The phone connects as a storage device. Solving problems with connecting Android devices via USB

It may be possible to recover lost, deleted or formatted files (such as photos, movies / videos, audio) from your device using our Android® recovery software.

Two of our best data recovery software packages are, and .
Like all our programs, they are available as a free trial / evaluation.
Just run the trial version to see if the program can find the missing files.
These programs also work very well on other forms of digital media, such as flash drives, SD cards, etc.

You will need to connect your device to your computer USB in Android Mass Storage mode.
If you do not know how to do this, the steps below outline how to do it with different versions of Android®.

For Android® version 2.3x (Gingerbread), while in the old version of Android®, there are still a number of devices using this version of Android, for example, in some tablets and some earlier Android® phones:

• Include USB debugging Pressing Menu>Settings>Applications>Development>USB debugging
• Connect the USB cable to your computer, and then connect it to your Android® device. If the connection is successful, the USB icon will appear in the status bar of the device.
• On the home screen of your device, use your finger and pull down the status bar from the top .... these are called curtains.
• Then, touch USB Connected

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• Then, touch Connect USB Storage, then press Good.
• When the green Android® icon turns from green to orange, the Android® device is now in Mass Storage USB mode and should show up on the PC as a USB drive in removable media devices and it will be assigned a drive letter.

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For Android® versions 4.0 - 4.1 (Gummies), which also covers some Kindle Fires:

• Go to Settings>More…
• To a greater extent, click on USB Utilities.
• Then, touch

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• Go to Settings>More…
• To a greater extent, click on USB Utilities.
• Then, touch Connect to computer for storage
• Now, connect the USB cable to your computer and then to your Android® device. A screen appears with a green Android® icon with USB Connected on the screen. Click OK. If successful, the Android® icon will turn orange. Your device should appear on the PC as a USB drive in removable media devices and it will be assigned a drive letter.

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For Android® version 4.2 (which is still Jelly Bean, although upgraded from 4.1) there is no debug option. There is, however, a way to enable this option .... it is only that the path is closed.

• Go to Settings>About the phone (tablet)…
• Go to Build number At the end of the scroll list
• Click on the Build number 7 fast time. After the third tap, you should see a message stating that you only have 4 more crushes to become a developer. Continue until pressing after 7 tap.
• Now, Developer options it will include USB debugging in the list of options. check the box next to it so it's selected.

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• Now, connect the USB cable to your computer and then to your Android® device. Your device should appear on the PC as a USB drive in removable media devices and it will be assigned a drive letter.

For Android® versions 4.3 and above, you only need to plug your PC's USB cable into, then connect it to your Android device. Just wait a few seconds and it will connect. The USB icon will show in the status bar at the top. Then, pull down the “curtains” in the status bar, and select to connect as a drive.

After any of the above scenarios, after the Android® device shows as removable storage on your computer, start your recovery software, and select the drive letter assigned to your Android device as the media device you want to recover. As usual, you will be prompted to select the removable media in your device, such as a microSD card. You can, however, also see the phone / tablet listed. Select the device you want to recover and start recovery.

How to connect Android to a computer... Many users of mobile devices running the Android operating system complain that they cannot connect their gadgets to a personal computer in storage mode (external USB drive).

Unfortunately, it will not be possible to give the only correct solution to this problem. The fact is that smartphone and tablet manufacturers not only use the Android system as the main platform for their own applications, but also significantly modify the original set of options for the "green robot".

In any case, there are no hopeless situations. So, let's start dealing with the problem from the very beginning. The ideal situation is when, when connecting an android gadget to a computer, you will see a message like this:

This means that your mobile device is recognized by the computer as a virtual flash drive and is ready to connect. In the additional connections menu, you should expect a similar picture:

Click the “ Turn on USB storage”. And after that, the "big brother" is simply obliged to give you a pop-up window describing the options for working with an external drive (device memory):

If this did not happen, then:

1. Paradoxically, the first step is to check the cable with which you are trying to connect your smartphone (tablet) to your personal computer. Don't ignore this step! Examine the connecting cord carefully for breaks or abrasions. If possible, then try to establish communication with the computer using a different, but always similar, cable.

Are there no visible problems with the physical state of the elements of the future connection? Then go to the next step.

2. Try to change the mode of operation of the device in the connection menu. In this case, the mobile device must be connected to the computer! For example, as shown in this screenshot:

It often happens that mobile device manufacturers save on developing their own drivers by using generic drivers by default. Therefore, it is possible that, after connecting several gadgets to the same computer, the desktop operating system perceives the new smartphone or tablet incorrectly.

If, at this step, Windows began to search for and install the missing drivers, then you are moving in the right direction:

At the end of the device initialization process, a similar message should appear:

Did not work out? A similar process has not started on your computer? Then we advise you to follow the next step.

3. Without disconnecting the mobile device from the personal computer, enable and disable USB debugging several times. This will help the Windows operating system identify the gadget's internal storage as a new (recently connected) device.

At the same time, a pop-up message with the following content will most likely appear on the desktop of the desktop computer:

If, after completing the above steps, the virtual USB device is not recognized, then it's time to move on to "street magic".

4. At this step, you will have to check the drivers installed in the desktop system and the items that appear in the device manager after connecting the gadget.

So, open this very device manager:

We carefully review the list that appears. You, first of all, should be interested in non-auxiliary modes of operation of a mobile device,

and the subparagraphs “ Disk devices”

or " Portable devices”:

If new lines appear in the device manager, but do not correspond to the type of connected gadget (differences in name, model, etc.), then using the context menu

and reinstall the existing drivers:

The files you need can be easily found in the corresponding section of the website of the smartphone or tablet manufacturer.

Well, and an extreme option. You should only go to it if, after completing the previous steps, it was not possible to switch your gadget to USB storage mode.

In the main window, carefully analyze the item “ Disk management”. Has a virtual flash drive appeared there? Is it the correct size? Is the volume letter assigned correctly by Windows?

In most cases, this is the root of all troubles. If you see the internal memory of your gadget in the disk tree, but its mount point is incorrectly set, then using the context menu, simply replace it with the one you like best:

We hope that after strictly following the paragraphs of this instruction, you can easily work with the files of a gadget so dear to you.

and a similar message will meet you every time you connect your smartphone (tablet) to your personal computer.

USB (Universal Serial Bus)- literally "universal serial bus". It is a serial data interface that is widely used in electronics and computing, and mobile devices based on the Android operating system are no exception. However, everything does not always go smoothly enough; certain problems may arise.

However, everything is in order. First, let's see what types of USB connectors are. There are five of them:

From left to right: microUSB, miniUSB, B-type, A-type female, A-type male.

microUSB- the smallest of the connectors, used in miniature electronic devices such as smartphones, telephones, tablets, e-books, and so on. Recently, it has become the most widespread among Android devices due to its versatility, practically replacing miniUSB.

miniUSB- slightly larger than microUSB, but also used in small electronic devices. It is practically not used in branded tablets and smartphones on Android today, although it was previously widespread. However, it is found in Chinese devices, moreover, due to its low cost and simplicity, some more eminent Chinese manufacturers return to miniUSB, after a certain period of installing microUSB in their devices. Most often found in cameras, camcorders, and so on.

B-type- connector, which is most often found in printers, scanners and other computer peripherals, when the size does not really matter.

A-type"Mother" (receiver) - a connector that is installed on personal computers and sometimes on tablets to connect the A-type connector. Also, this type of connector can be seen in USB extenders and USB OTG cables.

A-type"Male" (connector) - for connection to the corresponding A-type receiver.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the extension of the USB 2.0 specification - USB OTG (USB On The Go), which is designed to easily connect USB peripheral devices to each other. This is especially true for tablet computers, smartphones, e-books and other devices based on Android, since with the support of this specification and with the presence of an appropriate USB OTG extension cable, you can directly connect flash drives, cameras, external USB HDDs to a mobile device, etc. Further.

There are also a number of proprietary USB connectors that are created by individual companies, but this practice is gradually becoming a thing of the past - the market as a whole is leaning towards universal connectors, and this is a definite plus.

Now let's figure out what to do if, when connecting an Android device via a USB cable to a computer, the mobile device is not detected, but only charges (the latter indicates the operability of the connector as a whole - it is powered).

To begin with, we double-check whether the checkbox is worth it in the "Settings" - "Connect to PC" - "Ask" item. If it is installed, we try to remove it and reinstall it.

If this does not help, we try to use a different USB cable (the wonders of the Chinese industry are especially prone to failure), connect it to another USB port on the computer (it is strongly recommended to use the ports on the back of the system unit when it comes to a desktop PC, since these ports are directly, without extension cords, soldered on the motherboard), in the end - try another computer to connect, if possible. If none of the above helps, you can try replacing the flash card with another one. It is also not recommended to use any extra adapters or extension cords - very often they are the cause of the problem.

Still having problems connecting to your PC via USB? It doesn't matter, it goes on. We prohibit or remove Task Killer, if it is installed, or add "Synchronization with PC" to the list of exclusions - this application can banal prohibit the device from synchronizing with the computer. You can also try enabling USB Debugging. This item is in the menu "Settings" - "Applications" - "Development":

If the problematic device is a Samsung mobile gadget, and the computer does not "see" it either through Kies or Odin, then you should try to completely remove Kies, all old Samsung and Samsung PC Studio drivers, and then reinstall Kies. The same applies to HTC devices with HTC Sync proprietary program.

Selecting a driver for the USB device manually can also help. To do this, go to the "Device Manager" in the "Control Panel" Windows. We are looking for a problematic device - it will be displayed with an exclamation mark. Click on it with the right mouse button and select "Update driver" - "Select driver installation from a computer" - "Select drivers from already installed". In the list, select a universal USB controller - a composite USB device (sometimes a driver from Microsoft may work as well). After that, the system will independently install the selected driver and the device can be used in USB flash drive mode. If you suddenly get an error with the "Blue Screen of Death", then you need to restart your computer in safe mode without disconnecting the device. After loading Windows in safe mode, look for our mobile device in the "Device Manager", right-click on it and remove the driver. After that, you can try to "slip" the system with another driver to work with the device connected to the USB - after which it can be detected normally.

Alternatively, you can install the Android USB Driver. Also, most programs for synchronizing an Android device with a personal computer, such as HTC Sync or Samsung Kies, install their own drivers. Important - we recommend disabling anti-virus programs on computers during driver installation.

Sometimes resetting to factory settings (the so-called wipe) can help through the settings of the mobile device, or through the Recovery mode. A reset will remove all user-installed applications and restore factory defaults.

Drivers for devices, before reinstalling them, it is highly desirable to also correctly remove from a personal computer. They often hide in the "Device Manager" as soon as the device turns off or gives a command to hide. Often, "similarly named" drivers can conflict due to version mismatch. Well, let's start clearing the list of unused devices, which can often be the reason for the "inoperability" of an Android gadget when it is connected via USB. First, we disconnect all external USB devices from the computer. Create the environment variable DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES with the value 1. To do this, right-click on "My Computer", select "Properties", "Advanced", click on "Environment Variables". In the window that opens at the top, click the "Create" button. In the "Variable name" field, enter:

DEVMGR_SHOW_NONPRESENT_DEVICES

In the "Variable value" field, enter, respectively, 1. Press "OK" twice to close the menu.

By creating this variable, "Device Manager" will show all drivers installed in the system, including hidden ones or those that have ever been connected to a personal computer.

We go to the "Device Manager", in the menu item "View" select "Show hidden devices". Now you can start cleaning the operating system from various "rubbish". First, open the "Disk drives" section. The nuance is that every time a new flash drive is connected, a new driver is installed for it, and it is installed even if you connect the same USB flash drive, but to a different USB port. The drivers of all disconnected removable media can be safely removed, since when they are connected to the computer, the drivers for them will be reinstalled. Among these drivers, you can find the driver of your Android device, possibly installed incorrectly, and perhaps even more than one. These records can also be safely deleted, as they can cause problems - in any case, when you reconnect an existing Android device, the driver for it will be reinstalled or a user will be prompted to install it. In the "Hidden" devices section, you can delete absolutely all hidden (gray) devices, since these are nothing more than unsuccessful attempts to install a driver for any device, and they are definitely not needed in the system. In the "Volumes of storage devices" section, you can also delete all hidden (gray) entries, since these are "letters" assigned to previously connected flash drives - in any case, when a flash drive is connected again, they will be reassigned. In the Universal Serial Bus Controllers section, you can remove all hidden (grayed out) devices. After cleaning the operating system from unnecessary drivers, restart the computer. After rebooting, connect the Android device, it will be detected by the Windows operating system as a new device, and drivers will be automatically installed for it, or you can install the necessary drivers manually. After another restart of the computer, all problems with conflicting drivers should be a thing of the past.

Modern devices based on Android have many hidden functions unknown to the average user. Among such examples, one can single out the possibility of using an Android phone or tablet as a flash drive. The process of editing files, transferring from the device, and also recording the necessary information becomes easier. To connect an android as a USB flash drive, there are several ways given in our article.

To determine the sequence of actions, you must take into account the version of android used. To determine the information, on the gadget you need to find the "Settings" item, in which (usually at the very bottom of the menu) information about the device is located. The section contains technical specifications, certifications, information about the version of Android used.

How to connect an android as a USB flash drive with version up to 4.0:

1. Using a USB cable, we connect your device to the computer.
2. It takes a little time to recognize the device; in the process, you should not perform any manipulations with the phone (tablet).
3. A USB connection icon will appear on the gadget's screen, it may optionally offer a connection as a media device. We don't need these functions now.
4. If the PC stubbornly does not "see" the device, it is necessary to debug it manually. To do this, in the "Settings" menu you need to find the "Applications" item. In it we also find the section "For the developer", after which we select the button "USB debugging" from the list. After this procedure, usually no more problems arise with the connection.

More modern devices, the version of Android in which from 4.0 and higher, are connected according to the previous algorithm. The only difference is that in case of impossibility of connection, debugging is carried out in the "Settings" section, where the "Memory" item is selected. This is where the Settings category is located, in which the USB connection is debugged. In this case, it is necessary to select the operation of the device as a media device.

How to choose android usb connection mode

On new versions of the Android operating system, the capabilities of this function are slightly expanded. When connected to a computer, a notification window usually automatically pops up on the device's screen, which will allow you to select the connection mode.

Android as a flash drive works in the following modes:

• "МТР" - exchange of a removable device and a PC with any type of data, video and media files.
• "RTR" - moving photos and videos if such a function was impossible in the "MTP" mode.
• Only the device is being charged.

Newer models of Android phones and tablets are better adapted to connect via a computer, including via Bluetooth. Usually problems arise precisely with outdated models. If, after all possible manipulations, the computer still failed to establish a connection with the gadget, you may need the help of a specialist, including "examination" of both devices.

Setting up a USB connection

When connected to a PC, the data transfer mode is usually automatically selected. To prevent this from happening, and the phone itself worked like a flash drive, you need to make the following settings.

How to switch the flash drive mode on android:

1. In the main menu on the phone, select the item "Settings".
2. In different models, the adjustment may be in different folders, so we are looking for the name "SD card" or something similar.
3. Next, select the "Connect SD card" command.
4. After that, we connect the device to the computer via a USB cable.
5. After the performed manipulations, the computer independently recognizes the phone as a flash drive.

Disconnecting your phone from this mode is much easier. To do this, lower the "curtain" of the top menu and find an icon that signals the device's operation as a USB flash drive. To terminate this option, just click on the signal icon, after which the connection will take place in normal mode.

If you have connection problems

As mentioned earlier, modern devices are usually easily recognized by the system and do not require the installation of additional programs and drivers. At the same time, you can often face various situations when the connection cannot be established for unknown reasons. It is extremely difficult to foresee all possible solutions to problems, but the information provided can help.

Types of connection problems and how to fix them:

• On Android, it is difficult to find the location of the memory card. To facilitate the search, you can download a special application like ES-Explorer. With it, it is easy to display a CD-card, and connection to a computer will become much easier.
• In some cases, it helps to change the USB port, cable, or restart the device and / or computer. Such manipulations solve non-critical system problems and ensure good connection when connected.
• If the computer stopped seeing the device after updating or installing new software, this may be the problem. The same rule applies to the telephone. The work of some applications can make it difficult to sync devices, so you should definitely disable running programs, as well as the Internet message.
• Resetting the settings to the factory settings and saving the data beforehand can also help solve the problem. It should be borne in mind that in some cases it is impossible to eliminate connection failures on your own, so you have to contact the service center.

Few of the owners of modern devices know that android can easily connect as a USB flash drive, saving time when transferring data. In addition, this function makes it possible to install the necessary programs on a tablet or phone without using wireless connections. The features and algorithm of this procedure are discussed in detail in our information.

Android is great at working with USB sticks, some devices even have a full USB port. But not everyone was so lucky. Basically, the devices are equipped with a microUSB connector. What if you need to connect a flash drive to a smartphone or tablet equipped only with a microUSB port?

Android has USB On-To-Go technology (loosely translated: plug and play). Its essence is that the device is capable of supplying power to external media connected via microUSB. Thanks to this, the user has the opportunity to work with flash drives directly from his tablet or smartphone.

These arehnology surely all devices with Android 3.1 and higher have... As for the rest, you need to check. For this, use a program from the Google Play Market.

Device check using USB OTG Checker

To check for the presence of OTG on your device, simply run the USB OTG Checker program. She will test the device and show you the result.

OTG cable connection

So, your device is modern enough to support this simple technology. Now you need a USB to microUSB adapter. This cable is also called OTG cable.

It looks like any ordinary adapter: on the one hand there is a flat plug for the microUSB connector, on the other, a plastic-covered USB port.

Connect one end of the OTG cable to your smartphone or tablet, and insert the flash card into the other. If everything is good, a corresponding message will appear on the device screen. You will be prompted to open a file manager to view data from the USB drive.

StickMount: if the device does not see the USB flash drive through the adapter

Unfortunately, it is not always that easy. On some devices, the USB stick may not be counted even if OTG is present. If you exclude the possibility of damage to the flash drive (check it by connecting it to a computer), then your smartphone / tablet may not automatically detect the external media. In this case, the program will help. You can download it from the Google Play Market.

1. Download and install the program.
2. Try to insert the USB stick again.
3. Android will now prompt you to launch StickMount. Agree. The flash drive will be detected, and you can view the files installed on it.

Please note that StickMount needs Root access.

How to get Root access on a device

How can I connect a USB flash drive to an Android using an adapter - video

How to view data from a flash drive

In order to work comfortably with an external drive, you need good file managers. If you have root access, there are many options to choose from. But if you are the owner of a Nexus device, then there are at least two applications in the Play Market that allow you to do without root.

These are not the only ones, but perhaps some of the best. Alas, both are paid. In general, they can work on other devices, here you need to check. This can be done using the Nexus Photo Viewer.

Thus, to connect a flash drive to an Android device, you will need a USB to microUSB adapter and several programs. In addition, to fully work with removable media, you need good file managers that can only be installed on a smartphone or tablet with root access.