How to see a USB flash drive on an android. What is a USB OTG cable for connecting a flash drive



Few consumers know that a mobile device running on the Android operating system, unlike other portable devices, can be used as a flash drive. In Lenovo smartphones on Android, the manufacturers initially incorporated functions that allow them to be used as a flash drive and used for their intended purpose. Thanks to this, the user can write down the necessary information, delete files from the device that are not used, but at the same time take up a lot of space in it.

Using an android phone as a flash drive, there is no need to connect it to a computer, constantly carry a cable with you, which is necessary to connect to a laptop, that is, to perform a lot of manipulations that spend a lot of time.

Ways to connect a mobile device as a flash drive

Let's consider how to connect a phone as a USB flash drive. To do this, you need to do a number of simple sequential actions:

  1. Select the "Menu" item on your device and find "Settings".
  2. Immediately after that, a list will appear on the screen, you should find the line "SD card" in it. Depending on the version of Android, it can be found through applications or memory .

  1. In order for the smartphone to recognize the PC as a USB flash drive, you need to put a tick in the displayed list opposite the line with the inscription "Data storage device". Or click on the inscription "SD card connection".
  2. As soon as the smartphone is connected to the computer, an icon will appear in the status bar of the device, which indicates that the USB flash drive is in working condition.

If you lower the shutter in the menu, the phone will be connected via the USB port as a flash drive. If you need to turn off the drive, you must also lower the shutter and click on the corresponding inscription.

Options for connecting a phone with different versions of Android

Let's consider how to connect a phone as a USB flash drive, depending on the version of Android that is installed on the device. First, you need to find out which operating system is installed on your smartphone. To do this, go to "Settings" and find the item "About phone" or "About device". Usually it is the last one in the list that opens.

If the OS Android 2.1 - 2.3.7 take the following steps:

  • The device is connected to a PC using a USB cable;
  • The computer itself must detect the new device. If this does not happen, you need to disconnect the smartphone from the PC, go to "Settings" → "Applications" → "For developer" → "USB debugging". After that, reconnect to the PC.
  • The drive icon will appear in the device, it remains to click "Connect via USB", which must be done as a media device.

If your phone has an Android operating system with version 4 and higher, you need to connect to a PC, do the following: "Menu" → "Settings" → "Memory" → "Connect to SD-card" .

Android does not see the memory card

There are situations in which the flash drive is not detected in the smartphone. In order to find it, it is recommended to use the file manager - ES Explorer or its equivalent. With the help of such programs, you can find almost everything. They are similar in function to the My Computer program.

In order to recognize a memory card, you need to launch ES Explorer, prematurely downloading it to your device. After starting, a menu will appear on the left side of the screen, in which the memory card (SDcard) is located. You just have to click on it. She is discovered and open to work.

After performing simple actions, anyone, even a novice user of a mobile device, will be able to find a memory card in it. The reasons why the computer does not see the SDcard can be different. It may be necessary to update the operating system on the PC or install the MediaTransferProtocol (MTP) for Windows XP

(No ratings yet)

Lenovo laptop won't turn on: possible causes How to install rights on Lenovo p780 Root Why the phone does not see the computer via usb: reasons and solutions How to connect wired internet to a lenovo laptop: options How to add a google account on your phone: instructions

The need to quickly "dump" files to a smartphone, as well as to use an external drive when there is a shortage of memory, is acute today. It is especially relevant for owners of flagship devices that lack support for removable memory cards. And other users often need to work with large files temporarily.

Disk cleanup in order to place files is far from always justified in such cases. For example, it is not the most rational option to free up 5-10 GB (out of 16 or 32) in memory in order to copy a movie there, which will be deleted immediately after viewing. This is where a removable USB drive comes in handy like never before.

Can I connect a USB flash drive to my smartphone? If yes - what is needed for this and what devices have similar functionality? In this article we will try to answer all the questions that arise.

The USB On-The-Go (OTG) standard is designed to connect various peripherals to each other without the need for additional hardware. This function is fully implemented at the software level in Android OS (from version 2.3), partially in iOS. It is also fully supported by the Windows system (not Windows Phone - for devices based on this platform, support is planned to be added in the 10th version of the OS).

What devices are supported?

Although at the software level, support for this standard is present in all smartphones based on Android, in practice, not all of them can work with a USB drive.

As a rule, USB OTG is supported by all flagship models of leading manufacturers (Samsung, LG, Motorola, Xiaomi, Sony, etc.), as well as some devices of Chinese origin. In budget models, costing up to $ 200, this function is very rare. The official list is not kept anywhere, you can check the possibility of working on your device only in practice, or by using a search on the Internet.

IOS devices have an operating system with limited access to the file system and lack a hardware USB connector. Therefore, a JailBreak is required to fully work with an external drive.

Microsoft Lumia (and other Windows Mobile smartphones) lack support for connecting external devices. It is expected to be introduced in the tenth version of WP.

How to connect?

Modern smartphones based on Android are usually equipped with a MicroUSB connector. In order to connect a USB flash drive, you need an adapter from MicroUSB to a full-size connector. The cost of such a device (if the manufacturer "forgot" to add it to the smartphone kit) is from $ 1.

As a rule, after connecting the flash drive is displayed in the file manager. If the device displays a message about connecting the drive, but the new disk does not appear in Explorer, you can use third-party software (X-Plore or ES Explorer). After that, you can work with the flash drive in the same way as with a regular memory card.

It should be noted that not all devices are able to "see" the drive correctly without additional programs.

It's a little more difficult for iPhone users, whose devices are equipped with a proprietary Lightning connector. A special adapter is more expensive and requires JailBreak and a third-party file manager to work. Otherwise, you won't be able to work with the data.

Memory cards are the most popular storage medium in the modern world - even cloud storage has not yet been able to supplant them.

Although flash drives are stable and versatile, in some cases their use is impossible for technical reasons, for example, in the absence of a USB port on the device.

The article provides an answer to the question of how to connect to or, and what settings need to be changed for the correct display of its contents.

The essence of the problem

Absolutely all modern flash drives are available with a USB 2.0 port (with the exception of micro-memory cards intended for use in mobile devices, photo and video cameras).

Port 2.0 is large enough by itself, so it cannot be installed in modern models.

An alternative to it is a small microUSB port, which is significantly different in size.

It is obvious that it is impossible to connect a standard USB memory stick to the microUSB port without using additional equipment.

For this reason, a number of standard to small plug adapters have been developed to connect devices and transfer materials over fiber optic cable. However, in addition to, in fact, additional equipment. You will also need to change some settings in the device software.

Connection

What is required to connect the devices? First of all, it is a fiber-optic cable-adapter.

It is a short wire on one side of which there is a connection port for USB 2.0, and on the other there is a plug for plugging into a jack on the phone.

The device is inexpensive and sold in computer and hardware stores.

In addition, it is necessary that the device itself has support for the USB Host service. Currently, absolutely all smartphones with software higher than Android 5.0 have this function.

The file system of the memory card itself also plays an important role. The least number of problems occurs with flash drives with the FAT32 file system, but in principle, it is possible to work with the NTFS file system (but in this case, failures are possible).

You can change the file system of a flash drive from a computer using special programs and.

Compound

The process of connecting devices is very simple:

  • Insert the memory card into the connector on the cable;
  • Insert the plug on the other end of the cable into your phone or tablet (in this case, it can be turned on or off);
  • Turn on your mobile device if necessary;
  • In the vast majority of cases, you will not need any additional settings - a notification will appear on the screen of the mobile device that a removable storage has been connected to it;
  • Also in this window, usually, there is a proposal to enable the built-in file manager - enable it to gain access to the contents of the memory card;

  • In extremely rare cases, a notification may appear stating that removable media cannot be connected - this problem is caused mainly by the fact that the memory card works in a file system or another unsupported one, or contains more than one partition (normal operation is possible with only one data partition connected removable media);
  • In this case, make the necessary changes to the memory card;
  • By the way, in this way you can even connect a computer hard drive to the phone, but you need it to have only one partition (segment);
  • Some are third party. Those installed on the device are able to pick up the signal from the flash drive and open its contents in the usual way;
  • If you connected the drive, but the phone did not react in any way (it does not see the drive, but no notifications appeared), this indicates that the phone does not support USB Host and you need to get root rights, although this sometimes does not solve the problem;
  • In the case of connecting a hard drive to a smartphone, this situation suggests. that there is not enough power to keep it running.

If the flash drive is connected and you have access to its contents, then it is better to refuse to use the built-in file manager.

It will be much more convenient to use a third-party one.

For the most comfortable work with files on a memory card, it is recommended to download:

  • X-Plore File Manager (set the setting in the program Allow USB access);

OTG FileManager Nexus USB and Nexus Media Importer will intercept data from a flash drive even if it was not received on your old Android. This is a quick and convenient method, but it requires financial investments.

Possible difficulties

Specific problems can arise with budget Asian devices of unknown brands, as well as phones and tablets that are not intended for sale in the Russian Federation and ordered on the websites of foreign online stores.

They do not support the interface of some official flash drives and you may need to reflash the device to open it.

A specific difficulty arises with devices with an operating system version below Android 5.0.

In this case, for normal operation, you need to root the device.

This is not always easy to do, you need to follow the algorithm:

  • Download the FramaRoot program on the developer's official website at www.framaroot.ru;
  • You will download the application file for Android - transfer it to your device and install the application;
  • To install, your device must support the installation of applications from unknown sources - you can enable this by going to Settings à Applications à Additional settings;
  • Now run the application;
  • On the first page you will be asked to select the type of rights - specify SuperUser or SuperSU;
  • Next, a list of exploits will be displayed;
  • Click on any of them - if nothing happened, click on another;
  • As soon as you specify the correct one, a notification will appear that you have received full superuser rights on this device.

Gaining access by this method is as simple and fast as possible.

There are other ways to obtain them without involving third-party programs, but they involve using the device's factory settings in developer mode, and for an inexperienced user, the process is extremely difficult to implement.

In addition, during it you can accidentally make changes that affect the functioning of the entire device.

Important! There are several types of root rights. Full Root or Super User are the most complete of all, and you need to get them to connect a USB flash drive to a device. Other types of rights are not sufficient for this process.

Root rights are received once - they are saved after turning off the phone, rolling back to the factory settings, etc.

They can be lost only in case, and even then not in all cases. In addition to the ability to connect a flash drive, many other privileges also give rights.

A USB drive or just a flash drive is an immensely useful device that is used to transfer and transfer information. It is small, compact and comfortable. It is very easy to connect it to a computer or laptop to transfer this or that information.

However, there are situations when a computer is simply not at hand. But you need to throw information from the flash drive to your device. For example, this often happens at work or at university. Can't carry a laptop with you all the time in the hope that colleagues or classmates will share something useful? Or, there may be some necessary file on the device that must be launched on the computer. And, as luck would have it, there is no special adapter cable.

Well, or do you want to watch a movie on the latest smartphone with a gorgeous screen. And in which, as luck would have it, is impossible It is for the sake of getting out of such situations that you need to be able to connect a USB flash drive to the phone.

A little warning

It may seem that this is not possible at all. However, even the difference in connectors and inputs cannot in any way affect the way the flash drive is connected to the gadget. This may only require a special tool. You just need to warn about the following: if a USB flash drive can be connected, then you should not do this with a hard drive. There is a great chance to just spoil it, since it will not have enough energy from a smartphone to work properly. At the same time, even a flash drive will "eat up" the battery power very strongly. Be careful.

It should also be remembered that not all drives will work without external power supply. So if you want to normally use additional memory - take small cards no more than 2-4 GB of memory. Energy efficient desirable. For the rest, the phone simply doesn't have enough power.

What do you need to connect a flash card to Android?

To connect a USB storage you will need:

  • Dedicated USB OTG adapter. It can be in the form of a cable or adapter, which has a USB connector on one side, and a Micro-USB type plug on the other.
  • Smartphone support USB Host.
  • Root rights.
  • StickMount application (available in the Play Store).

Remember that it is not advisable to use root rights on smartphones whose warranty has not yet expired. Many manufacturers consider this to be a tampering with the system and void the warranty. Not to mention the fact that their presence will allow you to do whatever you want with your device. In the truest sense of the word.

Here is the application downloaded, the required adapter was purchased, and the phone handed over the root rights to you. It's time to try to upload files from the flash drive to the gadget.

After you install the application, you need to make it open by default for the USB device, and also give it superuser rights. After that, you will receive the path to the files that are on the USB flash drive. You can find them through any downloadable file manager available for any device. You can find it in the usbStorage folder, it is located conditionally on the memory card (which may not be there).

If you don't feel like poking around in the phone's settings and trying to hack it, you can transfer files without root-rights. However, only for the money and only for the Nexus. There are two applications for this in the Play Store. You will have to pay for them, but you do not need to rack your brains and the phone system once again. These two applications are called:

  • Nexus Media Importer.
  • Nexus USB OTG FileManager.

You just need to download and install them. Then you can safely use it.

By the way, you can try to install this application and not on the Nexus. You just need to find the Nexus Photo Viewer and download it. If it starts, congratulations, you don't need to be rooted. You can buy the utility you are looking for and use it. If not, you will have to go the difficult and unpleasant path of hacking.

In this case, everything is much more complicated. As a rule, Apple does not welcome the use of any peripherals at all, except for those produced by them. Therefore, the phone is fenced from the inside on all sides as much as possible. It will be necessary to try to somehow get around these restrictions.

First of all, the owner will have to buy a special cable. Finding it is not as easy as it might seem. Its peculiarity is that the technology from Apple, released after the iPhone 4S, has a special connector called Lightning. It cannot be used with conventional adapters. Although the manufacturer denies the possibility of connecting a USB flash drive, this denies the Lightning to USB Camera Adapter. In the original, this wire acts as an adapter for connecting a camera. However, it works fine with USB sticks too.

There are similar adapters on older versions with a 30-pin plug, but you still have to look for it. Basically, there are cheap Chinese crafts in online stores. already almost extinct, therefore it is problematic to find the right cord.

So, we have acquired the required cable. Now you need to hack ours. Unfortunately, without this, you will not be able to work normally with files on the drive. For this, there is a Jailbreak, which must be done in advance.

The next step is to install special utilities for reading our files from a USB flash drive. This refers to a file manager called iFile. You can find it on Cydia. As soon as it is downloaded, we can safely launch it and use it for our pleasure.

For those who do not want unnecessary problems with hacking and exploring new opportunities, Apple has come up with another proprietary gadget that can replace a USB drive. Such a device is called Leef iBridge. It is, in fact, a USB flash drive. But not simple, but with an additional Lightning plug.

This device is officially released, so there will be no problems with reading. It is enough to transfer the files to the device itself, and then insert it into the smartphone. And you can use it. True, such a pleasure is not cheap (however, everything with the Apple brand is expensive). But you can find variations from 16 to 128 GB of additional memory and not suffer from 1-4 GB on a regular card.

Sometimes you have to transfer files from a flash drive to your phone, but in such cases, not every user knows what needs to be done for this. Despite the fact that smartphones are not equipped with bulky USB connectors, there are many ways to connect a USB flash drive to the phone and transfer documents, applications, files without any problems.

Well, well, let's look at all the possible ways to connect a USB flash drive to gadgets with micro-USB connectors, namely smartphones, tablets and some other sensor devices.

How to connect a USB flash drive to your phone

First of all, you should find out if you can supply power to external devices using the micro-USB port of your smartphone. In this case, it is important that the same connected devices are displayed in the phone system.

In most cases, such verification is not required. But, if you buy some adapters to connect the phone to a USB flash drive, that is, you spend money, then it would be more correct to first make sure of this.

Whoever has Android 3.1 or higher installed, you can safely skip checks.

The smartphone documentation contains information about OTG support, you can also use the Internet.

To be completely sure, download the USB OTG Checker application, the main function of which is to check the device for OTG technology support.

  • Run the program and click on "Check Device OS on USB OTG".
  • If the test is successful, a green message will be displayed, if the test is failed, the answer will be red.

Subject articles:

Ways to connect a flash drive to a smartphone

To connect a USB flash drive to a smartphone, you can use the following options:

  • OTG cable;
  • Through an adapter;
  • Use a USB OTG flash drive for this;
  • If you have a mobile phone from Apple, you can use a special flash drive equipped with a special Lightning connector to connect.

If necessary, it is possible to connect not only a flash drive to a smartphone, but also some other devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, joystick. However, let's dwell in more detail on the methods of connecting a flash drive.

1 way. Connecting a flash card via an OTG cable

This method is the most common. It involves the use of an adapter cable. This adapter is very easy to buy, as it is constantly in demand. There are a lot of places of sale. As a rule, these are the points where mobile devices are sold. In some cases, the purchase is not necessary at all, since the manufacturers add this adapter to the configuration of their mobile devices.

The adapter is a cable, on one side of which there is a USB connector, and on the other side there is a micro-USB plug. Insert the flash card into USB, plug the micro-USB plug into the mobile phone.

If the memory card is equipped with light indicators, then when the lights start to glow, you can immediately understand that the work process has started. In addition, the smartphone will also signal that a removable medium is connected to it, however, in some models of gadgets these notifications are absent.

In order to see the contents of the connected memory card in the explorer (FileZilla, Total Commander) of the phone, you need to go along the following path: / sdcard / usbStorage / sda1

Method 2. Using an adapter

There are many small adapters on sale at the points of mobile phones, they can also be called adapters that convert ordinary USB to micro-USB. Such adapters on one are equipped with a micro-USB output, and on the other there are contacts created for USB. To make it work, insert the adapter into the memory card interface, after which you can connect to your smartphone.

Method 3. OTG connector application

In the case when you need to quite often connect to a USB flash drive, then the simplest and most convenient option will be to purchase a USB OTG flash drive. This media has 2 ports. One of them is a USB port. The second is the micro-USB port.

At the moment, USB OTG flash cards are sold in almost every mobile store or in department stores, where you can buy a regular memory card. It is noteworthy that the cost of the aforementioned cards does not differ much from ordinary flash drives.

Let's move on to the fourth method, where we will connect the flash card to the iPhone.

In nature, there are special media for Apple phones. The JetDrive Go 300 was developed by Transcend. This drive has a Lightning connector on one side and USB on the other. In principle, this connection method is limited to this.

How to connect a USB flash drive to a phone if the smartphone does not see a USB flash drive

What to do if your mobile phone does not detect the flash card that you connected to it?

There are three main reasons. Let's analyze them ...

  1. The file system type of the flash drive. Each mobile phone operates exclusively on the FAT32 file system;
  2. The mobile phone is not capable of providing power to the flash card for operation. In this case, you should, as an option, connect another memory card;
  3. The smartphone cannot automatically mount the USB flash drive that is connected to it. Under these conditions, the exit is to install the StickMount app.

Working with the StickMount app

When the application is installed, when the memory card is connected, a message will pop up on the device screen, where the phone will offer to launch the StickMount application.

Then you will need to check the box on automatic start.

When this is done, you should click "Mount", after which you can go to your USB flash drive, using the path / sdcard / usbStorage / sda1

The "Unmount" command is used to safely remove the USB stick. Please note that you need to be rooted to use the StickMount app. To get them, there are many instructional videos on the network for each specific phone.

How to get root rights:

To connect a USB flash drive to a mobile phone, it is important that the device itself functions with OTG technology. In this case, it will be possible to use a special cable, adapter, or you can use the connection of a memory card with micro-USB.


2021 gtavrl.ru.