USB connection to tablet. How to connect a USB flash drive to an Android tablet and smartphone - transfer files using an external flash drive

Surely you have encountered such a problem when there was a need to connect a flash drive to an Android tablet to copy from the media necessary files. There will be no difficulties connecting this media to the device, provided that Android 3.1 or its more recent releases are installed on it. This release of Android has acquired the option of a USB host. However, in any case, for a device that runs Android 3.1 or higher latest versions, it can be noted that among its equipment there is a host controller, and the device itself provides the function of connecting various equipment via USB. To confirm that the tablet has this function, you should refer to the documentation files or specifications for this device. Most often its name sounds like USB OTG. Sometimes it is also called USB Host. Along with this, you can make sure that the device works with such technology by having an installed USB application OTG Checker. It is offered to everyone free of charge, for which you just need to visit the Google Play application store.

How to open a flash drive on a tablet. Connection methods.

There are often situations when manufacturers are faced with the problem of equipping a tablet with a USB port standard size, the reason for which is the form factor of the device. Here, taking into account the size of the device, a microUSB type interface is included in the design. And some manufacturers use their own equipment. The first option involves connecting a flash drive to the tablet using a cord USB type OTG. As for the second, here you need to use an adapter with a USB output. Thus, among Samsung and Asus tablets there are samples that are equipped with a special proprietary connector, which, when using the appropriate adapter, turns into a full-size USB port.

How to connect a USB flash drive to a tablet?

To connect a USB drive to a device using MicroUSB, you need to connect the flash drive to the end of the OTG cord, and connect the connector to the microUSB port of the tablet. If the device has the USB Host option (USB OTG), it will automatically detect the presence of a flash drive. OTG cable not much different from the branded adapter. The fact is that each of them is designed to provide the owner of the gadget with access to connected devices via a USB port. In other words, thanks to the OTG cable, you can change the slave mode of the device to the master one.

It is already clear to you that the process of connecting a flash drive to a tablet using any of the methods described above is not difficult. To do this, you will need an OTG cable that is compatible with your device. You need to connect a flash drive to it, and then, using the connector, connect to the gadget.

Automatic connection Flash drives for an Android device

If there are no problems with the connection and identification of the flash drive, the device will be connected in automatic mode, which will be indicated by a sound signal.

How to view a flash drive on a tablet

In order to find out what files are present on the flash drive, you should use a file manager. This application It can be built-in or it can be additionally installed by the device owner himself. So, ASTRO could be an option File Manager. Also a program that provides this opportunity is ES Explorer. These and similar programs are available for free download everyone on Google Play.

Thanks to this method It becomes possible to connect to the gadget, along with a flash drive and mouse, other devices: keyboards, photographic equipment and a number of other devices that can work without installing drivers.

An important point is that owners of Galaxy Nexus models will not be able to connect a flash drive to the tablet using a file manager. This requires a paid Nexus program Media Importer, which can replace free analogue StickMount (requires Root rights).

How to safely remove a flash drive from a tablet?

Above we looked at the issue of connecting flash memory to a mobile device, now let's look at how to disconnect a flash drive from a tablet. It would seem that it could be difficult to remove, I just stuck it out of the USB and that’s it. However, if you want to extend the life of your little one USB device, then it is important to know how to properly remove the flash drive from the tablet.

First of all, you need to go to “Settings” and select the “Memory” tab there.

Next, on the “USB storage” tab, click on “Remove SD card”

Thus, after these actions occurs safe removal flash drives from a tablet.

Tablet computers are very limited in internal memory. Plus most of them are intentionally unusable microSD memory. It follows from this that many users, and more than once, wondered how to still connect a flash drive to a tablet?

Standard connection methods

Everyone has encountered the need to quickly copy files or move necessary documents, because the tablet is increasingly penetrating our everyday life. It's hard to imagine modern man without a touch gadget, because this:

• Convenient and practical;
• Everything you need to perform everyday tasks is always at hand;
• Mobile, minimal weight and dimensions are the goal of any manufacturer.

Full size USB

Some touch devices are equipped with a full-size USB connector that allows you to seamlessly connect any peripherals. In the image below, you can see a Gigabyte tablet running operating Windows systems 7.

USB connector

Microsoft's Surface line of tablets also features a separate USB port. By the way, many transformers that come with a docking station are also equipped with a functional connector. If the tablet does not see the flash drive, then there are only three possible options:

• Mechanical damage to the port itself;
• Drivers were not installed correctly in the case of Windows OS;
• The flash card has become unusable.

OTG mode

A very useful technology that, fortunately, is supported by many devices. Allows you to eliminate “dancing with a tambourine” when trying to connect an external flash drive to the gadget. Such a small cord will allow you to easily synchronize both devices for data exchange.

The price of such an adapter is not very high, so every owner can buy and try it. There are two ways to check if your device has OTG mode:

• Study in detail technical specifications– manufacturers indicate this possibility;
• Practice, buy and on personal experience check functionality.

If the tablet does not see the flash drive, alas, we must admit that the manufacturer decided, for its own reasons, to deprive the gadget of this ability.

Non-standard connection methods

Fortunately, the owners tablet computers, methods for connecting external flash cards are not limited to the methods discussed above. This allows you to still configure the devices without spending a little time.

USB-host made easy

This method is suitable for those owners who are faced with the problem of their gadget not supporting OTG mode. Its essence lies in the fact that a USB connector of this type uses a two-way voltage supply: from the tablet and to it. This circuit powers the external device and the device recognizes it.

Double head cable

In order to create a chain yourself, you need to purchase a cord, as in the image. Micro-USB is connected to the touch gadget, USB on the left is connected to the mains via an adapter, and a flash drive is inserted on the right.

Instead of a cord, you can use a USB Hub, but still the main condition for performance this method voltage remains supplied to the external device. If it's all the same wondering, how to connect a flash drive to a tablet, then the methods below are just for you.

By the way, in this simple way you can even connect hard drives or game joysticks.

All kinds of adapters

Some manufacturers, for example, Samsung, categorically refuse to use standard micro-USB in their devices. Instead, they produce tablets with proprietary connectors, which causes a lot of inconvenience for owners.

After all, the cost of such a small adapter is quite high and the manufacturer has good earnings. Users, in turn, have to suffer in search of adapters on the Internet.

Adapter for Asus

Asus, as the progenitor of the Transformers line, is also forced to use a non-standard power connector.

Software barriers

The tablet does not see the memory card even after the manipulations have been done - you should seriously think about software barriers. One of these obstacles may be the inability of the built-in conductor to recognize connected external memory devices. This may be due to a software block or a normal coincidence.

USB device detection

StickMount is free application, which, unfortunately, only works with pre-installed root rights. But, practically in 99% of cases it allows you to configure the flash drive to work. Additionally, some kind of file manager must be installed, for example, ES Explorer.

Setting up a flash drive

After installing the applications, connect the flash drive to the tablet and give the utility access to root rights: a few seconds and a separate folder for the flash card is created.

You can take advantage paid programs, which are tailored for specific models devices.

File structure

Now having gone through installed conductor, you can access the files as shown in the above image.

Common Problems

As has already been found out, connection problems external drives memory for the tablet can be physical and software. If the first option is, for example:

• Flash card failure;
• Damage to the USB-OTG cable;
• Broken micro-USB connector.

In this case, physical intervention will be required: replacement or repair, each case has its own choice. As a rule, it is very difficult to restore a flash drive; it is easier to buy a new cord, and take the connector to a service center for replacement.

Software problems

Some users believe that by inserting a flash card into the device and you can immediately work with it, as a rule, this is not true. First of all, the drive must be formatted in FAT32, because Android processes data in a very specific way.

You should also check the maximum storage size that the device can support. In this case, only using a less capacious flash drive will help. The problem may also lie in a low version of the Android OS, which does not yet provide modules for working with external devices.

Detailed video instructions

If your tablet does not have enough memory to download high-quality video or large applications, then you can use the “workaround” option, i.e. connect a USB flash drive ( USB drive) to your device. This is exactly what today’s article will be devoted to. There are a couple of ways to connect a flash drive, you will learn about them below.

Connecting to a USB port

Connection using an adapter

If the device does not have a USB connector, you can try connecting a Flash drive using another port - micro-USB. For this we need a special adapter. The flash drive is connected to a large connector, and a more compact one is inserted into the corresponding port on the tablet. If everything is done correctly, a corresponding indicator will appear on the device, indicating that the flash drive has been connected. Next, as in method No. 1, you can view files located on the drive using any manager (built-in or third-party).

The methods described in this manual are suitable for most modern tablets, so you can safely use them. The most important thing is to do everything exactly as described in the instructions to avoid mistakes. Then, after a few minutes, you will be able to view the data stored on the flash drive using your gadget.

The presence of large USB connectors is impossible for a number of reasons in miniature cases of tablets and smartphones. However, this does not mean that a flash drive cannot be connected to it.

About connecting flash drives to a smartphone and tablet

Every tablet and smartphone has a miniature USB connector - micro-USB. You won’t be able to insert a full-fledged flash drive into it, since the dimensions do not match, but you can insert an OTG cable, which will serve as a kind of adapter.

Find out if your device supports this type of cable. Usually, on Android version 3.1 and higher there is always support, so you don’t have to worry about this.

If you are not sure about OTG support 100%, then install it on your tablet special application, allowing you to check - USB OTG Check. In the application interface, click on the button "Check Device OS on USB OTG".

The scan will begin and end after a few seconds. If the program displays such a message with a green background (see screenshot), then everything is fine and there is support.

If during the check it turns out that there is no support, then the following message will appear.

Now that you know for sure whether your device supports an OTG cable, you can start considering possible ways connections:

• Use an OTG cable;
• Use a different type of conductor;
• Using special flash drives for phones and tablets.

Also, using an OTG cable or other adapter, you can connect some other device to the tablet, for example, a mouse or keyboard. Only in this case will it be important that the external device was connected via a USB interface.

Option 1: Using OTG

The easiest way. An OTG cable may come bundled with some smartphones and tablets. At one end of the cable there is a micro-USB plug that is inserted into the tablet, and at the other there is a USB interface into which a flash drive is inserted.

After you connect everything, a special light indicator on the flash drive should light up, if provided in the design. A message will also appear on your device indicating that a third-party device is connected to it.

You can view the contents of the flash drive by following the following path:

/sdcard/usbStorage/sda1

The transition can be made at any file manager, what is on the device. Even the standard version will do.

Option 2: Using other adapters

You can also find a more compact alternative to OTG cables on the market, which look like small device, which has a USB input at one end and a contact for connecting to micro-USB port on a smartphone.

Connecting a flash drive is similar to the previous option.

Option 3: Flash drives with two ports

You can also find flash drives that have two contacts - one USB and the other micro-USB. Such drives are very practical as they allow you to connect to computers and mobile devices.

The only problem is that such flash drives are not the most common and they are not always easy to find. They may also cost more regular models. The connection also has no distinctive features.

Option 4: Flash drives for iOS devices

Owners of iPhone and iPad may encounter difficulties, since they do not have micro-USB connectors, but have its analogue – Lighting. In this case, ordinary OTG adapters and flash drives become useless. Fortunately, there are flash drives that provide a Lighting connector as an additional one, rather than a micro-USB.

This option is the only option to connect a flash drive to an Apple smartphone or tablet.

Possible connection problems

There is a possibility that the device may not detect your drive, in which case you need to perform one of the steps below:

• Make sure your flash drive has file system FAT32. The point is that mobile devices can only work with this file system. If the media has a different system, then it will have to be formatted in FAT32;
• It is quite possible that the tablet is not able to provide the flash drive with the required amount of energy. In this case, you can charge the first one to 100%. If this does not help, then you will have to connect other storage media.

Also, some tablets are not able to initialize the flash drive. In this case, you can try to install special software - StickMount. You can find it in Play Market. However, it must be taken into account that the program for correct operation requires you to give her root access. Instructions for using the application are as follows:

It is worth remembering that the ability to connect third party devices First of all, it depends on the smartphone itself, since if it does not support OTG, then you will not be able to force it to read information from a regular USB flash drive.

Hello.

I've always wondered why tablets don't have a full-fledged USB port A? It’s clear that you can’t put it on a “small” phone, but on a tablet?

Actually, I think you have had situations more than once when you needed to connect a flash drive to a tablet or smartphone in order to quickly copy (read) data. But you can’t do it that easily and you have to resort to using various “adapters” and adapters (which means there will be “dark” and unclear moments, unnecessary problems with compatibility, errors, etc.). This is what today's article will be about...

In general, I want to say right away what to connect USB flash drive Not possible for every tablet (phone): it should not be very old, with an Android OS version lower than 3.1. It's just that older systems (than 3.1) don't support it USB mode host ( original title USB Host, or even more commonly used USB OTG), which means they won’t see your flash drive.

Connecting a flash drive via USB OTG

The vast majority of tablets and phones have a universal MicroUSB port. You can connect a charger, a flash drive, and other devices to it.

To connect a flash drive, you will need a special adapter from MicroUSB to regular USB port. Such adapters are called USB OTG adapters . Nowadays you can find a variety of options on sale: with a flexible elastic wire, just like a small adapter (which can be easily lost ) and other options.

Addition!

By the way, very cheap OTG adapters can be found in various Chinese online stores. If you search, you can find similar products for 30-50 rubles! I talked about the cheapest Chinese stores in this article:

Actually, taking such an adapter, connect a flash drive to it and insert it into the MicroUSB port of the tablet (or phone). Example below.

Please note that the LED on the flash drive should start blinking (i.e. it means that power is being supplied to it - good signal ).

Actually, in the “Files” section in Explorer on Android, two “directories” are visible:

1. phone memory (all your photos, ringtones, etc. are stored here);
2. An external USB drive is our flash drive.

Next, just go to either the phone memory or a flash drive - copy what you need, and then paste it into another desired directory. All actions are performed almost identically to Windows Explorer...

By the way, now universal flash drives with two ports have begun to appear on sale: classic USB and MicroUSB. Name such a flash drive, you don’t need any adapters! It can be connected to both a regular PC/laptop and a tablet. A convenient tool for transferring data from one device to another!

Now there are flash drives on sale that can be directly connected to a PC or tablet.

By the way, as a test I connected such a flash drive to the phone: Explorer on Android sees it without any problems this drive and allows you to fully work with it...

Possible problems when connecting a flash drive via an OTG adapter

1) There is nothing in Explorer, I can’t find the flash drive...

Yes, apparently it depends Android versions- if it’s older, then Explorer does not always show the flash drive, even if it is visible on the tablet.

But there is an alternative to Explorer, we are talking about the ES Explorer application (on Google Play). After installing this application, you should see USB Storage under " Local storage"(this is a flash drive). In principle, working with ES Explorer is no different from working with classic (except there are more possibilities).

2) The flash drive is invisible neither in the conductor nor in the ES conductor, but the LED on it blinks. The tablet offers to format the flash drive...

This often happens if your flash drive is formatted as a file NTFS system. Many tablets/phones only accept FAT 32, and therefore cannot read a flash drive, and offer best case scenario format it.

Here you can do this:

1. use the program - it will allow you to mount drives formatted in NTFS and HFS+ (also very useful for Apple users);
2. Just .

By the way, this also sometimes happens with USB 3.0 flash drives (so if you have a USB 2.0 flash drive, try connecting it).

3) If you connected an external hard drive...

It is possible that the tablet's power supply is simply not enough to ensure operation external drive. This can also happen with some flash drives (by the way, there may be problems with drives that are too large - the tablet simply may not recognize them).

If you want to connect external hard disk to the tablet - try using a special USB adapter(splitter) with a power supply (an example is shown in the photo below).

USB splitter with power supply

All the best!