External storage devices such as pen drives or USB flash drives are handy for holding a whole of data including music and other media. When going to a party or get-together, such a thumb drive storing all your favorite music can be a lifesaver when used with your smartphone right then and there. So here is a quick guide on how to connect Pen drive to Android phone using OTG cable.
Connecting a USB flash drive to your Android smartphone is quite simple enough and involves a few easy steps. This gives you far more options to extend your phone’s storage far beyond the existing internal and external memories of the phone. Here we discuss how to connect a USB thumb drive to Android smartphone and also how to get it safely disconnected.
How To Check USB OTG Support For Your Android Phone
Most recently released Android smartphone offers USB OTG functionality, however, there are still some which don’t. So, the first step to check if your existing smartphone supports USB On-The-Go feature. Fret not as this is quite an easy process. To do this, all you need to do is download a single app.
There is an app called OTG in the Google Play Store that can be downloaded on to your smartphone for checking the OTG feature availability. This app scans through your phone by itself and informs you if OTG feature is present on your phone. If you are fortunate enough to have it, then we can move on to the next step.
What is needed to connect USB Flash drive to your Smartphone?
Following are the steps you should follow:
A USB OTG cable
Some Android phones provide an OTG cable bundled with the original cell phone pack, but there are many who don’t provide it. If your smartphone does not come with a bundled OTG cable, then you can easily get one at a low cost. Using this OTG cable you can connect your smartphone to your USB thumb drive.
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A USB Flash Thumb Drive
The choice of the device rests completely on you. Any kind of USB flash drive will function smoothly when it has a FAT32 format. For loads of content, a solid state drive with a USB OTG connector. For lesser storage needs, a thumb drive will be perfect. You can also get both the external storage device and the OTG cable as an all-in-one combo. With a suitable OTG cable, you can directly use it with your system and transfer files.
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How to Connect Pen drive to Android Phone
Step 1 – Insert your USB OTG cable into your Android smartphone’s phone
Step 2 – Now plug in the other end
Step 3 – The female connector needs to be plugged in to the USB flash storage device. On doing this, the file explorer will appear automatically.
Step 4 – Now your USB flash drive will be connected to the smartphone.
Step 5 – With the USB flash drive connected, you can play media directly from it.
Note: While exchanging files do not unmount or remove the USB drive.
Disconnect USB flash Drive from Android Phone
Disconnecting your drive after usage has to be done before unplugging the device from the port.
Follow these simple steps for disconnection,
Step 1 – Swipe downwards from the top of your screen
Step 2 – Now touch and select USB mass storage connected.
Step 3 – Upon doing this you can safely disconnect your flash drive while preventing any file corruption.
How often do you use OTG and for what purpose? We hope this information on how to connect USB flash drive to Android tip helped you serve your purpose. Share your feedback with us on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.