• Why doesn't my smartphone recognize the USB flash drive? Methods for connecting USB to a smartphone

    Not all users know that you can connect a regular flash drive to your Android smartphone. Moreover, owners of top-end smartphones may not need this function, but for those who have a budget device there are a lot of different benefits from this.

    For example, if you have little built-in memory, then you can connect a flash drive and watch movies or listen to music from it. Or you need to transfer some important information from a flash drive to your device, but you don’t have a PC at hand.

    In general, this useful “trick” has a lot of applications and, of course, we won’t consider them all. We are more interested in how exactly to connect a USB drive to your gadget.

    Checking support for the OTG protocol

    OTG protocol is a technology with which you can connect not only a flash drive, but also any other peripheral device to an Android smartphone - a mouse, printer, video camera, etc. More details about this.

    To check whether your gadget supports this technology, use the USB OTG Checker application, which can be downloaded.

    USB OTG cable

    This cable is an “adapter” at one end, which has a standard mini USB connector for connecting a smartphone, and at the other end there is a regular USB port for connecting a flash drive. We simply connect both devices with this cable and don’t need to do anything else.


    USB OTG drive

    It’s even easier if you purchase in advance a universal flash drive that can be directly connected to both a PC and an Android without any additional “adapters.”

    Important! The flash drive must be formatted in FAT32. If it is in NTFS format, then the device on Android OS will simply not see it.

    Conclusion

    That's all: you shouldn't have any difficulties connecting a USB flash drive to your device. Ask any additional questions in the comments, and we will definitely answer!

    We told you how you can connect USB gaming peripherals, such as a joystick or gamepad, both from a computer and from a game console, to a phone or tablet with the Android operating system. But the USB port installed in your Android device can work not only with joysticks.

    Maybe you, like us, have had the thought come into your head more than once; “Why can’t you just connect a USB flash drive to your Android phone or tablet and download files directly?” In fact, this can be done, although sometimes this operation is associated with some difficulties. Today we will tell you, dear readers, how to connect a USB flash drive to your mobile device.

    How to connect a flash drive to an Android device via micro-USB

    Most modern smartphones and tablets running Android OS have a standard micro-USB connector installed as a communication port. In order for a phone or tablet to see devices connected to it through this port, it must support the technology USB On-The-Go, abbreviated USB OTG(sometimes you can also find the name USB Host). This technology means that the micro-USB port can supply power to external devices, thus allowing them to be visible in the system. The implementation of this technology is present in the Android operating system from version 3.1 and higher, so if your phone or tablet is not completely old-fashioned, then everything should work as it should.

    If you are not sure about the hardware capabilities of your mobile device, and do not find the relevant information in the technical documentation for it, you can try installing the USB OTG Checker application on your Android device, available for download on the Google Play store.

    Its only function is to quickly check your phone or tablet to see if it supports USB On-The-Go (USB Host) technology.

    The only thing you need to connect a USB flash drive to an Android device is a USB On-The-Go (USB OTG) adapter cable.

    You can buy it at any computer or mobile store and it is very inexpensive. Sometimes manufacturers include it in the delivery package of their devices, saving us time and money.

    You insert it with the corresponding end into the micro-USB connector of your mobile device, connect the flash drive to the other end, and the job is done, you can look for the files on the flash drive in the usb storage folder (sometimes just USB), which will appear among the drives available in the system. It can be accessed using any file manager.

    Unfortunately, not all mobile devices running the Android operating system can work in such a simple way. It often happens that you connect a flash drive to micro-USB via an adapter using the above method, but nothing happens. If you are sure that your device supports USB On-The-Go technology, but nothing happens when you connect the flash drive to your phone or tablet via an adapter cable, do not despair.

    This problem occurs because your mobile device does not automatically mount the external drive, and it needs help with this. On the Google Play market you can find several programs that can do this. The most popular is StickMount, which can be downloaded for free. The latest version of the program works with the Android 4.0 operating system and higher. The application can work not only with USB flash drives, but also with digital cameras and other similar equipment.

    Please note that this application requires root access! If you have not yet opened root on your mobile device, it's time to do so right now. You can find out how this is done from our database article:

    As soon as you install StickMount on your device, you can connect a USB flash drive via a USB OTG cable. When connected, your Android device will show you a pop-up asking if you want to launch StickMount. Agree with this, the program will detect your USB drive and mount it.

    You can find your drive along the path /sdcard/usbStorage/sda1.

    To safely remove the flash drive back, go to the program and select the "Unmount" command.

    How to connect a flash drive to an Android device without micro-USB

    Chinese companies, and even famous manufacturers, sometimes sin by installing non-standard connectors on their mobile phones and tablets with the Android OS, to which it is not possible to connect a USB On-The-Go adapter cable directly. If you are the happy owner of just such a device, to use a USB flash drive with it, you will first need to find an appropriate adapter that connects the USB connector to the proprietary connector of your manufacturer.

    This can be difficult, since every store around the corner usually does not sell such adapters. But you can always find and order the required adapter via the Internet on Western or Chinese trading platforms.

    Otherwise, the algorithm of actions is the same as in the previous section. Connect the flash drive, and if it is not detected right away, try using a special mounting program.

    We hope our article helped you figure out the question “How to connect a flash drive to Android”, and transferring files to your mobile device and back to an external drive has become much easier.

    After reading this article, you will learn how to connect USB to your devices.

    USB OTG(USB On-The-Go) - a technology that allows you to connect 2 or more peripheral devices to each other without the participation of a computer. For example, you can connect a flash drive or camera directly to a printer to print photos.

    I want to say right away that for devices on Android and iOS you can use external HDDs with a Wi-Fi connection, but this topic will not be discussed in this article, perhaps in the future I will touch on it again.

    I would like to note right away that without Jailbreak you will not be able to fully use a regular flash drive and gadgets. More details below.

    There are several ways to connect USB-OTG to iOS devices:

    1. Camera Connection Kit (Unstable with iPhone and iPad)
    2. i-FlashDrive
    3. Wi-Fi storage

    The i-FlashDrive works with all iOS devices. This is an ordinary flash drive, which, with the help of third-party software on mobile devices, allows you to work with files on it, so let’s take a closer look at the first method.

    Without Jailbreak

    Device Camera Connection Kit comes in different versions, in particular this is a version with a USB port and a version with an SD card port. It is so called because without hacking the firmware, a drive connected in this way is only suitable for working with photo/video files using the Photos application in iOS (A Camera section appears in the Photos app (Import in iOS 7 and later)).

    With Jailbreak

    Connecting devices will still be done using Camera Connection Kit, however, it will now have the role of a connector between devices. You can connect flash drives, keyboards, mice and other devices (not all gadgets will work). Some flash drives, external HDDs, etc. may not work due to low voltage, so you can use a USB hub with additional power as an intermediary between the gadget and Camera Connection Kit. To fully work with the file drive you will need file manager iFile.

    I can’t tell you about the format for the drive in iOS, since I’m not an Apple fan and I don’t have a sample for research. I can only suggest reading the information about formatting drives for Android -

    Android

    With Android everything is much easier than with iOS. Almost all new devices running this OS have the ability to connect additional gadgets, including flash drives and external HDDs, right out of the box. This is done using the usual USB-OTG cable (microUSB - USB), since Android devices have a common micro USB connector for all. You can purchase this cable at any radio market, or order it at Amazon, Ebay, DX.com, Aliexpress, etc. They may differ in appearance and length, but their purpose is the same.

    Android devices also have problems with powering USB gadgets, so if there is not enough power, then use a USB cable with additional power or a USB hub with additional power.

    You can easily connect to Android not only flash drives and external HDDs, but also mice, keyboards, web cameras, game joysticks, etc. Basically, no third-party programs are required, unless, of course, it is, for example, a Bluetooth mouse or web camera.

    Preparing the drive for use

    In order for your phone or tablet to see the drive, it must first be formatted.

    If your storage device is up to 4 GB in size, then format it to Fat32, if it is more than 4 GB, then select the file system exFat.

    In some cases the format NTFS Might also work - mine Galaxy S4 sees and works with an external 1TB hard drive without additional power in NTFS format using the built-in application My files.

    Working with a storage device

    Different programs can be used to work with drives. Basically, now all new phones support working with storage devices without Root, but it may be needed if the smartphone cannot see the drive.

    So, programs that allow you to work with flash drives, external HDDs, etc.:

    Do you have any questions? Do you want to add to the article? Did you notice the error? Let me know below, I'll definitely hear from you!

    If this article helped you, write about it in the comments. And don’t forget to share the article with your friends on social networks;)

    P.S.

    The article is copyrighted, so if you copy it, do not forget to insert an active link to the author’s website, that is, this one :)

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    Modern smartphones are not far behind Symbian-based devices in terms of permanent memory capacity. Yes, now the amount of free space is measured in gigabytes, not megabytes. But files have recently become much heavier - just remember a video that has a high resolution, due to which it can weigh up to 10 GB. This is why some users prefer to use an external flash drive. In most cases, it is a memory card. But sometimes a USB flash drive is connected to the smartphone. How this is done will be discussed below.

    The USB port is a strict standard - in fact, it works the same on all devices, be it a computer, printer or phone. But this does not mean that it has the same appearance everywhere. It is physically impossible to connect a cable from a smartphone to the socket of a scanner, printer or MFP, and vice versa. This is explained by the fact that the connectors differ in both their shape and size.

    On smartphones running Android, the most commonly used port is made in the form factor micro-USB. It received this name due to its tiny size. By the way, on new flagships you can find a new type of connector - . Its dimensions remained the same, but its shape changed. But in any case, connecting a USB flash drive right away often won’t work. After all, it is intended for full size USB port, which can be found on computers and laptops, but not on portable gadgets.

    There are two ways to solve this problem. The first is to buy a special flash drive equipped with two connectors at once - USB And micro-USB. But so far such accessories are not very common, and they are quite expensive. Therefore, in most cases, users choose the second method of solving the problem, which is to connect a traditional flash drive to a tablet or smartphone via OTG cable. It is made in the form of a short cord, at the ends of which there is a USB female (input for a full-size USB plug) and a micro-USB output.

    Unfortunately, not everything is as simple as it seems. By default, Android has supported OTG technology for quite a long time. But many manufacturers still block it, most often for the sake of security. It also happens that this technology is not fully supported. The device may not supply the required amount of energy to the flash drive through its connector. In such cases, it is impossible to connect a flash drive to an Android smartphone without special tricks, providing it with a flow of electricity. If you are not comfortable with a soldering iron, then you definitely won’t be able to use the device in conjunction with a USB flash drive.

    How can I find out about the presence or absence of OTG support?

    Unfortunately, there is no app you can download for this. Even famous AnTuTu Benchmark will not write to you about whether the gadget supports OTG technology. If you want to find information on this matter, you will have to go to the manufacturer’s official website and familiarize yourself with the full technical characteristics of your device. It also makes sense to read reviews of the smartphone published on many sites, including our resource.

    If you don’t want to look for information, you can check the presence of OTG support experimentally. Just get the appropriate cable and use it to connect the flash drive to your smartphone. If the accessory is not recognized, then this function is blocked by hardware.

    Some restrictions

    While smartphones have switched to a micro-USB connector quite a long time ago, the same cannot be said about tablets. Some well-known manufacturers have models with a proprietary port. It is no longer possible to find such tablet computers in stores, but it is quite possible to purchase them from your own hands. Most often, a non-standard connector is present in “ tablets» from Samsung And ASUS. To connect a flash drive in this case, you will not need an OTG cable, but a special proprietary adapter.

    Interestingly, the opposite situation also existed before. The first tablets from Acer had an additional full-size USB port. The flash drive was connected directly to such a device, without the use of auxiliary accessories.

    How to read the contents of a USB flash drive?

    We figured out how to connect a flash drive to Android. But how to read its contents? Do I need any additional program for this?

    You can easily use the built-in tools. Now almost every smartphone and tablet is equipped with a file manager. It does not have any serious functionality, but such a utility must provide viewing of the contents of a flash drive.

    And if there is no such program on your device, then go to Google Play. Download there Conductor , X-Plore or something similar. Using any of these file managers, you can easily view documents, videos and other contents of a flash drive connected via USB.

    On some devices, standard file managers do not cope with their task. This applies in particular to tablets Nexus 7 And Nexus 10. They may require installation USB Media Importer. You can also use the free utility StickMount, but for its functioning it is necessary

    Not all mobile devices are equipped with sufficient internal memory. Connecting a flash drive solves this problem and allows you to watch large movies on your phone or tablet, move files and perform other operations with data. Several methods can be used to combine a smartphone and an external drive, and support for a certain standard will also be required. Let's take a closer look at how to connect a flash drive to an Android smartphone and solve problems that arise in the process.

    How to connect a USB flash drive to your phone?

    Before you start connecting a USB storage device to your mobile device, you need to make sure that this option is available. You need to inspect the device for the presence of a Micro-USB connector.

    Please note

    Almost all modern phones are equipped with a Micro-USB connector, but sometimes there are those where the manufacturer used its own connection standard.

    Even if the desired connector is found on the phone, it is not necessary that it supports OTG technology. Its essence is to supply power to the contacts, which makes it possible to connect not only flash drives, external hard drives, but also keyboards and other electronics. This technology has been implemented since Android version 3.1. First, you should check the firmware compliance by visiting the “About the device” section. If the version is higher, then you can proceed to the next check point:


    According to the result that the application produces, it will be . You can also look at the information in the technical characteristics of the smartphone by finding them through a search engine.

    If all conditions are met, the next step is to purchase a special adapter. At one end there is a Micro-USB output, at the other - a USB input. This small device is connected to the smartphone connector, then a flash drive is inserted into it. Nowadays, flash drives with two outputs have already begun to spread en masse.

    Now we have considered the most standard connection method, when the phone has all the necessary technologies and connectors to ensure the smooth execution of the procedure. However, this does not always happen. Let's consider other options.

    How to connect a flash drive to Android without OTG?

    Have you ever connected an external flash drive to your smartphone?

    Budget smartphone models, where they try to save on every little detail, sometimes lack OTG technology. This problem can be solved, but additional adapters and devices will be required. In general, the process looks like this:

    • Take a charger with a USB cable.
    • Connect it as a power source to the USB-Hub (in other words, a splitter).
    • Connect the drive to the latter.
    • Insert the output of the splitter into the Micro-USB adapter.
    • Connect the latter to your mobile device.

    The design will be quite bulky and tied to a constant power source, but using other methods to connect a flash drive and a phone without OTG support will not work.

    Important to know

    The smartphone will be able to easily open all files stored on external memory, but some models may not support recording.

    How to connect a flash drive to Android without Micro-USB?

    Older smartphones may not have a Micro-USB connector because each manufacturer used a different input standard at the time. A special adapter will help you cope with this problem. The easiest way to look for such devices is in online stores, since the product is specific and may often not be available in regular retail outlets.

    When performing a search, you should indicate the full name of the phone or tablet in order to get exactly the adapter that fits the existing connector.

    Possible problems and their solutions

    When connecting flash drives, other problems may arise that are not related to connectors and supported technologies. Let's look at the most common problems and methods for resolving them:

    • The flash drive does not mount automatically. When you are sure that OTG is present, but the USB drive still does not appear in the file manager, it means that the device lacks the necessary function. Most often, the problem occurs on devices of the Nexus line and those on which . The solution is to install the StickMount application (requires superuser rights to work).
    • Invalid file system format. A flash drive in FAT format is connected to an Android smartphone via micro-USB. If the drive was formatted to the NTFS standard, then it will not be possible to recognize it using standard OS tools. As a solution, two options can be taken:
      • Re-format the flash drive to FAT format. This can be done both on a computer and on a smartphone. Please note that this process will delete all data. Therefore, it is recommended to transfer them to another medium in advance.
      • Installation . Using the program's tools, you can open a flash drive in NTFS format and manage its contents. There is other similar software, but in most cases it requires root access to function.
    • The amount of external memory is too large. Devices with weak specifications may have difficulty connecting large storage devices. This manifests itself in a lack of recognition or freezes during use. Only changing the flash drive will help.
    • Damage. This includes malfunctions of the drive, adapters and connectors. To accurately identify the cause, you should replace one element one at a time and check for correct operation.

    The presented material describes in detail how to connect a flash drive to an Android smartphone. You can accomplish your plans even in the absence of a Micro-USB input and OTG support, and special applications will help you recognize drives of incompatible formats.

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