The need to quickly “dump” files to a smartphone, as well as to use an external drive when there is a shortage of memory, is acute today. It is especially relevant for owners of flagship devices that do not support removable memory cards. And other users often need to work temporarily with large files.
Cleaning the disk in order to place files is not always justified in such cases. For example, it is not the most rational option to free up 5 - 10 GB (out of 16 or 32) in memory in order to copy a movie there, which will be deleted immediately after viewing. It is in such situations that a removable USB drive comes in handy more than ever.
Can I connect a USB flash drive to my smartphone? If yes, what is needed for this and what devices have similar functionality? In this article we will try to answer all the questions that arise.
The USB On-The-Go (OTG) standard is designed to connect various peripheral devices to each other without the use of additional hardware. This function is fully implemented at the software level in the Android OS (from version 2.3), partially - in iOS. It is also fully supported by Windows (not Windows Phone - for devices on this platform, support is planned to be added in the 10th version of the OS).
Although at the software level, support for this standard is present in all Android-based smartphones, in practice, not every one of them can work with a USB drive.
As a rule, USB OTG is supported by all flagship models of leading manufacturers (Samsung, LG, Motorola, Xiaomi, Sony, etc.), as well as some devices of Chinese origin. In budget models, costing up to $ 200, this function can be found very rarely. The official list is not kept anywhere, you can check the possibility of working on your device only in practice, or by using a search on the Internet.
iOS devices have an operating system with limited access to the FS and lack a hardware USB connector. Therefore, JailBreak is required to fully work with an external drive.
Microsoft Lumia (and other Windows Mobile-based smartphones) do not support connecting external devices. It is expected to be implemented in the tenth version of WP.
Modern smartphones based on Android, as a rule, are equipped with a microUSB connector. In order to connect a USB flash drive, you need an adapter from MicroUSB to a full-size connector. The cost of such a device (if the manufacturer "forgot" to add it to the smartphone kit) is from $1.
As a rule, after connecting the flash drive is displayed in the file manager. If the device gave a message about connecting the drive, but the new disk did not appear in the "Explorer", you can use third-party software (X-Plore or "ES Explorer"). After that, you can work with a flash drive in the same way as with a regular memory card.
It is worth noting that not all devices are able to "see" the drive correctly without additional programs.
A little more difficult for iPhone users, whose devices are equipped with a proprietary Lightning connector. A special adapter will cost more, and it requires JailBreak and the installation of a third-party file manager to work. Otherwise, you won't be able to work with the data. 
