Transfer photos from Samsung S5 to Mac.

[heydbliss]

I have transferred photos from my Android phone to my MacBook before no problem. No extra apps, nothing, just plug in using the charging usb cable. The last time I tried the phone didn't even appear on the desktop. Do I need wifi, which I had the last time?
So I thought i'd back up to a dual USB drive. Is there one that fits the unique port on the phone, or do I need a connector cable? Would it be easier to just get an SD card and a card reader for the computer?
I'm a technical pinhead, so I need help! Thank you.

 

[hallux]

unique port on the phone

It's a standard MicroUSB port, nothing unique about that.

Have you tried using Bluetooth? Pair the phone and computer as you would the phone and Bluetooth headphones then select the images and the share button to "share" to Bluetooth.