Have you experienced that Android does not respond when you connect it to your PC or your Android vehicle with car? End that frustration by setting the default USB behavior.
How to set the default USB behavior in Android 10
Have you experienced that Android does not respond when you connect it to your PC or your Android vehicle with car? End that frustration by setting the default USB behavior.
When you connect your Android device to your PC, it will behave in accordance with how you have configured the promotion. With Android 10 you have five options:
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File transfer / Android Auto: Transfer files to and from PC / Android or open Android Auto.
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USB tethering: Act as an external network interface for the PC.
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MIDI: Used when connecting your phone to a MIDI device (such as a digital keyboard).
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PTP: When connected, your device will appear on the PC as a digital camera.
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No data transfer: No action taken.
SEE: Top Android security tips (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
One thing you will notice is the missing USB mass storage that was once an option. USB mass storage is the standard protocol for all types of storage devices, whereby the disk itself is made fully available to the PC as if it were a connected disk. The problem with this method was that the PC requires exclusive access to the Android storage, which means that all files or apps stored on the SD card or USB storage would not be available to the device when they were on the PC plugged in. It also meant that file systems had to be formatted in a form that Windows could recognize.
Because of this, the Android option was thrown overboard in favor of File Transfer. So now Android users only have the behaviors mentioned above.
If you are a powerful user, you may want to set the default USB behavior. This can be useful if you know that you always need your device to behave in a specific way. This is especially true if you want your device to always be set to Android Auto when you connect it to your car. If it is not set, your device will assume that it is connected to the car for charging only.
So how do you set the default behavior? Let’s find out.
How to enable developer options
To access the standard USB behavior function, you must first enable the developer options. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Open settings.
- Tap About Phone.
- Scroll down.
- Tap Build number (seven times is the magic number) until you are informed that Developer options are enabled.
If you are already a ‘developer’, you will be warned that you do not have to keep ticking.
How to find USB behavior options
Now that you have enabled developer options, you can set the default USB behavior. The easiest way to find the setting is to open settings and then search for USB (Figure A).
Figure A
Search for USB in Android settings.
Scroll down and tap Standard USB Configuration (Figure B).
Figure B
The standard USB configuration list.
In the next window, scroll down again and tap Standard USB Configuration for a second time. This gives you access to the current setting (Figure C).
Figure C
The available standard USB behavior options.
Tap the option that you want to set and you’re done.
When you now connect your Android device to a USB connection, it will behave exactly as you expect – no more waiting and hoping it will do the right thing or connect, disconnect and reconnect to expect a different result.
Enjoy that frustration-free experience.
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Image: Jason Cipriani / CNET
