Android 15 Thinks USB Drive is a Tethered PC

[pone]

After buying a Samsung A9+, I cannot get individual apps that are not file managers to see the USB device. I can open photos on the drive with imaging applications through a file manager, but then I am unable to move to the next image from within the imaging application. I have to exit and select the next image from the file manager, which is a very awkward process. When I attach the USB device, I get a system notification that a device is attached, and when I select it I am taken to some obscure systems settings screen, where it appears that Android believes I am tethered to a PC. There is a radio button option to change the role and let the Android system take control of the USB, but all attempts to select the correct radio button give an error, as shown in the red circled area of the attached image.

This is all pretty frustrating. It doesn't look like Google or Samsung actually want to make it easy to use a USB flash drive. They have so much security - that is implemented in a DEFECTIVE way - that I cannot effectively use the device. Does anyone have an insight on how I can configure things to allow me to select the correct USB "role" radio button on the attached image?

 

[mustang7757]

What's the exact brand of your USB flash drive?

 

[spARTacus]

Under developer options (you may need to enable such as hidden settings) there's an ability to set default USB connection behaviour. That might help. In theory, you should also be able to just swipe down from the top and select the connected USB notification in order to adjust such, like you have tried. However, seems lots of times folks have similar issues for connected USB storage. I wouldn't be surprised if it's caused by lots of apps expecting to be able to interact with USB in a simple manner, as opposed to file manager apps that might be written to be more precise for such.

 

[pone]

What's the exact brand of your USB flash drive?

I am using the Uni card reader with SanDisk memory, but I have tried other readers and they are all the same behavior:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081VHSB2V?

 

[mustang7757]

I am using the Uni card reader with SanDisk memory, but I have tried other readers and they are all the same behavior:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B081VHSB2V?

Thanks

Does it have an SD card in it? Try taking it out or maybe check developer settings like mentioned earlier, but I would stick with Samsung USB c Flash drive

The ones that support Samsung and I would stick with is the following

Top Recommendations for Samsung Devices.


Samsung Type-C USB Flash Drive: The brand's own drives offer high speeds (up to 400MB/s read), waterproof/shockproof durability, and seamless compatibility with Samsung's ecosystem.


Samsung Duo Plus: Features both USB-C and USB-A connectors, great for moving data between new and older Samsung devices.


SanDisk Extreme PRO / iXpand: Known for solid-state performance, high speeds, and robust build, with iXpand offering specific mobile features.


Kingston DataTraveler Max: One of the fastest USB-C drives available, ideal for quick backups and large file transfers.


PNY DUO LINK: A convenient dual-connector drive (USB-C and USB-A) for versatile device connectivity.