB port is one of the most popular methods of fast data transfer today. You can also simply charge the connected device using a USB connection. Such functions are in demand, so these days almost everyone has one, or even several, flash drives, a smartphone or tablet connected via a USB port, and various accessories (smart watches, MP3 players, etc.) that are also connected to PC.

Naturally, with such a variety of devices, some errors are bound to occur. They are mainly divided into two categories: identification errors, which this article will be about, and formatting errors, the solution to which you can read about.

Recognition errors are also divided into two groups: an error in which the USB device is not recognized, and an error in which the computer does not respond to this after connecting the device.

“USB device is not recognized” - what to do in Windows 7, 8

Any computer can suddenly throw such an unpleasant surprise with any device: USB drives, smartphones, tablets, computer mice, keyboards, accessories, printers, scanners... With everything that can somehow be connected via USB, such a problem can arise, but For almost any device, this error can be solved in the same way.

The first thing to do when Windows does not recognize the device is to check that it is working properly. Connect the gadget to another PC or laptop. If the error remains on another device, then the whole problem is in the device itself (or the cable through which you connect it) and, most likely, nothing will help you other than going to the store for a new analogue.
Also try connecting the device to a different USB connector, temporarily disconnecting unnecessary equipment. If nothing works, then move on to the next paragraph.

Go to Device Manager. Press Win+R and enter the command devmgmt.msc. In the window that opens, try to find your device (it will be located either in “USB Controllers” or in “Unknown Devices”). If it happens to be in the “Unknown Devices” tab, right-click on it and update the drivers. If the gadget is included in the “Controllers”, then right-click on it again, go to “Properties” - “Driver” - “Update”. If the update button is not available, then go back to the manager and click “Delete”. After that, open the “Action” tab and select “Update hardware configuration”, after highlighting your USB device.

The above algorithm of actions usually works both when a regular flash drive is not recognized, and when the “USB device is not recognized” when connecting the phone to the computer.

The computer does not see the USB flash drive

Firstly, your personal computer most often does not detect the flash drive because it is faulty. To check this, insert the USB flash drive into another device. If it does not work and is not silent, then feel free to buy another flash card.
Secondly, check the connector for dirt. Naturally, if banal dirt gets into the flash drive connector, it will not work correctly.
Thirdly, try inserting the flash drive into another slot on the computer (usually there are several of them).
Next, try formatting your flash drive to match your computer’s file system. You can see what file system is on your PC by going to the properties of the local disk. Now you just need to specify what file system you need when formatting.

Phone is not detected via USB (Android)

A smartphone is usually connected to a PC in order to transfer data and files to it that are difficult to transfer in any other way. You connect your smartphone via a special cable, but nothing happens, and Windows does not react in any way to the new connected device and simply charges its battery.
But why doesn’t the computer see the phone via USB to Android, it only charges and nothing else? How to solve this?

1. If you bought a new smartphone and are trying to connect it to an old version of the operating system (Windows XP, for example), which is not currently supported, then you need to either update to a newer OS or download the Media Transfer Protocol program from the official Microsoft website and install it and restart the PC - everything should work.

2. If you have several USB ports on your computer, try connecting your smartphone through a different port.

3. Try changing the USB cable. Cable faults are one of the possible obstacles to a USB connection.

4. Check the connector of the smartphone itself. Remember if you dropped it into the water?

5. Connect your smartphone to any other device (PC, laptop). If the phone just as stubbornly refuses to work correctly, then the problem is either with it or with the USB cable. If everything works, then the whole problem is in the computer options - go to the next step.

6. Try plugging another device into the computer (flash drive, for example). If an error also occurs with other flash drives, then go to the “Control Panel” and select “Troubleshooting”. In it, click on “Device Settings”. Automatic setup will occur.

7. If the computer still does not see the smartphone, then the only thing left to do is update the drivers.

Note: Most new phones now default to charging rather than data. To check what type of USB connection is used, use the simple instructions from the screenshots below.

Problem connecting a USB card to a tablet computer

Some tablets now have the ability to connect a USB drive. You insert a regular flash drive through a special adapter, the tablet does not react at all. So why doesn’t the tablet see the USB flash drive through the adapter?

The main reason for this error is different standard file systems. Then you need to format the flash drive in FAT32 (this is the system modern tablets are designed for) via a computer.
If this does not help, then you need to root the device and download the StickMount application from Google Play, through which you can install the USB drive virtually after inserting it into the tablet.
If none of the above methods help, then think about repairing your tablet.

Every day, thousands of users become owners of smartphones and tablets based on Android. Some of them may experience certain problems when working with the device. For example, the user decided to connect the smartphone to the computer via a USB cable. He connects the device and... And nothing happens. In this case, the necessary drivers are installed, the device is accurately connected, but is not reflected at all on the computer. The traditional question is what to do?

Ideally, the user should see something like this, where the device is connected as a data storage device:

In this case, it will be recognized and you will see the contents of your device on your computer. In addition, if you click on the connection mode, you will see an additional menu of connection methods:

On the computer, in turn, an autorun window for the device will appear:

What to do if the computer does not see the device?

Alas, there is no single advice, but we will try to understand the situation and consider possible solutions to the problem.

The very first thing you should do is reboot your device. The author of these lines periodically has this problem and it is solved by rebooting the device. Most likely, there is some glitch in the system. If there is more recent firmware for your device, be sure to update it, it may help.

The next step is to carefully inspect the USB cable. It is possible that it is damaged. If possible, try connecting the device with a different USB cable. If it works, then that's where the problem lies.

Connect the device to a different USB port. Some of them may not work or work incorrectly.

If you see its connection mode on the device, click on this item and try to select a different type of connection, for example, not a media device, as in our case, but a USB drive. This might help.

Without disconnecting the device from the computer, try disabling and enabling USB debugging several times in a row. If this works, you will hear a characteristic sound in the speakers, and an autorun window will appear on the computer screen. Try also simply disabling USB debugging.

You should pay special attention to drivers, since for some devices you will have to install them yourself. In some cases, you have to install drivers from completely different devices - you can find out more about drivers for a specific device on thematic forums.

If all else fails, try connecting the device to another computer. If another computer sees it, then the problem is with your computer and possibly with the drivers. If the other computer does not see the device, then the problem is either the cable, the device itself, or the USB port. And be sure to update the firmware version, if possible.

If you have any questions, you can ask them using the comments.

Despite the support of an Android smartphone or tablet for SD cards up to 32 GB, sometimes you need to connect external “storage” - portable hard drives and flash drives.

The essence of the problem with USB-Flash drives on Android devices

Modern Flash drives have a capacity of up to 128 GB. This amount of memory is not superfluous, especially when the owner of a smartphone or tablet downloads and distributes many films, music, programs, etc. at once. Additional memory is needed. The essence of the problem is as follows.

For this you need to connect additional “flash drives” via microUSB. An ideal option for those who often go on business trips or travel is to carry a tablet and several 32–128 GB flash drives in your bag.

How to connect a flash drive to an Android gadget via OTG

OTG is a USB-microUSB adapter, a replacement for a USB cable with a Card Reader device. Takes up little space - no more than a standard flash drive. In this case, the flash drive must be formatted in FAT32 - not everything is going smoothly with the NTFS file system for the Android operating system.

There is a more difficult way: install a special Android application that allows your smartphone or tablet to work with NTFS media. So, these can be exFAT/NTFS for Total Commander, Paragon NTFS & HFS+ and their analogues.

If the flash drive is not readable, you need special Android applications. Some of them require Root rights.

How to get Root access

Applications that allow you to get Root access without using a computer: FramaRoot, Universal Androot, Visionary+, GingerBreak, z4root, BaiduRoot, Romaster SU, Towelroot, RootDashi, 360 Root, etc.

Applications that “hack” Root via PC: SuperOneClick, Unrevoked, GenoTools, vRoot, MTKDroidTools, etc.

Remember that by obtaining Root rights, you lose the supplier’s warranty and risk harming your gadget.

Another way is to change the licensed Android firmware to a “custom” one with unattached Root access.

Viewing the contents of a flash drive on an Android smartphone or tablet using third-party applications

USB Media Explorer app

If you want to simplify the process of accessing a flash drive, use the paid USB Media Explorer application. The old name of the program is Nexus Media Importer; it was initially developed for Nexus gadgets, but quickly expanded the line of supported Android smartphones and tablets. Root rights are not needed, the program is paid.

If this solution does not suit you, you will have to work a little harder.

Solutions based on the StickMount program

The StickMount application is one of the most famous and requires Root rights. Works in conjunction with any Android file manager, for example, ES Explorer. Both applications are available on the Play Market.

The flash drive is read/write.

All your files are now available

Connecting USB flash drives to devices that do not have miniUSB/microUSB

A number of companies, not as well-known as ZTE, Huawei, Sony and their other competitors, install non-standard interface connectors. OTG adapters with miniUSB/microUSB are absolutely not suitable for gadgets with a highly standardized connector without a special OTG adapter. Look on Ebay or AliExpress for an OTG adapter that matches the standard of the interface socket of your smartphone or tablet. Further steps to obtain software access to your flash drives are the same.

Other ways to connect a flash drive to an Android smartphone or tablet

There are the following methods:

Video: Connecting additional devices to a smartphone and tablet, including flash drives: problems and solutions

By connecting flash drives and other storage devices to your Android smartphone or tablet, you free up your hands when it comes to organizing the storage of the data you carry with you. This can be very useful to you on business trips and travel. Good luck!