How to install OTG support on Android?

Despite the presence of small connectors such as Micro-USB and USB-C, which are rarely found on computer motherboards, smartphones can also work with common USB devices, including mice, keyboards, external hard drives and other devices that everyone who works with a PC has person.

The only condition under which full operation with adapters is possible, and not just receiving power for the battery, is the smartphone’s support for the OTG function. In many devices it is enabled by default, but if you encounter any problems activating it, this article will help you solve them. Before moving on to the main part of the text, you should take into account that the function in question is present in many, but not all gadgets - inexpensive models do not have it. And if you still don’t understand how to enable OTG on Android and how it works, then you need to read this material completely.

What is OTG on a phone?

USB On-the-Go or simply OTG is an adapter that allows you to connect peripheral devices such as a keyboard, mouse, controllers, hard drives, etc. to your smartphone. ... At its core, OTG is an external USB port that connects to a smartphone via a micro-USB connector.

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How to enable OTG Android

How to find out if your smartphone supports OTG

Search on the Internet

The easiest way: search the Internet for device characteristics. They are described in most detail on aggregator platforms like Yandex.Market. Simply enter the name of the model and go to its properties page, where information regarding OTG availability will likely be provided.

Easy OTG Checker

Another option is to use the Easy OTG Checker program. With the simplicity of its interface, this utility fully justifies its name. To work with the application, just follow the following instructions:

Go to the application page, click “Install”;
Open the software after the download is complete;
Read the warning that the program was created for an older version of Android and close this window;
Connect your USB device and click the question mark icon. The result will be displayed on the screen. Everything is simple here: if a checkmark appears, OTG is present, a cross - the device is not connected or not supported.

OTG?

In the comments under the above-mentioned program, there were reviews about the incorrect definition, although the number of positive ratings is still higher. However, for greater confidence in the information, you can additionally use the OTG application, which has more than one million downloads. Do the following:

Find the program in the Play Market and install it. The download will take almost one second;
Open the application;
Tap “Check now!”;
The result will be displayed instantly. You can view detailed information by clicking “Show details” if desired.

This program has a completely different operating principle. It checks the technical features of the device, as well as the presence of the model in the list of devices with guaranteed OTG availability.

USB OTG Checker

There is another method: the also popular USB OTG Checker software. It's easy to use:

On the application page in the Play Market, click “Install”;
Launch the program;
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Give the software access to interact with the device’s storage;
Tap “Check USB OTG Compatibility”;
See what the program produces. To see a more detailed summary, click the corresponding button and connect the device that requires OTG to your smartphone.

This program combines the methods available in the previous software. Its disadvantage is the presence of advertising, but since this utility is needed only once, you won’t have to see ads too often.

Causes

From what is written above, it is clear that in fact the device cannot access the hard drive, that is, the problem is related to the hardware components, and not to the software.
There are several reasons why this problem may occur:

Physical damage to the hard drive;
Temporary one-time failure of the hard drive of a non-system nature;
Disorders resulting from exposure to viruses, although this occurs quite rarely;
The device tries to start the system from a drive that is not specified as a priority in the BIOS settings;
The battery on the system board is damaged, broken or exhausted;
USB ports do not work, of course, if the hard drive is connected to the PC in this way;
Problems with the operating system itself, which is also quite rare, since this is usually signaled by errors of a different type.

Depending on the reason that caused this failure, there are several ways to resolve this problem.

Required components for OTG operation

Once you are sure that your phone supports OTG, the only thing left to do is small. In order to start using it, it is enough to purchase a special OTG cable, which is sold in any specialized store and is inexpensive. By connecting this cable, the corresponding changes usually occur on the display immediately.

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How to choose an adapter, and is it always necessary?

First of all, you should pay attention to the type of socket in your smartphone or tablet. Most often this is a small 2 by 7 mm connector called Micro-USB

The cable required in this case will be called Microusb USB OTG. Older devices may be equipped with mini-USB. This is a slightly larger physical socket that requires a different cable. The second important point is the choice of length. Think about it, why do you need a USB OTG cable? If you connect devices such as flash drives and other storage devices to your smartphone, you should not take a long cable, since the extra wire will constantly get in your way. If you want to connect the gadget, for example, to a TV, then perhaps you should think about a longer option so that you don’t have to constantly go to the TV to rewind or pause the movie. In addition, a long cable is necessary if you are going to play games on your smartphone, displaying the image on the TV (so that you do not have to control the characters while sitting 20 cm from the TV screen). It is worth mentioning that some tablets sometimes even have a standard USB socket, such as on a computer. In this case, an adapter is not required at all, because the peripheral device can be connected directly to the tablet.

The basics of working with external drives

So, we connected the flash drive to our tablet, what next? All modern file managers support USB-OTG. The most popular and functional is "". In order to “get” to the flash drive, you need to select the appropriate item in the main menu. Now you can view files on it, edit them, copy, delete and perform any actions with them, just as you do with a microSD card or the memory of the tablet itself.

Main menu of the ES Explorer program

USB drive opened in the program

If it is not possible to install a file manager, you can find a flash drive connected to the tablet through the manager built into the firmware. Some standard FMs are capable of displaying external flash drives in the main menu, like “ES Explorer,” while others require you to independently search for external drives. You can find a USB flash drive at the following address - root of the tablet memory (root) - storage - usbdisk.

Tablet memory root

Folder "Storage"

And here is the flash drive itself

The read/write speed depends both on the flash drive itself and on the characteristics of your tablet. New devices that support USB 3.0, for example, allow you to work with external drives at speeds that are in no way inferior to internal memory.

You can test a flash drive for read/write speed on Android, for example, using the "".

A1 SD Bench program

Problems and solutions

There is little free space on your hard drive

Android has limits on the maximum sizes of connected media. They can only be removed by purchasing another device.

Hard drive is not detected

Set the drive to FAT32 mode rather than NTFS. To do this, you will have to format it using Windows, which will take about a minute and will lead to the complete disappearance of files previously located in the storage. It is recommended to first move them to the cloud like OneDrive or Google Drive, and then upload them back after the process is completed.

What devices can be connected via OTG?

Thanks to this technology, almost any type of device can be connected to the phone. But this is only in theory. In practice, we see a different picture. Here, a lot depends on the shell developers for a specific version of the Android operating system, on the devices you connect, and on compatibility.

You can easily connect USB drives up to 32 GB. You can try more, for example, 64 GB, but they do not work everywhere.

It is also possible to connect separate external drives, but here it is worth considering the fact that many models simply do not have enough power from your phone. If it is possible to connect power through a regular socket in the additional input, then there will be no problems with transferring and correctly reading the list of files.

You can connect a computer mouse and keyboard. This is very useful in cases where the user needs to type something, but the standard virtual keyboard does not suit him.

If you are an avid gamer, you can also connect a gamepad to your phone using OTG. Just keep in mind that not all games from Google Play support this technology and similar devices. Here a lot depends on the application developer himself.

It is possible to transfer contacts and messages through this technology if you connect two devices via one cable. You can also attach a lamp powered by a USB port.

If you have a bad front camera on your smartphone, then just connect an external one!

This technology is convenient for photographers who can view photos on their device, such as a tablet or smartphone, via a card reader or USB. You can even connect internet adapters to connect via fiber optic!

But that's not all! Need to print documents urgently? Connect your printer! You can also add a monitor or TV here.

As a result, the user receives a full-fledged device with which you can control other devices. And if we take into account that the power of some telephone sets exceeds some of the budget computers of older generations, then in the future we can expect the full implementation of all work with a PC on a mobile device.

Devices that can be connected to mobile devices

The USB HOST OTG function definitely allows you to connect flash drives with a capacity of up to 32 GB to almost any gadget. However, large storage devices such as portable hard drives, which can reach up to two terabytes in capacity, can only be handled by powerful devices. Printers and cameras connect without problems, but this often requires installing additional software. Mice, keyboards, joysticks can even be connected to modern gadgets. The connection to the TV or monitor is established through a system of two cables. In addition to Micro-USB OTG, you also need an HDMI cable or a Micro-USB-HDMI adapter. The interesting thing is that nothing prevents you from connecting several devices to your Tablet PC at the same time using such a connector.

What is it used for?

The OTG mode will expand the capabilities of the phone. It will ensure the comfort of using your favorite device. For example, it is much more pleasant to view videos or photos from a smartphone on a TV or PC screen. To perform this action, you just need the technology in question and a flash drive. The user will be able to dump information from the device to the drive and insert it into the TV to enjoy excellent images in a large format.

The presence of the OTG option in the smartphone allows you to connect many other required devices to the gadget. Pairing multiple devices is easy. All you need is a cable and all gadgets support OTG technology.

Use USB OTG to get more from your Android device

Needless to say, the additional features provided to Android smartphones with USB OTG go a long way in maximizing their potential. And as you can see above, checking whether your Android device is USB OTG compatible or not is easier than you think. So give it a try, and let us know your findings in the comments below.

Features Features

The UVC Receiver function can be used to convert analog video from devices that support the UTV-007 HTV-600 and HTV-800 protocols. In this case, the video played on the smartphone screen will not have an audio track, since this option does not provide support for audio output.

When changing the conjugation type from basic OTG to the more universal USB, the quality of the broadcast will be lost. After all, the maximum allowable resolution for Video Grabber when using the UVC function is only 640x480 pixels.

In addition to broadcasting, the UVC option also provides for recording video files to the internal memory of the smartphone. At the output, the user will receive a video in MP4 format without an audio track. But only owners of the Android operating system 4.3 and higher can use this function (the utility works in the background without blocking text notifications and calls received on the phone).

Traditional solutions:

using applications that allow the gadget to open flash drives of similar formats. There are quite a lot of similar variations. One of the most popular versions is OTG Disk Explorer Lite;
When using a cable to watch movies, problems may also arise. This is due to the lack of special players designed for OTG technology. Other versions simply will not be able to fully open audio tracks, since they do not have built-in codecs;
Sometimes problems happen when working with documents. To maintain normal functionality, additional programs will also be needed. One of which is Polaris Office.

Complex of devices of modern man

Well, here we come to the most interesting part! What can you turn into for anything other than entertainment, an unusable (as many people think) tablet or smartphone? Into an almost full-fledged computer, which has many advantages over a simple desktop PC! So, we will need a smartphone or tablet, an OTG cable, and a bunch of peripheral devices. It is worth mentioning that Chinese “trinkets” are unlikely to withstand the load from the complex that will be described below

For this reason, it is recommended to pay attention to adapters from world-famous manufacturers. For example, Samsung USB OTG cables and Apacer or Asus USB splitters

Well, shall we begin? You need to connect the OTG cable to the device, a splitter to the wire, and to it a keyboard, mouse, printer, monitor, etc. In a word, everything your heart desires. As a result, we will get an alternative to the computer!

Troubleshooting

The easiest way to deal with this problem is to restart the equipment.

If the failure was temporary, it will not occur again when restarted.

Next, the user’s task is to determine whether the problem is hardware or software in nature.

Physical damage

They could only occur if the computer system unit was subjected to shock, fall, pressure or other impacts, and usually they are noticeable visually.

Remove the case from the system unit or the back cover from the laptop (de-energized) and inspect the hard drive and all its connections, and it is important to check the correctness and serviceability of the cables, both to the hard drive and to the motherboard. If one of the cables is disconnected and the problem is easy to fix, then you can reconnect it yourself

If one of the cables is disconnected and the problem is easy to fix, then you can reconnect it yourself.

However, if damage to the device is visually noticeable, then most likely the hard drive will need to be replaced, which should be carried out by specialists.

External media

At the next stage, it is necessary to exclude the possibility that the download occurs from any other media.

To do this, do the following:

Remove any disks installed in external or internal drives;
Remove all memory cards and other connected external storage devices;
Disable as many unnecessary devices as possible.
After this, restart the equipment. If this was the cause of the failure, then the device should now start normally.

Download priority

This is a parameter that is configured in the BIOS; it determines which drive the system should access in order to start booting.

You can check and change, if necessary, the download queue as follows:

Start the device;
Press Del during the boot process, sometimes you may need to press F8 at the same time - this depends on the device settings;
The blue BIOS menu will open; the system does not need to be booted for it to work;
It differs depending on the version and build of the PC, so the exact navigation through it will differ, but the goal is always the same - using the arrows on the keyboard, the user needs to find the item with the word Boot Manager or simply Boot;
Look through the list that is displayed in this section - the first one in it should be the device on which you have recorded the system;

If this is not the case, then use the arrows to change the order of the equipment.

If this is the case, then the problem is most likely on the computer hardware side.

The second option: the device does not see the hard drive with the system at all and it is not displayed in the list (but it is connected correctly).

In this case, the hard drive itself is faulty and needs to be replaced.

Battery

In some cases, all changes made to the boot queue in the BIOS are rolled back when restarted.

This indicates that there are problems with the motherboard battery.

It should be replaced at a service center, but the cost of such a device is not high.

System problems

It is possible that the problem lies with the operating system itself.

It’s quite easy to check this - take the installation disk or flash drive, install it into the device and boot from it, placing it first in the boot queue in the BIOS.

Then go to System Restore, and using the command line, alternately execute the three commands bootrec/fixmbr, bootrec /fixboot and chkdsk:/f/r.

Which smartphones support the technology?

Android, starting from version 2.3, automatically supports this technology. But here it is important to take into account that much depends on the shell of the manufacturer that provides the smartphone. Android is a Google development provided to all companies, where each company refines it in its own way and can either add something new or remove it.

Some manufacturers remove this option only to save battery power, increasing its overall efficiency. But such steps are taken only for the sake of budget models. Mid- and high-end smartphones 100% have this technology and support a wide range of connected devices.

If OTG does not work

There are several main options.

A software problem, in other words, a glitch. Restart your smartphone.

The OTG cable does not work. Replace with a working one.

The device does not support OTG technology, which is unlikely today.

Mechanical problems in the smartphone connector.

If your smartphone sees the flash drive, but gives an error like “The NTFS/ExFat/HPFS file system is not supported,” format the flash drive in FAT32 format.

For mechanical problems, it is better to contact a service center, especially if the smartphone is under warranty.

Is it possible to connect a flash drive to a phone without root?

You can connect to smartphones younger than 2016 according to the scheme above. Models older than 2013 will require third party apps. Each phone released between 2013-2016 must be checked separately. The simplest and most accessible applications:

Nexus Media Importer.
Nexus USB OTG FileManager.

These programs work without making changes to root, support FAT and NTFS (both paid).

Gato Negro USB OTG File Manager is a free application, but with a lower rating. Allows you to add, rename and delete files. Some users noted that the flash drive is recognized, but when trying to copy it gives an error.

If you still need root rights, it is convenient to work in the Kingo Root and KRoot Checker programs. At the same time, the developer warns that he is not responsible for the consequences. There is a danger of damaging your smartphone and being left without warranty. Also, for all phone models you need to look for separate instructions.

When you get root rights to quickly recognize flash memory and display it in any file manager, try the free StickMount application (there is a paid Pro utility). You can download it from the Play Store.

After connecting, you need to check Launch StickMount automatically for the running device and allow Full access to all functions. After this, the sdcard/usbStorage folders will be located in the file manager.

The program supports file systems of different phones without being tied to the firmware. The list of available ones includes: fat and fat32, as well as ext2, ext3 and ext4.