Nexus 7 - How to read & write to a USB drive (without rooting)

USB OTG technology has enabled android phones & tablets to connect to the external storage devices like USB stcik, portable HDD, memory cards, etc. so that data can be shared. In this post, i am going to explain, how to connect devices to Android USB OTG and read & write to a USB drive without root access with the help of free apps available on the google play store.

 

OTG – What it is and what it does

• The term OTG stands for On-The-Go and it is often called as USB OTG or just OTG.
• OTG technology allows us to connect an Android device to USB storage devices, flash disks, mouse/keyboard or even a USB gaming controller.
• OTG technology allows us to transfer documents, pictures, music, video etc. from the USB storage.

How to Connect USB Devices to Android Nexus using OTG Without Root

• Install a USB OTG app from Google Play store.
• If you are using a USB card reader, first insert the memory card in the USB card reader.
• Attach the USB device’s USB port to the OTG cable.
• Attach the OTG cable’s microUSB port to the Android Device.
• The app should launch automatically or else try manually launching the app.

Free app to read & write to a USB drive (without rooting)

• Download and install the free Android app Total Commander from the Google Play App store, and launch the app.
• Install the USB-Stick Plugin TC from the Google Play Store. There are two versions of this plugin. Use free version first to check, whether your device is compatible with OTG functionlity or not.
• Launch Total Commander and you will see "USB-Stick plugin (free)" option.
• Now, Plug in your USB device and Launch Total Commander (Launch automatically mostly).
• Click ‘USB-Stick Plugin’.
• Rotate the tablet to a landscape orientation and select files from the Nexus 7 (on the right) and click copy icon (two pages with arrow sign).
• Confirm ‘Copy’ or 'Move'.
• You’re Done!
• Do the reverse and drag files from the USB drive to your Nexus 7.