How to connect a USB storage device to your Android phone?

Feb 25, 2024

Need to quickly copy a few files to your phone from a pen drive? Use this easy trick.

Your Android smartphone can easily connect to a plethora of devices via a USB Type-C to Type-A cable. But connecting a USB storage device to your smartphone can get a bit tricky since it does not have a USB Type-A port. To copy the contents of the USB drive to your phone, you can either use a PC as an intermediary device or plug in an OTG adapter to directly access the USB drive. In this article, we show you how to connect a USB storage device to your Android phone with the help of an OTG adapter.

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Table of Contents

An OTG adapter lets you connect your phone to a range of external devices. Once you connect the adapter to the USB Type-C port on your Android phone, you can use its Type-A port to plug in USB drives, external keyboards, gaming controllers, and other devices. Here’s how you can connect a USB storage device to your Android phone using an OTG adapter.

Step 1: Connect the Type-C end of the OTG adapter to your Android phone’s Type-C port.

Step 2: Now, plug the USD drive into the Type-A port of the adapter.

Step 3: Select File Transfer or USB Storage from the popup menu.

Step 4: Launch the Google Files app on your phone.

Step 5: Switch to the Browse tab.

Step 6: Tap the notification that says USB Available.

Step 7: Tap the connected storage device and select Allow.

You will now be able to view and read the contents of the USB storage device from the Google Files app.

Since your smartphone does not have a USB Type-A port, you will need a Type-C to Type-A OTG adapter to connect a USB storage device.

After connecting the USB storage device to your phone via an OTG adapter, go to Google Files>USB Available and allow the connected storage device to access your phone. Now, go back and tap on the name of the storage device in the Files app to access its contents.

Most USB drives are plug-and-play, which means you won’t need an app to read its contents. Simply use your phone’s native file manager or Google Files to view the contents of the storage device.

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This is how you can connect an external USB storage device to an Android phone. Instead of a USB drive, you can also use an OTG adapter to plug a memory card reader into your phone. Read this article to find out the top 5 ways you can use an OTG adapter on your Android smartphone.

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