Now we will look at the reasons and what to do in a situation when your Android does not see a USB flash drive or hard drive via a USB OTG cable.
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.
You can connect a USB flash drive and even an external hard drive to an Android device via an OTG adapter, but this is not always possible the first time. The reasons can be different, from the wrong file system to partial damage to the connector on the smartphone.
Most often, the problem can be eliminated on its own, but in severe cases, you have to contact the service center.
Attention! In the commentary, there is one more advice from a reader with experience in solving this problem. Don't forget to read.
Reasons why Android does not see through the OTG adapter
If you are trying to understand why Android does not see a USB flash drive, then the first step is to make sure that the smartphone can work with USB Flash at all.
To do this, it must support USB On-The-Go technology. It implies that microUSB supplies power to the external drive via an OTG cable, so that it becomes visible in Android, just like in Windows 7/10 / XP.
To make sure that the hardware specifications allow you to connect a modem, flash drive, keyboard or any other USB device to your phone, install an Android application.
If the program shows that the phone is ready to work with external devices through the hub, then you can connect the OTG cable and establish a connection to the USB flash drive through it.
Enlarge
In addition to the lack of support for USB On-The-Go technology, there are other reasons that Android does not see the USB flash drive through the cord, even if the indicator is on:
- Wrong OS version. To work with equipment that supports USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, the device must have Android 3.1 or higher.
- The attached storage is too large.
- If there is a connection sound, but the hardware cannot be detected (or it is only charging), make sure that its file system is in the correct Fat32 format. NTFS and ExFat cannot be read on Android.
- USB stick malfunction. Try connecting it to your computer to make sure the drive is working.
- Damaged connector on your phone / tablet. Even if this does not mean that the connector is completely functional - the contacts responsible for data transfer may be damaged.
- Damage to the OTG cable or adapter. To make sure it is working properly, connect another USB flash drive to another phone that is known to be suitable for this task.
In some cases, the device cannot be connected without root. This happens in case a specific phone model cannot automatically mount an external storage. To eliminate the flaw, you need third-party software - for example, an application that can work with flash drives, modems, cameras and other devices.
Enlarge When connecting equipment via an OTG cable, the program will independently detect and mount it. You can find the contents of the drive in the / sdcard / usbStorage / sda1 folder. To safely remove the drive, select the "Unmount" option in StickMount.
Users often ask a question. How to connect a USB flash drive to a phone with the Android operating system. Some will shrug in surprise with crying: "Why is this necessary?" Others simply cannot imagine anything more convenient than connecting a flash drive to their Android device.
Let's figure it out together.
Why connect USB stick to Android phone?
For example, you are going to a meeting with friends and they ask you to bring a media with your music. Yes, there are some tracks on mobile and on the Web, but most of the music is on your home computer or removable disk. Do not take your computer with you. What if you could connect it to your phone like a removable device?
Let's imagine a different situation, you have a long, many hours trip or flight. And you want to watch movies all the way. However, the built-in memory on the phone is only enough for a couple of movies in average quality. But this is not a problem if you can connect a flash drive to your phone. You can put a lot of movies on a USB stick.
Chip Service experts say that connecting a USB flash drive to an Android phone is quite simple. Let's figure out what we may need to be able to use flash drives as removable media for Android phones.
How to find out if your phone supports USB connection
Indeed, not all phones support USB flash drives. If you do not want to deeply understand the firmware and settings, then you can use a special application from the Google Play Store called OTG. The application will scan the settings and notify you if your phone has the ability to connect USB drives.
What you need to connect a USB flash drive to your phone
In fact, connecting a USB flash drive to a mobile phone is a fairly simple step if you have one of two devices:
- Dedicated USB OTG cable
- USB flash drive with additional OTG connector
USB OTG cable
By the way, modern devices, such as the Galaxy S7, are already equipped with a special USB OTG cable. It is in the box, along with the charger. If you do not have such a cable, you can buy it at any service center or point of sale for mobile devices.
USB OTG cable. USB adapter (female) -mini USB.
With this cable, you can easily connect a USB flash drive to your android phone.
USB flash drive with OTG connector
Please note that some flash drives are already equipped with a special micro USB connector. The presence of such a connector makes it easy and simple to connect a USB storage to a phone or tablet.
USB flash drive with an additional connector for connecting to the phone. Probably soon to become the standard.
The flash drive must be formatted for FAT32. With a different file system, the phone does not read the USB flash drive.
That's all you need to know about connecting flash drives to phones.
Did you manage to connect the USB flash drive to your smartphone? What other ways of connecting USB drives do you know, write in the comments.
Android smartphones and tablets are becoming popular, the functionality of devices is expanding. Users use gadgets to surf the Internet, edit work documents, watch movies. And often it becomes necessary to connect a removable flash drive to the device on Android. Manufacturers offer this capability using USB On-The-Go (OTG) technology.
How to connect with OTG cable
USB OTG is a technology that allows you to transfer power to external devices through the MicroUSB smartphone charging connector. The technology is supported by smartphones and tablets with Android 3.1 and higher.
OTG cables are sold in computer stores and cell phone stores. Before purchasing a cable, make sure your machine supports USB On-The-Go. To do this, download the USB OTG Checker application from the Play Store, open and click the Check Device OS on USB OTG button. After a while, you will see the result of the check.
The application checks the device for OTG technology
In addition to checking the system, the program allows you to test the OTG signal level, as well as view files on the connected media.
The OTG cable is a cable with a MicroUSB plug at one end, and a USB connector at the other, where a flash card is connected. In the system, data from a flash drive can be found using the file manager.
USB flash drive cable
If your smartphone or tablet supports OTG technology, but does not have a corresponding connector, use an adapter.
MicroUSB connector
Using an OTG cable is inconvenient in a crowded place or at an event, because to connect, the user needs to find a flash drive, get the cable and connect them to a smartphone or tablet. Manufacturers offer a solution to the problem - double-sided drives with USB connectors for PCs and MicroUSB for smartphones and tablets. They look like regular flash drives and work with OTG technology.
Double-sided flash drive can be connected to phone and computer
Video: connecting a flash drive to Android
Applications for the correct operation of OTG on a smartphone or tablet
If you connected a USB flash drive to a smartphone or tablet, and no information about the removable disk appears in the file system, it is likely that the device does not support automatic detection of external drives. To enable the device to “see” the memory card, download one of the applications from Google Play:
- Stick Mount;
- Nexus Importer;
- Nexus USB OTG FileManager.
Instructions for using the apps are provided below in the article.
Stick mount
Stick Mount is a program that automatically mounts removable disks. For the drive's auto-detection to work, install the program and connect the USB flash drive to your smartphone. You will see a pop-up window confirming the launch of Stick Mount. Click OK. If the window does not appear, open the application and click the Mount button. A new section "Removable Disk" (USB Storage) will appear in the file manager.
Mount button to mount the USB stick
To safely remove the memory card at the end of the work, reopen the program and click Unmount.
Stick Mount app is free but requires root access. Works with Android 4.0 and higher systems.
Nexus Importer
Nexus Media Importer is a program originally developed to connect flash drives to Nexus smartphones and tablets, today it supports devices from Samsung, Sony, Motorola, HTC. Instructions for use:
- Install the application and connect the USB flash drive to the gadget.
- The system will open a window asking "Do you want to open the Nexus Media Importer when connecting a USB device?" Click OK.
- The data will be imported, and the file manager will open, where you will see all the information previously saved on the drive.
Pop-up window when connecting a flash drive
The application is paid, but does not require root access. Analog - Nexus USB OTG FileManager. Does not work correctly on some devices with Android 4.3 - automatically disconnects the USB flash drive. To prevent this from happening, it is enough to change the language of the application to English. Android 4.4 fixes the problem.
Root rights - a superuser account, access to which extends the functionality of an Android device. Rooting will void the smartphone or tablet owner's warranty.
The application works similarly to the previous ones. Download the program from the Google Market, install it on your smartphone or tablet and connect the USB flash drive. Auto-detection will work, and the data from the drive will be displayed in the file manager. The program is free and requires Superuser rights.
Mount button is located in the main program window
How to get root access for Android
If you do not want to purchase applications for the correct operation of OTG for money, use the free options after obtaining root rights. To obtain root access, use the free Kingo Root Android program:
- Download the application from the Play Store and install.
- Connect the gadget to a laptop or personal computer in debug mode. First check the device settings - in the "Applications" section there should be a check mark next to the "Allow installation from unknown sources" item.
- The drivers for your smartphone or tablet are automatically installed on your computer.
- In the program window, click the Root button.
- Superuser rights will be installed.
Computer program interface - Root button
After reading this article, you will learn how to connect USB to your devices.
USB OTG(USB On-The-Go) - technology that allows you to connect 2 or more peripheral devices to each other without a computer. For example, you can connect a USB flash drive or camera directly to the printer to print photos.
I want to say right away that for devices on Android and iOS You can use external HDDs with Wi-Fi connection, but this topic will not be discussed in this article, perhaps in the future, I will touch on it.
I want 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:
- Camera Connection Kit (Works unstable with iPhone and iPad)
- I-FlashDrive
- Wi-Fi storage
The i-FlashDrive works with all iOS devices. This is an ordinary flash drive, which, using third-party software on mobile devices, allows you to work with files on it, so we will dwell on the first method in more detail.
No Jailbreak
Device Camera connection kit comes in different versions, in particular it 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 (The "Camera" section appears in the Photos application (in iOS 7 and later "Import")).
With Jailbreak
Connecting devices will also be done using Camera connection kithowever 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 undervoltage, so you can use a USB hub with additional power as an intermediary between the gadget and Camera connection kit... For a full-fledged work with a 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 to read the information about formatting drives for Android -
Android
Android is much easier than 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. You can purchase such a cable at any radio market, or order it on Amazon, Ebay, DX.com, Aliexpress, etc.They may differ in appearance, length, but their purpose is the same.
Android devices also have problems with powering USB gadgets, so if there is not enough power, then a USB cable with additional power or a USB hub with additional power is used.
You can easily connect to Android not only flash drives and external HDDs, but also mice, keyboards, webcams, game joysticks, etc. Basically, no third-party programs are required, unless, of course, it is, for example, a Bluetooth mouse or a web camera.
Preparing the drive for use
In order for the 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 choose the file system exFat.
In some cases, the format NTFS may work too - mine Galaxy S4 sees and works with external 1TB hard drives 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 mass storage devices without Root, but you may need it if the smartphone cannot see the drive.
So, the programs that allow you to work with flash drives, external HDDs, etc.:
Do you have any questions? Do you want to supplement the article? Have you noticed a mistake? Let me know about it below, I will definitely hear you!
If this article helped you, then write about it in the comments. And don't forget to share the article with your friends in social networks;)
P.S.
The article is copyright, so if you copy it, do not forget to insert an active link to the author's website, that is, to this one :)
, Share the article on social networks - support the site!You won't find a full-fledged USB port on a smartphone where you can insert a USB flash drive. Therefore, connecting a USB flash drive to Android has to be done using additional equipment.
Drive connection
For the phone to be able to see and open devices connected via USB, it must have On-The-Go (OTG) support. The essence of the technology is that a mobile device supplies power to external equipment via a USB connector. The function is implemented in Android 3.1 and higher, so before trying to connect a USB flash drive to Android, you need to make sure that this is possible at all. Check your OS version first:
Install the USB OTG Checker app to make sure there are no problems with the connection. This little program will check for OTG support and, if available, will issue a confirmation. 
The next step is to purchase a special adapter (the cost of equipment is from 100 rubles). The smartphone has a microUSB port, the flash drive cannot physically fit in it. Therefore, you need to expand the port with an OTG adapter, which can be bought 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 inserted into the microUSB connector on the phone, and a flash drive is inserted into the USB port on the other end. 
Now you can find universal flash drives with USB and microUSB, for which you do not need an adapter. 
While this is a rarity, 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 USB 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 on Android cannot be read. This primarily applies to the latest models of smartphones from Samsung: just connect the USB flash drive through the 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 USB flash drive on Android is difficult. The problem is that not all mobile devices automatically mount external equipment, be it a flash drive, camera or mouse.
You can eliminate the drawback using the paid USB Media Explorer application, 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 have declared support for other devices. Among the advantages is support for the NTFS file system, that is, you do not have to format the USB flash drive to FAT32 before connecting.
If you do not want to spend money on an application for copying data, or, in principle, you cannot install USB Media Explorer on your device due to the lack of support for the model, then the only way to access the data recorded on the flash drive is to use superuser (root) rights.
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 getting root rights is a potentially dangerous operation, as a result of which the mobile device is removed from the warranty. In addition, improper execution of the procedure can damage the system.
If your phone is rooted, you can use the free StickMount app to detect your connected Android flash drive.
- Launch StickMount.
- Connect the USB flash drive to your phone.
- 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. 
