How To Hook a USB Pen Drive To Your Android Smartphone: 7 Simple Steps

| Updated: Thursday, January 29, 2015, 10:04 [IST]

Although Android smartphones have an internal expansion card slot, wouldn't it be great if we could plug-in a USB Pen Drive into our device? Fortunately, with some guidance and tips, you can hook a USB Flash Drive on your Android-powered tablet or smartphone.

If you want to use your device just like a Personal Computer (PC), and don't want to mess up your internal SD card, then it does make some sense to use a USB Pen Drive, as it offer more storage space with an ease.

Here are some basic steps you need to follow to hook a USB Pen Drive to your Android-powered smartphone.

Step One

Not all Android smartphones support USB On-The-Go (OTG). In that case, you need to download an app called as USB OTG checker from Google Play store, a free app that determines whether your device supports USB OTG.

It is possible that your device may not support OTG. In such case, you need to root your device, and install drivers, flash a new ROM with OTG support.

Step Two

If your device supports USB OTG then you need to buy an OTG cable. By the way, they are dirt cheap and can be purchased online.

Step Three

The USB OTG solution is great for storing ample number of multimedia files. Get a USB Pen Drive, Now fill it with all sorts of music, videos, documents, and other files you'll need to access.

Step Four

Now plug the USB OTG cable to your device, then plug the USB Pen Drive into the USB OTG cable.

Step Five

You'll notice a notification in your notification bar of the device that looks like a USB symbol. A notification will prompt when the USB is connected.

Step 6

If you device didn't a pre-loaded file manager, install Astro File Manager, a free app from Google Play Store.

Step 7

Just like the PC, you can navigate files on the USB Pen Drive from your Android phone.