You want to read a USB key or an external hard drive on your smartphone, recover an important file without going through a PC. With an adapter or a double-connector key, you can easily achieve this. And if you have a recent smartphone with a USB-Type C port, it's even easier.
Almost all recent high-end or mid-range Android smartphones are compatible with the USB OTG (USB On The Go) function. Its advantages are numerous. She allows to read a USB key or an external hard drive on your Android smartphone. You can also plug a keyboard or mouse into your smartphone.
A few years ago, we still worried about whether or not our smartphone had this function, which is less and less the case. You can, however, check the compatibility in the manual for your device, especially if you are using an entry-level or very old smartphone.
Reading a USB stick or an external hard drive on a smartphone: what do you need?
In the case of smartphones with a USB Type-C port, the universal character of the connector removes all barriers. Provided you also have a USB Type-C key. In this case, no adapter is needed.
Second scenario: If you want to read a USB key, a hard drive or an external SSD with a classic USB port (Type A) on your smartphone which has a USB-C port, you will need an adapter or a cable. USB Type-A to USB Type-C. The cable below costs € 8 on Amazon.
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Third scenario : if your smartphone has a micro USB port and your key is USB-A type, buy an adapter OTG micro USB vers USB Type-A. You can easily find inexpensive models on the Internet.
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And to make everything easier, today there are USB keys with two connections like this Sandisk key (classic USB + USB Type-C) or this one (classic USB + Micro USB).
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Last important clarification: the storage medium must be formatted as FAT32 or exFAT. Android does not yet natively recognize the NTFS file system, although some file explorers like Files by Google allow you to read the contents of a USB key or an external drive in NTFS. But writing remains impossible.
Connect your USB key to the smartphone
Once you have what you need, simply connect the USB stick or external hard drive to your OTG compatible mobile. An icon will appear in the notification bar. Scroll down and select USB key. The contents of your device are displayed on the screen. You can select files and copy them to the smartphone's internal memory or to the SD card.
Conversely, you can select files or folders on the internal memory and copy them to the storage media. Just select the file, then the three vertical dots in the upper right corner> Copy. The device will display all available storage devices. Select the USB stick or external hard drive.
