Despite my belief that most Android devices are problem-free, some of you that use windows often experience certain problems with your USB connection.
I once had this same problem of not being able to connect my Android phone through USB but, I was fortunate enough to stumble on a number of very helpful tips that helped me deal with the issue. I will be sharing some of these tips with you in the following content.
Most Common Symptoms
As a matter of fact, there are varied symptoms of connection problems that have to do with Android devices and USB. One of the most common of these issues is the difficulty you experience while trying to transfer files between your computer and your device via your computer.
Outlined below are some of the most reported USB connection issues.
- Your computer fails to recognize the Android device you plugged in
- The computer recognizes the device, yet, you find it fail to access the memory
- Either the computer or the phone hangs up after your device have been plugged in
- Nothing happens when you plug in your Android device
- Windows cannot install the necessary drivers after plugging in your Android device so accessing phone storage is not possible
- The auto installation of your PC suite which the manufacturer of your device provides fails to function well.
Possible Solutions to Android USB Connection Problems
After handling several USB connection problems, I developed the outlined list. One of these must work out because they were tested on different tablets and Android phones with different problems.
Restart your computer and your phone
This may not sound all that serious, but in truth it helped sometimes. Your computer or Android device may simply be overloaded if you have used it for a long time without restarting, so restarting both your PC and Android device is a good way to start.
1. Make sure your USB cable is ok
You may need to ensure your USB cable is in order, else none of these techniques may work for you.
2. Use the debugging mode
Sometimes, all the aforementioned steps may fail, but this method sure works. This mode is mostly used by developers. It lets you access your phone directly, transfer apps and install them directly without any notifications. To activate the debugging mode, go to your settings>Developer options>and check out USB debugging.
3. Update your phone
Updating your Android version will always help, especially when you have bugs in your software. I did have some problems when I was still using my HTC One X with the Ice Cream Sandwich version, my PC couldn't see my device until after some minutes.
The problem disappeared as soon as I uploaded it to Jelly Bean, Now my computer recognizes my phone after only a few seconds.
4. Update your computer
Sometimes, outdated systems like windows will not be able to recognize your Android device or any USB device for that matter. This is why you should always update your system, but make sure you stick to only 2-3 updates at a time.
5. Use task manager to kill processes and try again
All you need to do here is to download some Android killer apps and app killer and plug in your Android device.
6. Use USBDeview to clean up your USB device
If you use windows, the problem could come from your computer which gets complicated by the large number of USB devices and drivers installed, especially if your computer is used by a lot of people who plug in different devices all the time.
With USBDeview, you can manage your devices and uninstall the ones you do not need.
- Download the program and open it without installing.
- You will see different Android devices, even when you have only one. Unplug the device and uninstall all other devices. Right-click on the devices you wish to uninstall and click on uninstall all selected devices.
- Reboot your PC.
- Plug back your device.