There are situations when you need to mount a regular USB flash drive on your portable gadget. Perhaps the reason is the lack of micro SD or you need to open some documents, but there is no computer nearby. But is it possible to connect a flash drive to a smartphone? Yes, nowadays it is possible to synchronize USB devices and Android devices. In addition, it may not necessarily be a drive, so you can connect a keyboard, mouse, and, in general, any device to your smartphone. In general, how to connect a flash drive or other device to a smartphone is described in this article.

As already written above, connecting a flash drive to a smartphone is possible; to do this, you will need an additional cable. And if the device is quite old, you will also have to obtain superuser rights or, in other words, root rights and make a connection. How to connect a flash drive to your phone is described below.

OTG cable is the only way to connect

Since no company has yet released Android with a large USB input, connecting such things is only possible with a special adapter, namely an OTG cable. Such a thing is not so expensive, from 150 to 300 rubles, you can buy an adapter in the City or in simple communication shops. It has a miniUSB on one side, and a regular, large connector on the other. This adapter will not fit every device. The gadget must have OTG support and there should be a miniport on it. If the device is not compatible with OTG, nothing can be done about it.

IMPORTANT. To find out whether your smartphone supports OTG, you can look it up in the documents or go to the manufacturer’s website.

But how can you connect a flash drive to your phone via an adapter if it doesn’t have a miniport? It's possible! To do this, you will need a special adapter for OTG. There will be a lot of wires and all this will take up a lot of space! But the task was completed, since I still managed to connect the USB flash drive to the phone.

Connect without rooting

Without obtaining superuser rights, you can connect the drive only on new devices. On older devices, you will need to obtain root rights to connect a flash drive. So, how to connect a flash drive to a new Android gadget:

There is also a way to save information from a gadget to removable media. To do this, find the settings on it and open “Storage & USB”. Click on the internal drive, where you can move data from it to the device.

To use additional options, in the window where files stored on the media are viewed, you need to click on the menu. There you will find the “Settings” option, and there you can also format the media by clicking on “Format”. This is how it is very easy to mount removable media on a new gadget. For older devices, it is recommended to install the StickMount program and get root, since you will not be able to connect a flash drive without this; all the details are described in the subsection presented below.

Connection with rooting

Devices with outdated Android: they have miniUSB, OTG is supported, but they still refuse to connect the device. But how to connect a USB flash drive to a smartphone that has a similar embarrassment. First, you should install the StickMount application, get root and, if there is no manager, download ES FileExplorer. Then proceed according to the instructions below:

• As was done in the previous case, connect OTG to the device and connect the media;
• The StickMount program will notify you that a device is connected to the gadget. Now you need to click on the OK button and the drive window will open.

The phone must be rooted; without them, nothing can be done.

• In both pop-up windows you need to click “YES”, as a result “Usebydefault” is activated and now all devices will turn on automatically;
• After this, the program will inform you that the device is mounted.

IMPORTANT. Path to the drive: /sdcard/USBStorage.

• Now you need to find “USB Storge” in the manager and open it. This window will contain volumes that distribute files on the device;
• You can open any directory and do whatever you need with them.

After working with the media, you need to click on the StickMount icon. The removable media is unmounted and can be safely removed. Also, thanks to this icon, you can determine the presence of any flash drives. Now it’s clear how to connect a USB flash drive to a smartphone that has old version Android.

Now we will look at the reasons and what to do in a situation when your Android does not see a flash drive or hard drive via 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.

TO Android device you can connect a flash drive and even an external hard drive via an OTG adapter, but this is not always possible to do this the first time. The reasons may be different, from an incorrect file system to partial damage to the connector on the smartphone.

Most often, the problem can be resolved on your own, but in severe cases you have to contact service center.

Attention! In the comment there is another piece of advice from a reader with experience in solving this problem. Don't forget to check it out.

Reasons why Android does not see via OTG adapter

If you are trying to understand why Android does not see a USB flash drive, then the first thing you need to do is make sure that your smartphone can work with USB Flash at all.

To do this, it must support USB On-The-Go technology. It means 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 characteristics allow you to connect a modem, flash drive, keyboard or any other USB device to your phone, install the application on Android.

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 with the flash drive through it.

Increase

In addition to the lack of support for USB On-The-Go technology, there are other reasons why Android does not see the flash drive through the cord, even if the indicator is on:

• Inappropriate OS version. To work with equipment that supports USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, the device must have Android version 3.1 or higher.
• The volume of the connected storage device is too large.
• If there is connection sound, but the equipment cannot be detected (or it is just charging), make sure that its file system is in the appropriate Fat32 format. NTFS and ExFat are not readable on Android.
• Flash drive malfunction. Try connecting it to your computer to make sure the drive works.
• Damage to the connector on the phone/tablet. Even if, this does not mean that the connector is completely intact - the contacts responsible for data transmission may be damaged.
• Damage to the OTG cable or adapter. To make sure it is working properly, connect another flash drive to another phone that is known to be suitable for this task.

In some cases, you will not be able to connect your device without root. This happens if specific model phone cannot automatically mount external storage. To eliminate the shortcoming, you need third-party software - for example, an application that can work with flash drives, modems, cameras and other devices.

When connecting equipment via an OTG cable, the program will automatically detect and mount it. You can find the contents of the drive in the /sdcard/usbStorage/sda1 folder. To safely remove the drive, you must select the “Unmount” option in StickMount.

Connecting a flash drive to an Android device is very convenient, because it allows you to store data on it and quickly access it. Often the connection takes place without complications, and modern smartphones immediately detect removable storage. However, sometimes unexpected failures or incompatibilities occur that interfere with normal operation. If you encounter any problem and your phone does not see the flash drive, read the article to the end. In it you will find a solution to your problem, which will allow you to view files without hindrance.

The situations we will consider are relevant for all phones from different manufacturers, but there are a number of limitations, which we will talk about at the beginning.

The main reasons why the phone does not see the flash drive

Before we begin to analyze the reasons why a smart device does not see a flash drive via an OTG cable, let’s consider important point- checking the phone's compatibility with USB Flash. In order to power the drive, the smartphone must support a technology called USB On-The-Go. It helps apply current to the media, making it visible and interactable.

You can verify development support using the USB OTG Checker application, which is included in Play Market. If the program indicates that the smartphone is capable of working with flash drives, then read on, below there will be an example of solutions to problems. If the device does not support external devices, then there is no way to fix it.

An Android device may not display storage for one of the following reasons:

• outdated version operating system. To work with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0, Android 3.1 and higher is required, otherwise the flash drive will be invisible;
• lack of power to supply the drive through the adapter (you can use an active USB hub, but it is not practical);
• incorrect connection;
• the storage capacity exceeds the value that the device can handle;
• unsupported file system;
• mechanical damage to the carrier, adapter or connector.

These are the main reasons that prevent the flash drive from working correctly.

What to do if the phone does not see the flash drive?

Now let's talk about each reason in turn to find out how best to eliminate it.

Reason #1. The connection is not made correctly

Sometimes users incorrectly connect devices to each other. To avoid mistakes, follow the instructions:

• make sure that your smartphone can work with portable storage devices;
• check Android version and compatibility using USB OTG Checker;
• insert the wire into the mobile port;
• insert the second end of the cord into the external flash drive;
• open any file manager, find the removable disk there and work with it.

If after this there is no result, proceed to the next steps.

Reason #2. Ignoring storage limit

Read the instructions. It says whether USB-host is supported or not. If you threw away the documentation, then look for it on the Internet so as not to get confused about how many GB the phone supports.

Also remember that portable hard drives(HDD) is not supported by all mobile phones, since they require a lot of energy to recharge them. Typically, budget models cannot open them and are limited to reading small volumes from a flash drive.

Reason #3. The file system is not supported by the device

The phones support the FAT file system: exFAT and FAT32. Therefore, if the flash drive is formatted in NTFS, then you need to remount it in order to change the files. There are two options, let's consider each separately.

Reformatting

Attention! Formatting will permanently delete the data on the media.

This is done via PC as follows:

When the utility reports completion, you can insert the flash drive into your phone or tablet.

Connection through special programs (Root required)

The second method is not suitable for everyone, since you need Root rights, which are not always easy to install, and not everyone is ready to take this step. However, we will talk about one program. This is StickMount, which can be downloaded from the Play Market, and it will work with most flash drives and allow you to read documents from different file systems. In addition, it even helps to interact with cameras and other equipment.

Reason #4. Damage to the hardware component

The contacts in the phone socket are not the most reliable, sometimes they break. In this case, the user may not even be aware of the malfunction, since the contacts responsible for transmitting data via OTG are not associated with charging. Therefore, the phone can “power” from the network well, but the drive will not see it. In this case, go to the service center to replace the connector.

OTG cables under the braid often break, which is why the smart device does not see the USB flash drive, but replacing them is cheap. To check its functionality, simply connect it to a 100% working mobile phone and see if there is contact.

A breakdown of the OTG power controller in a smartphone will also not allow it to “see” the media. To check, you will need a voltage meter.

Attention! If you test the gadget, you will have to sacrifice some unnecessary charging wire. If it is not there, immediately take your mobile phone to the service center.

Do this:

If the screen shows less than 5V, then the controller is faulty and you should send the phone in for repair.

Do not forget that there is another reason - a defective OTG cable, adapter or flash drive. So try other storage and cables if possible.

If you urgently need to transfer some files from your phone, tablet or Android smartphone to a USB flash drive in order, for example, to clear the memory of your device or quickly transfer something to a friend’s drive, you can do this thanks to some additional purchases. Below we will tell you how you can connect a flash drive to an Android device, and what you need for this.

How to connect a flash drive to an Android smartphone or tablet

This will give you the opportunity to connect a USB flash drive to your device anytime and anywhere, but you will have to shop a little.

Using OTG cable

The only thing you need to use this method is to go to a store or order an OTG cable online. This is a kind of adapter from your MicroUSB input on the device to USB. It is inexpensive, around 150–300 rubles, so this option seems to be the most practical. But be careful, before buying a wire, check which input is on your phone/tablet. Select the necessary adapter for your device; if you don’t find one, then you will simply have to buy another adapter from the OTG cable to your gadget.

On the left is an input for USB, on the right is an adapter for MicroUSB of your device

Types of MicroUSB and MiniUSB:

Via apps

After purchasing a complete set of cords, simply connect all the components, and the flash drive will automatically be detected on your device. But the phone may not have built-in support for an OTG cable (in most modern mobile devices this function present), then there are two options:

To work with Nexus Media Explorer, just launch the application when the flash drive is inserted into the OTG cable and it is inserted into the phone. StickMount will have to be configured a little:

Now that your tablet or phone has identified the flash drive, you can start browsing and moving everything from place to place by going to the explorer installed on your phone. If you do not have such a program, then download ES File Explorer (ES Explorer) from the Play Market (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.estrongs.android.pop) or any other similar in terms of functionality of the application.

Install the application from Play Market

Video tutorial: connecting a USB drive to an Android device

The only way to connect a flash drive to your Android tablet or phone is to use an OTG cable, which will serve as an adapter from the MicroUSB input to the drive connector. If the device does not see the flash drive, use one of the programs suggested above. After successful detection, go to Explorer and perform any operations involving transferring and editing files.

Almost all the latest (and not so recent) flagship Android models are equipped with chic widescreen displays with a decent diagonal and high ppi. On such screens it is quite convenient to watch movies and TV series on the road, but where to record them? Google has a bad tradition of not installing memory card slots in its Google phones. If this is not yet so critical for the Galaxy Nexus (16 GB on board), then the younger Nexus 4 and Nexus 7 are already suffering, because you can’t record a lot of video content on 8 GB, and not only Google phones are guilty of this. All that remains is to use removable external media. But how to connect it to a smartphone and tablet? Very simple.

What you will need

• Smartphone or tablet to which we want to connect USB storage
• Removable USB drive
• USB OTG cable

The USB On-The-Go cable is an adapter that connects at one end to micro USB port of the smartphone, and a standard USB port of a removable disk is plugged into the other end. Cool DIYers can solder it themselves (maybe they’ll send us instructions with screenshots, we’ll be happy to publish them), while the rest can go to the Internet or the nearest specialty store and buy such an adapter there for very ridiculous money. This posting actually opens up a lot of possibilities. With its help, you can connect joysticks, keyboards and other devices with a USB interface, as long as your smartphone or tablet understands them.

On initial stage that's enough. Now we need to find out if ours wants mobile device make friends with removable media without additional manipulations. Smartphones and tablets from the same manufacturers allow you to connect USB drives out of the box. Let's connect and watch. If you were unable to access the storage, then move on.

Simple option

If you don’t want to bother, then go to Google Play Store and buy the Nexus Media Importer application there (it works not only with Nexuses) for $3. That's enough.

If your device is rooted, you won’t have to pay. Download free application StickMount (works only with root) and, at the same time, any file manager, if you don’t have it installed for one reason or another (we like ES Explorer).

All that remains is to connect the removable drive and allow StickMount root access.

A corresponding message will appear in the notification area stating that the storage has been successfully connected and has the address /sdcard/usbStorage.

Go to this folder through the file manager and enjoy.