Possible to connect an external hard drive to an Android tablet?

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peppergomez

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I have a Lenovo Yoga Tablet 2 Pro. I would like to connect an external USB drive via USB 3.0>Micro USB 3.0 cable. I did so but the tablet didn't detect the drive.

This is a drive that doesn't have a power cable to plug into the wall. I wonder if maybe it's not powered sufficiently by the tablet to work, or if it's just not possible to plug a drive into an Android tablet?

Thanks.
 
Check the XDA Developers forum, but I think it depends on the drive and the Android device. I've only used flash drives with my Nexus 10.
 
You need USB OTG support for this to work, as well as enough power. OTG support can require a custom ROM if the manufacturer didn't enable it. You may also need a special OTG cable, but I'm not sure if that is required with USB3.
 
Try it with a simple FAT32 USB flash and see if it is recognized. If not, you possibly have no OTG support in your ROM and should look into custom ones. Have you checked XDA Developers for info on your tablet?
 
Is your device rooted / is root available for it? Chances are the drive is recognized but not mounted. There are tools to automate that for you, or it can be done via the terminal.
 
SSD is your best bet with Android 5.0+ using USB adapter cable. Essentially lowest power draw. Alternatively you can try these USB OTG USB Stick.
 
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