Galaxy Tab 3 7" and USB OTG

[dianehelen]

OK I really hope someone here can give me a definitive answer to what seems to be a relatively easy question, but alas is not.

I bought the Galaxy Tab 3 7" from Sprint, great deal and wanted a cell network tablet. One of the features I wanted, and asked about, was its ability to support hooking a flash drive to it, via the microUSB charging port via an OTG USB adapter. Of course Sprint said yes you can.

OK, got the device, mostly love it, ordered the OTG adapter, arrived today. Works GREAT on my Samsung Galaxy s4 phone, but NO RESPONSE at all on the Tab 3

I called Samsung , very dissapointing "advanced" tech support, tells me , I need to get "drivers" for it to work? WHAT??? I have never heard talk of drivers on an Android device. Unless Im missing something, thats an old WinBlows term where you tore your hairs out, finding the illusive drivers for various devices you wanted to work on a WinBlows machine. I tried to challenge the samsung dude, but he was just not to be convinced he was not knowing what he was talking about. I repeatedly asked if the Tab 3, supports OTG, and he kept talking about drivers.

So.................. Can someone verify that the Tab 3, in fact does NOT support this? Or IF it does, what would I have to do to make it work? And any feedback about the "drivers" conversation

Lastly, I am in the market for a new 10" tablet and am seriously looking at the new Note 10.1 2014, but am somewhat weary of getting another Samnsung product, with that level of support. Aslo, do you know IF the Tab 3 does NOT support USB OTG, Does, the Note 10.1 2014?

Thanks in advance for anybody who can shed some intelligent technical info on this.

 

[Adamsberg]

No help but some info about ...
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2492413

 

[dianehelen]

Interesting, Thanks Adamsberg. I wonder if Samsung doesnt know, or DO know, and wont share this info with their consumers. Either way,. rather dissapointing. Making me rethink the Galaxy note. I like the Nexus line, but they dont have any storage expansion like a microSD slot. I wonder if they support the USB OTG?

 

[dianehelen]

Think I just got my answer , and it was NOT from the either stupid or dishonest samsung techs.

Here is an app that determines IF your device supports USB OTG Host. It worked FINE and picked it right up on my Galaxy s4, but NOT on the Tab 3

Hope this helps someone else

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.chainfire.usbhostdiagnostics

 

[Jacqueline Brown1]

I have purchased several OTG adapters that states they work w/my Samsung galaxy tab 3. And they do not, I was talked into buying this silly tablet by a Sprint Rep. And it is the worst investment I ever made 2 year contract for what...Anyway I have since purchased the 10.1 tablet and it has been doing fine so far.

 

[vferrari]

I have purchased several OTG adapters that states they work w/my Samsung galaxy tab 3. And they do not, I was talked into buying this silly tablet by a Sprint Rep. And it is the worst investment I ever made 2 year contract for what...Anyway I have since purchased the 10.1 tablet and it has been doing fine so far.

I think the point of confusion is that the higher end Galaxy tab 3 devices (I.e., the 8 and 10-inch tab 3's) do support usb otg but the 7-inch variants do not. So when third party usb otg adapter vendors advertise tab 3 compatibility, the [imho] stupid Samsung device naming convention of lumping devices into a single family (e.g., tab 3) with the implication being that the only functional difference between them is screen size when in fact there are more significant feature differnces between these devices just creates confusion for the consumer. In fact, there are significant functional differences between the the Wifi and Sprint LTE versions of the 7-inch tab 3 beyond the 4g radio including the processor, amount of RAM, and OS version. BTW AC isn't helping here by lumping all the tab 3 variants under a single tab 3 sub-forum, but I digress...

Sent from my SM-T217S using AC Forums mobile app

 

[axllebeer]

I think the point of confusion is that the higher end Galaxy tab 3 devices (I.e., the 8 and 10-inch tab 3's) do support usb otg but the 7-inch variants do not. So when third party usb otg adapter vendors advertise tab 3 compatibility, the [imho] stupid Samsung device naming convention of lumping devices into a single family (e.g., tab 3) with the implication being that the only functional difference between them is screen size when in fact there are more significant feature differnces between these devices just creates confusion for the consumer. In fact, there are significant functional differences between the the Wifi and Sprint LTE versions of the 7-inch tab 3 beyond the 4g radio including the processor, amount of RAM, and OS version. BTW AC isn't helping here by lumping all the tab 3 variants under a single tab 3 sub-forum, but I digress...

Sent from my SM-T217S using AC Forums mobile app

Agreed. I'm hoping some of these missing g features come with the Kitkat update.

Sent from my Sprint Tab 3

 

[axllebeer]

Agreed. I'm hoping some of these missing g features come with the Kitkat update.

Sent from my Sprint Tab 3

And they didn't. So sad. Why is it that my S4 Mini will do screen mirroring with the same processor and RAM yet my LTE Tab 3 won't?

Sent from my Sprint Tab 3

 

[Luis Machado]

I got the exact problem with the tab 4 7" ... coincidentally I also have the S4 which works fine. I was trying to use the tab as a video monitor to control my camera ... for which the s4 is a bit small. Anyway... lot's of research told me that the 7" tabs are cheapen down .. not just by a inch of monitor. Supposedly, the 8 inch and 10 support OTG. Also read that you can root the tablet and get OTG Helper app which is supposed to be all you need. But it's very difficult to root this tablet .. especially with 4.4.2 .. .so I think I am giving up on Samsung ... getting a cheap tablet. If it doesn't work at least I won't spend too much.:-\

 

[figidigi]

I got the same thing !
Got the Tab3 lite and the Sumsung Wifi and installed the app and that said: No-Can_do ! :-(
Tried another app, just 2b sure. Same thing on both devices.

Looking at it from a samsung-angle; The devices I bought weren't expensive at all,
and they both still have tons of options. It seems fair that OTG is supported on the higher end products.
:'(

 

[axllebeer]

I got the exact problem with the tab 4 7" ... coincidentally I also have the S4 which works fine. I was trying to use the tab as a video monitor to control my camera ... for which the s4 is a bit small. Anyway... lot's of research told me that the 7" tabs are cheapen down .. not just by a inch of monitor. Supposedly, the 8 inch and 10 support OTG. Also read that you can root the tablet and get OTG Helper app which is supposed to be all you need. But it's very difficult to root this tablet .. especially with 4.4.2 .. .so I think I am giving up on Samsung ... getting a cheap tablet. If it doesn't work at least I won't spend too much.:-\

I don't think any amount of 3rd party software can accomplish this. USB OTG just won't work because of the hardware. I'm not sure about the Tab 3 7.0 bit my S4 Mini was a piece of cake to root.

 

[extraclass]

OTG is not available on the Tab-3 7" The only small tab it is available on is the Tab-3 8" sm-T310. It has to be the SM-T310 version! This tablet also has HDMI out on the Micro USB Port!

OTG works on the Tab-2 7" and many of the larger tablets but I really do not like the form factor of a 10" tablet.

OTG information is very hard to find and the Ads on Ebay can be misleading. Check out this site for the best info I have found on OTG availability.

OTG (On-The-Go) Compatibility | Integral Memory

 

[CellFoneChik]

I also got the Tab 3 from Sprint, but make sure your didn't get the Tab 3 LITE which does NOT support OTG.

Good Luck!

Tab 3 7" does support OTG, but. Or the Tab 3 7 Lite. Sprint sold 2 versions are of the tablet but listed one as LTE - probably misled a lot of people who didn't realize they were getting LITE....thanks, Sprint.

 

[extraclass]

Wife has tab 3, 7" WiFi and it does not support OTG!

 

[Ammarasyad]

Tab 3 7 inch doesn't support OTG, only 8 inches and above support.

Posted via the Android Central App from my Samsung Galaxy S4 I9500

 

[axllebeer]

Re: Galaxy Tab 3 7" and USB OTG

Tab 3 7" does support OTG, but. Or the Tab 3 7 Lite. Sprint sold 2 versions are of the tablet but listed one as LTE - probably misled a lot of people who didn't realize they were getting LITE....thanks, Sprint.

Going to have you disagree here.

Mine has the 1.7 ghz duel core processor, 1.5 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage. That's the original LTE version. And it does not support USB OTG.

Flicked via the BlackBerry Keyboard on my S5

 

[extraclass]

Re: Galaxy Tab 3 7" and USB OTG

Correct information about OTG is very hard to find. The only Galaxy Tab 3 8" with OTG is the SM T310 and SM T315 Models. Samsung Tech Support has no Idea! I have an SM T310 Tab 3 8" model and it has OTG and HDMI output!

See the link below. As far as I know this list is complete and accurate!

OTG (On-The-Go) Compatibility | Integral Memory

 

[swathi pai]

sadly even i have the same story....and the otg doesnnot support....i wonder if there are no apps that will atleast temporarily help the otg to get connected.....if any1 knows abt it...pls do reply!!!!!

 

[urbanman2004]

This the first link I clicked on in doing my research only to be utterly disappointed at the sheer incompetency of this tablet. Well, at least I got it for free.