Many smartphone owners often face the following problem: the android does not see the flash drive connected to the phone. And we are talking not only about standard MicroSD drives, but also about USB flash drives connected via an OTG cable. There can be many reasons why this happens, but don't be discouraged, because almost all of these problems are solvable.
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 arise absolutely at any moment, and the user has nothing to do with it.
It's all about the firmware of the device itself. If she's badis 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:
- First, do a factory reset. This will restore the phone to its original settings and completely clean it of all installed games, applications and data, leaving only the essentials for the system to work. This method is not a panacea, but often helps.
- The second way is less radical. It involves updating the smartphone firmware to the latest version or a complete flashing of an already installed OS. This method can be considered more efficient, since the manufacturer usually fixes all existing problems in the latest firmware versions and significantly improves optimization, so updates are always useful.
Wrong format
The second reason why the android does not see the flash drive is the wrong 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 the FAT, exFAT and EXT file systems.
If you format a flash drive through a smartphone, then nothing bad will happen - the drive will simply be cleared and will be available for further work. But if you format through a computer, you can easilyselect the wrong file system, for example, NTFS, with which "Android" has no compatibility.
To fix this problem, just remove the flash drive from your smartphone, insert it into the card reader, connect it to a PC, and then format it to the FAT or exFAT file system.
Problem with contacts
Often, clogging of contacts leads to the fact that the android does not see the USB flash drive. This problem is not as common as the previous two, but it still happens.
There are quite a few reasons why dirt gets on contacts: it can be the most common accumulation of dust inside the phone, removing a flash drive with dirty hands, oxidation of contacts from moisture, and much more. The essence remains the same - 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, soak it in alcohol, and then gently wipe the contacts on the flash drive and on the phone itself. If the memory card slot is not located under the cover, but somewhere on the side where a special combo tray is inserted, then it is better to take some flat and thin object so that it can easily pass into the tray slot.
The second method is already for those whose contacts are not just dirty, but oxidized from moisture. A cotton swab is also suitable here, only instead of alcohol you will have to use baking soda. The tip of the stick must be thoroughly “dipped” in soda, after which you can begin to wipe the contacts. In no case shouldwet the stick so that the baking soda sticks to it better, as 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 into such a smartphone, then the android will not be able to detect them and will not work with them.
Card failure
A drive failure is also often the reason why the android does not see the MicroSD flash drive. As statistics show, in most cases, such a problem is faced by those users who bought memory cards for their phones from little-known manufacturers at a very low cost.
Checking a USB flash drive is easy enough. To begin with, it must be removed from the smartphone and inserted 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, then 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 the problems are not limited to MicroSD cards. Manyusers connect standard drives to their smartphones, 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 an ordinary flash drive is formatted in the NTFS file system, then the android will not be able to detect it just like that. Of course, there are devices from the expensive segment that can do this, but they are extremely few.
The solution to this problem is the same as for MicroSD. All you need to do is to format the USB flash drive to FAT or exFAT file system, and then connect it to your smartphone.
Faulty adapter
The next reason why the android does not see the OTG flash drive is the 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 pins of the plug, as a result of which the adapter stops working.
Besides, on cheap OTG, the wire can often break, which also leads to the fact that the system does not recognize the 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 the USB ON-THE-GO function, which allows you to supply power through the cable to the connected drive to make it work.
The easiest way to check if your device supports this feature is to download a simple USB OTG Checker app from the store and install it. This program will not only show if your smartphone can work with OTG, but also help you identify and connect the drive.
