Is it possible to connect a regular USB flash drive to the tablet? Guide to connecting a USB flash drive to an Android and iOS smartphone
When working with a tablet, it is often necessary to connect a USB flash drive. For example, to copy or edit a file. Unfortunately, there are practically no tablets with a USB host connector. Therefore, simply plugging a flash drive into a tablet, as is done with computers, laptops and other equipment, will not work. But there is a way out of this situation. Now you will learn how to connect a flash drive to a tablet based on the Android operating system.
How to connect a flash drive to a tablet using a USB OTG cable
So, connecting a flash drive to a tablet is done using a MicroUSB port, which is found on almost any device, and a USB OTG cable. The USB OTG cable is a small adapter from MicroUSB to regular USB host. Thus, in order to connect a USB flash drive to the tablet, you need to connect USB OTG cable into the MicroUSB port, then connect the flash drive to the .
Method of connecting a flash drive to a tablet with via USB OTG
USB OTG cable supported operating system Android starting from version 3.1. Therefore with the majority modern devices USB OTG will work without problems.
It should be noted that some tablets may not have MicroUSB, but instead such tablets are equipped with a non-standard proprietary connector. For example, some samsung tablets Galaxy Tab use a wide 30-pin connector. If your tablet has a similar proprietary connector, then in addition USB cable OTG, you also need an adapter from your proprietary connector to MicroUSB. There are also special USB OTG cables that are equipped with proprietary connectors.
USB OTG cable with proprietary 30 pin connector
How to open files from a flash drive on a tablet
After you have connected the flash drive to the tablet, you need to access the files that are stored on the flash drive. This can be done using file managers. For example you can use free application.
After connecting the flash drive, open the file manager and go to the mnt/sda/sda1 folder. The files on the flash drive you connected will be located here.
A separate case for tablet users Google Nexus. In order to open files from a flash drive, they need not a file manager, but an application. This application free and can be downloaded from Google Play.
What else can you connect to your tablet using USB OTG?
You may be surprised, but using a USB OTG cable you can connect not only flash drives, but many other peripheral devices to your tablet. For example, you can connect a keyboard, mice, gamepads and even 3G modems. In this case, mice and keyboards can be either wired or wireless.
The process of connecting a keyboard, mouse or other device to the tablet is no different from connecting a flash drive. We connect the USB OTG cable to the tablet, and then connect the device we need to the USB connector on the USB OTG cable.
Owners of modern tablets often face the problem that if they store a lot of movies and music on it, there is simply not enough memory on the device. Especially if the device is not too expensive and has a small volume internal memory. You can, of course, install a memory card and store everything on it, but situations often arise when you need to transfer several files at once from a computer or other tablet.
There are situations when you need to connect external flash drive To mobile device
The USB flash drive has long been the gold standard for quick saving. personal files and documents. Bulky disks have sunk into oblivion and have been replaced by compact drives. Some users were probably surprised to learn that connecting a drive to a mobile device may not be so easy. But in fact, you can connect it without special problems, having a special cable or adapter. We present to your attention detailed information on how to connect a flash drive to a tablet.
Connect the flash drive to the tablet
The information in the article is relevant for owners of Android and iOS devices. If you have a Windows tablet, then connect a flash drive, just like on a computer or laptop - you can simply plug the drive into a USB port and view its contents.
Android
All modern devices have hardware support for the so-called USB-OTG technology. It is thanks to it that you can connect a flash drive to the device. The board has a controller that recognizes external drives and other devices that do not require additional drivers for their operation.
What will you need for this?
- tablet,
- flash drive,
- special OTG cable.
If everything is clear with the first two accessories, then the third requires additional explanation. Given the small thickness of tablets, developers are abandoning full-size USB, equipping models with microUSB or proprietary connectors. Some companies provide devices with their own adapters, but in most cases you will have to spend money on a third-party accessory.
Its design is as follows: on the one hand, there is a microUSB or a proprietary interface for connecting to a tablet, and on the other, a regular USB for connecting to a flash drive. Connect the cable to the tablet and insert the drive. Now you can launch the file manager to view the files stored on it. The flash drive will appear as a USB drive or USB Storage.
iPad
If you have an iPad, connecting a USB flash drive is much more difficult. Apple Company prevents this by all means and, in fact, prohibits connecting external media data. However, you can connect. What will be required in this case?
- iPad,
- flash drive,
- Lightning to USB Camera Adapter or similar adapter.
There are adapters third party developers, exceeding the capabilities of the standard one. The features of the adapter are that you can only view photos and videos, and you can only record from a flash drive. You will have to make sure in advance that the file structure matches the one on the camera. In this case, the system will display all files in the standard gallery. Reformat video files into mp4 format, and photos into jpg, transfer them to the created DCIM folder.
Bulky USB connectors are not entirely suitable for compact smartphones. But this does not mean that flash drives cannot be connected to them. Agree that this can be very convenient in many situations, especially when the phone does not support the use of MicroSD. We invite you to consider all options for connecting a USB flash drive to gadgets with micro-USB connectors.
First, you need to find out whether your smartphone supports OTG technology. This means the micro-USB port can supply power to external devices and make them visible to the system. This technology has begun to be implemented on devices with Android 3.1 and higher.
Information about OTG support can be found in the documentation for your smartphone or simply use the Internet. To be completely sure, download USB application OTG Checker, the purpose of which is to check the device for support for OTG technology. Just press the button "Check Device OS on USB OTG".
If the check is for OTG support was successful, you will see a picture as shown below. 
And if not, you will see this. 
Now you can consider options for connecting a flash drive to a smartphone, we will consider the following:
- using an OTG cable;
- using an adapter;
- using a USB OTG flash drive.
For iOS, there is one way - using special flash drives with a Lightning connector for iPhone.
Interesting: in some cases you can connect other devices, for example: mouse, keyboard, joystick, etc.
Method 1: Using an OTG cable
The most common way to connect a flash drive to mobile devices involves using special cable- an adapter that can be purchased at any place where mobile devices are sold. Some manufacturers include such cables with smartphones and tablets.
On one side, the OTG cable has a standard USB connector, on the other, a micro-USB plug. It’s easy to guess what to insert and where. 
If the flash drive has indicator lights, then you can determine from them that the power supply has started. A notification about the connected media may also appear on the smartphone itself, but not always.
The contents of the flash drive can be found along the path
/sdcard/usbStorage/sda1
To do this, use any file manager. 
Method 2: Using an adapter
Recently, small adapters from USB to micro-USB have begun to appear on sale. This small device On one side there is a micro-USB output, on the other there are contacts for USB. Just insert the adapter into the flash drive interface, and you can connect it to your mobile device. 
Method 3: Using a flash drive with an OTG connector
If you intend to connect the drive frequently, then the easiest option is to purchase a USB OTG flash drive. This storage medium has two ports at the same time: USB and micro-USB. It's convenient and practical. 
Today, USB OTG flash drives can be found almost everywhere they are sold. regular drives. At the same time, in terms of price they are not much more expensive.
Method 4: Flash drives for iPhone
There are several special media for iPhones. Transcend has developed removable storage JetDrive Go 300. It has a Lightning connector on one side, and a regular USB connector on the other. Actually, this is the only really working way to connect a flash drive to iOS smartphones. 
What to do if your smartphone does not see the connected flash drive
Team "Unmount" used to safely remove media. Please note that StickMount requires root access. You can get it, for example, using the program.
The ability to connect a USB flash drive to a smartphone primarily depends on the latter. The device must support OTG technology, and then you can use a special cable, adapter, or connect a micro-USB flash drive.
Android OS tablets today are positioned as full-fledged workplaces. It's no joke, they actually already know a lot, including working with numerous USB peripherals. Mice, keyboards, printers, game controllers and many other devices are connected to tablets using a special cable. But, without a doubt, the most familiar and popular USB device, familiar to everyone, is a regular USB flash drive. In today's article you will learn how to easily “make friends” of your tablet with absolutely any flash drive.
What is USB-OTG? This technology appeared back in 2001 and was intended for the same thing it is used for now: connecting USB devices to gadgets like mobile phones and wearable media players. Key Feature OTG is that the head device (in our case, a tablet) can operate in both “host” and “client” modes.
In other words, through the same port, our tablet can not only work with a flash drive, but also act as one itself when connected to a PC via the appropriate cable.
How it works
But how exactly does this all work? Surprisingly, the technology has not undergone any significant changes since its invention. In order to switch the tablet to “host” mode, the OTG cable is equipped with special jumper, which is not included in the regular USB cable included. Thanks to this jumper, the tablet “understands” that this particular cable is connected and “gives” energy to the flash drive, rather than receiving it, for example, for charging. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it?
By the way, on this moment There are devices that allow tablets to work with OTG and charge at the same time, which is incredibly convenient for several reasons. Instead of a jumper, they use resistance (resistor) and voltage with charger is supplied not only to the tablet itself, but also to the flash drive connected to it. Unfortunately, this function Not all tablets support it yet.
Possible problems when connecting OTG
Sometimes it happens that your cable is working properly, but for some reason the tablet stubbornly refuses to “see” external device. We'll look into why this might happen below.
What to do if OTG does not work
If you have read the list and know why OTG does not work, let's try to find several solutions to your problem.
However, it often happens that the capabilities of FAT32 become insufficient. The fact is that this file system has one significant drawback– it does not support working with files larger than 4 GB. This drawback can be very critical for those who like to watch movies on their tablet. high resolution. NTFS does not have such a problem, and this is where the question arises of how to teach our tablet to work with this file system. There are several ways to do this. The simplest is to install programs that allow you to mount NTFS on any device running Android OS. The most common one among them is “Paragon NTFS & HFS+”. It is distributed free of charge and allows you to mount not only NTFS, but also HFS+, which Apple uses in its Macs. The program is very convenient and simple. Its only drawback is that you need ROOT rights to work with it.
- As for portable HDDs. As noted above, most of them will not work with tablets due to higher power consumption. How can we deal with this problem?
The first option is an active USB hub. This is a regular USB hub, but with external power, allowing you to connect more devices without losing speed. The disadvantage of this method is that not all tablets support hubs, plus an additional occupied outlet.
Example of an active USB hub
The second option is HDD with external power supply. It’s not just tablets that lack the “strength” to promote external HDDs. Some laptops also cannot cope with this task, so you can often find HDDs with two USBs on sale. One goes into the tablet, the second goes into the charger.
But the HDD with external power supply
Do not forget that almost all HDDs are formatted in NTFS, so before connecting HDD to the tablet, it’s worth taking care of this too.
The basics of working with external drives
So, we connected the flash drive to our tablet, what next? All modern file managers support USB-OTG. The most popular and functional is “ES Explorer”. In order to “get” to the flash drive, you need to select the appropriate item in the main menu. Now you can view files on it, edit them, copy, delete and perform any actions with them, just as you do with a microSD card or the memory of the tablet itself.
Main menu of the ES Explorer program
USB drive opened in the program
If it is not possible to install a file manager, you can find a flash drive connected to the tablet through the manager built into the firmware. Some standard FMs are capable of displaying external flash drives in the main menu, like “ES Explorer”, while others require independent search external drives. You can find a USB flash drive at the following address - root of the tablet memory (root) - storage - usbdisk.
Tablet memory root
And here is the flash drive itself
The read/write speed depends both on the flash drive itself and on the characteristics of your tablet. New devices that support USB 3.0, for example, allow you to work with external drives at a speed in no way inferior to internal memory.
You can test a flash drive for read/write speed on Android, for example, using the “A1 SD Bench” program.
A1 SD Bench program
Is it possible to “make friends” between two Android tablets via OTG?
Surely, this is a question that interested many after reading this article. There are situations when you need to convey large volume information from one tablet to another. For example, a folder with photos, a large game or a movie of a gigabyte or two. Of course, even if the tablet has the latter Bluetooth versions, you will have to wait more than one hour. This, of course, is not an option. This begs the question, is it possible to connect two Android tablets or smartphones to each other via OTG? The answer is yes. However, there are some limitations. WITH latest versions Android Google is gradually moving away from mounting device memory as USB drives. Now most Android devices are connected using the MTP protocol, that is, as media devices, since this is more secure from a corporate point of view.
Smartphone connected via MTP
What does this mean? And the fact that Android does not currently support MTP connection to it. You can get around this by switching your smartphone or tablet to standard storage mode using the corresponding item in the settings. If there are no such settings, you can try to do this using special programs. Unfortunately, these programs are not a panacea and will not work with every tablet.
If the tablet does not work as a drive
As a result, if your tablet does not work as a storage device, you have only one outlet for transferring a large amount of information - WiFi. The essence of such a transfer is the following - one device is the host and opens the access point, and the other is the client, which, in fact, connects to this point. Today, many programs allow such transfer, for example, the same “ES Explorer” or the MiDrop function of Xiaomi. But the most convenient program is SHAREit
Although it was copied from the Transfer application in MIUI (they even connect without problems), it is supported by all Android devices and provides enormous data transfer speeds. There is no comparison with Bluetooth. In addition to this, it looks nice, is very easy to use and allows you to transfer data even to Apple products. In general, this is truly a “must have” for any Android device.
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. Connection difficulties of this medium will not occur 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. In addition, make sure that the device works with similar technology, it is possible, having installed application USB 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 such 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. An OTG cable is not much different from a 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 can be built-in or can be additionally installed by the device owner himself. So, options can be ASTRO 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 becomes possible connection To the gadget, along with a flash drive and mouse, there are also 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 file manager. Here it is necessary paid program Nexus 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.