A lot of smartphone owners often face the following problem: the android does not see a USB flash drive connected to the phone. And we are talking not only about standard drives such as MicroSD, but also about USB-sticks connected via an OTG cable. There can be many reasons why this happens, but do not get upset, because almost all of these problems can be solved.
This article provides a detailed analysis of the most common cases in which the smartphone does not see the flash drive.
System failure
One of the most common reasons why an android does not see a flash drive is a malfunction of the operating system. Most often this happens with budget devices. The problem can occur absolutely at any time, and the user has nothing to do with it.
It's all about the device firmware itself. If it is poorly optimized, works with brakes, applications often crash with errors, then there is nothing surprising in the fact that the android does not see the flash drive.
What to do if there is such a problem? There are 2 options:
- The first is to reset to factory settings. This will return the phone to its original settings and clean it completely of all installed games, applications and data, leaving only the most necessary for the system to work. This method is not a panacea, but it often helps.
- The second method is less radical. It implies updating the smartphone firmware to the latest version or a complete flashing of an already installed OS. This method can be considered more effective, since in the latest firmware versions the manufacturer, as a rule, fixes all existing problems and significantly improves optimization, so updating is always useful.
Wrong format
The second reason why the android does not see the flash drive is the incorrect file system format. Usually this problem appears after the user formats the memory card - but not through a smartphone, but on a computer. The fact is that the Android operating system only works with FAT, exFAT and EXT file systems.
If you format the flash drive via a smartphone, then nothing bad will happen - the drive will simply be cleaned up and will be available for further work. But if you carry out formatting through a computer, then you can easily select the wrong file system, for example, NTFS, with which Android does not have compatibility.
To fix this problem, it is enough to remove the USB flash drive from the smartphone, insert it into the card reader, connect it to the PC, and then format it to the FAT or exFAT file system.
Contact problem
Often, clogging of contacts leads to the fact that the android does not see the flash drive. This problem does not occur as often as the two previous ones, but still there is a place to be.
There are quite a few reasons why dirt gets on the contacts: it can be the most common accumulation of dust inside the phone, removing the flash drive with dirty hands, oxidizing the contacts from moisture, and much more. The essence remains unchanged - due to dirty contacts, the android does not recognize the memory card.
What can be done in such a situation? The first is to take a cotton swab, moisten it with alcohol, and then gently wipe the contacts on the USB flash drive and on the phone itself. If the slot for the memory card is not located under the cover, but somewhere on the side where the special combined tray is inserted, then it’s better to take some flat and thin object so that it passes quietly into the slot for the tray.
The second method is intended already for those whose contacts are not just dirty, but oxidized from moisture. A cotton swab is also suitable here, only baking soda will have to be used instead of alcohol. The tip of the stick must be carefully "sipped" in soda, after which you can proceed to wipe the contacts. In no case do you need to wet the stick so that the soda sticks to it better, since moisture or liquid will again get on the contacts.
Incompatibility
Another reason why the android does not see the flash drive is the incompatibility of the memory card with the phone. Unfortunately, not all modern smartphones can support working with flash drives, the volume of which exceeds a certain mark. For example, most budget devices still support memory cards up to 32 or 64 GB. It turns out that if you insert a USB flash drive above these marks in such a smartphone, then the android will not be able to identify them and will not work with them.
Card breakdown
Damage to the drive also often becomes the reason why the android does not see the MicroSD flash drive. According to statistics, in most cases, such a problem is faced by those users who bought memory cards from little-known manufacturers for their phones at a very low cost.
Check the flash drive for serviceability is easy enough. First, you need to remove it from the smartphone and insert it into a special adapter for the card reader. After that, the memory card must be inserted into the card reader slot on the computer. If the flash drive is working, it will be displayed in Explorer or any other file manager. If the computer cannot determine it, then everything is obvious.
Invalid file system type
But problems concern not only microSD cards. Many users connect standard drives to the smartphone, which are not always displayed in the system using special OTG adapters. One of the most common reasons why an android does not see a USB flash drive is a file system mismatch.
If a regular flash drive is formatted in the NTFS file system, then the android will not be able to detect it just like that. There are, of course, devices from the expensive segment that can do it, but there are very few of them.
The way to fix this problem is the same as for MicroSD. All you need to do is format the USB flash drive into the FAT or exFAT file system, and then connect it to your smartphone.
Malfunctioning adapter
The next reason why the android does not see the OTG flash drive is a malfunction of the adapter itself. This phenomenon is also very common, especially among the cheapest OTG cables. As a rule, the main reason for a bad cable is poor-quality soldering of wires to the plug contacts, as a result of which the adapter stops working.
In addition, on cheap OTG, the wire can often break up, which also leads to the fact that the system does not recognize the USB flash drive.
No OTG support
And the last reason why the android does not see the flash drive through the OTG cable is the lack of support for the OTG technology itself. Even today, not all smartphones have a USB ON-THE-GO function, which allows you to supply power through a cable to a connected drive to make it work.
The easiest way to make sure your device supports this feature is to download the simple USB OTG Checker application from the store and install it. This program will not only show if your smartphone can work with OTG, but also helps to identify and connect the drive.