• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.
The main piece of equipment you need for this to work is a USB OTG cable/adapter. You can plug most USB peripherals (like keyboard, mouse, hub, etc) without issue using this.

However, dependent on the stick, there may be limits. I think the highest I've heard is 32GB USB2.0. Anything higher or requiring USB3.0 may not work due to greater power requirements required to operate. USB external HDDs work but require an external power source. A powered USB hub may overcome these restrictions, but will be dependent on the make and power it provides.
 
Upvote 0
The main piece of equipment you need for this to work is a USB OTG cable/adapter. You can plug most USB peripherals (like keyboard, mouse, hub, etc) without issue using this.

However, dependent on the stick, there may be limits. I think the highest I've heard is 32GB USB2.0. Anything higher or requiring USB3.0 may not work due to greater power requirements required to operate. USB external HDDs work but require an external power source. A powered USB hub may overcome these restrictions, but will be dependent on the make and power it provides.

So if I plug in a 1TB hard drive (powered) to my Note 8 via one of these OTG adapters, the tablet will read it??? For the sake of a couple of bucks to get one online, I will be trying this!
 
Upvote 0
So if I plug in a 1TB hard drive (powered) to my Note 8 via one of these OTG adapters, the tablet will read it??? For the sake of a couple of bucks to get one online, I will be trying this!

It works, but the HDD must be in FAT32 or exFAT format. If using NTFS, it will not be recognized. I am using a 1TB HDD formatted to exFAT. Works well between my Notes, Windows desktop and notebook. exFAT can handle larger files compared to FAT32. It is also the standard format for the new SDXC cards.

Edit: I should have noted that NTFS is only supported if you are rooted.
 
Upvote 0
Has anyone tried USB stick to Notes micro USB to load movies or files?

Already used the OTG USB to micro I purchased for use with my Note 2. Worked perfectly and transferred some recent music that I downloaded on my work PC.

That said, the OTG's have limitations as to which drives it actually recognizes. The one I connected was just a small 8gb flash drive, but identified no problem. In fact, I think my OTG USB identified better on my Note 8.0 than it does on my Note 2! Go figure.
 
Upvote 0
I finally got a OTG adapter I ordered from Amazon.ca like 4-5 weeks ago yesterday. I didn't know it was coming from Hong Kong but for $1.34 shipped, not a big deal. lol

I reformatting a 2TB external drive as exfat and connected it to my Note 8 and presto, I was watching videos perfectly. Then I realized that there is no way to charge the tablet with the USB port being used to connect a USB drive. Either way, I was impressed. The OTG adapter also worked on my S3.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NeoGrandizer
Upvote 0

BEST TECH IN 2023

We've been tracking upcoming products and ranking the best tech since 2007. Thanks for trusting our opinion: we get rewarded through affiliate links that earn us a commission and we invite you to learn more about us.

Smartphones