External usb storage

[AnnoyedWithSonyUK]

The external usb storage is only detected on a restart of the Z4 tablet. On my Z1 compact phone it is recognised when plugged in.

Has anybody else had the same issue?

Yes it is FAT32 and my phone has no issues with it.

Thanks.

[drlmiles1 · Accepted solution]

I was just about to post a message about this! What follows applies to all attached USB devices (such as mice/keyboards, etc).

On attaching a device, you then need to go into Settings\Xperia connectivity\USB Connectivity, and follow the instructions there, and your device will then be recognised. At the end it offers to add a "Detect USB device" setting in Quick settings, which you should add, making it easier for next time. Alternatively, from what you have posted, rebooting the tablet with a USB device connected may cause it to be recognised. 

I don't know why this has been implemented in this way - my XZ Tablet has Lollipop on it and does not have this problem.

This apparently also applies to the XZ3+ (just ordered one for my wife and myself), so I'll post about this there as well.

Laurie Miles

(Please consider adding Kudo if this is helpful)

[AnnoyedWithSonyUK]

Thanks. I will give that a go.

Much obliged. 

Ian

[CoJaW]

When you connect an external USB drive, does the Z4 disable access to the SD card installed in the card slot? On mine this stops acces to any apps that may have been transferred to the SD from main memory possibly making the Z4 unstable. The only way to restore the apps is to remove the USB storage and restart the Z4. To say this is poor is to massivly understate the situation. I think it makes the Z4 unfit for use!

[CoJaW]

I've just had a 'Chatline' support call with Sony regarding the USB issue I raised in an earlier posting. I have the full transcript, but the following extract could indicate a big problem with the way Sony have implemented the USB support on the Z4 tablet. The issue I had was that connecting an external USB memory device (using the proper Sony routine) stopped access to the SD card in the SD slot and therefore stopped access to any apps that had been transferred to the SD card. The reponse is from 'Daniel' on the Sony chatline support:

Daniel:  The SD card will be classed as external storage so if you connect another external storage device it will unmount the SD Card

If this is the case, then Sony has created quite a mess with their implementation of USB support on the Z4 tablet. No other Android device that I have used works in this way. My response was :

Colin Watkins:  No other Android device works that way!

Colin Watkins:  My LG G3 phone is currently connected to teh same USB stick that causes problems on the Z4. It works perfectly and show the SD card as logical drive 'external_SD' and the USB stick as 'USBstorage1'. both are accessible simultaneously.

Daniel replied:

Daniel:  I understand, unfortunately this is not the way that the Z4 tablet works I'm afraid

I look forward to a different response from Sony in the near future.

[drlmiles1]

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@CoJaW wrote:

Daniel:  The SD card will be classed as external storage so if you connect another external storage device it will unmount the SD Card

If this is the case, then Sony has created quite a mess with their implementation of USB support on the Z4 tablet. No other Android device that I have used works in this way. My response was :

Colin Watkins:  No other Android device works that way!

Colin Watkins:  My LG G3 phone is currently connected to teh same USB stick that causes problems on the Z4. It works perfectly and show the SD card as logical drive 'external_SD' and the USB stick as 'USBstorage1'. both are accessible simultaneously.

Daniel replied:

Daniel:  I understand, unfortunately this is not the way that the Z4 tablet works I'm afraid

I look forward to a different response from Sony in the near future.

---

This is NOT how Sony have implemented USB storage in the past, which has worked normally on my old Xperia Z and Z Tablet. Please can someone from Sony respond to this, and raise this as a serious matter that needs changing in a future update, as it seriously impacts the proper functioning of the Tablet. I am awaiting delivery of an XZ3+. I have a suspicion that that phone too will have the same problem.

[CoJaW]

I have been in touch with Sony 'Xperia Care' about the issues I have raised with the USB support on the Z4 tablet. Again I have the full transcript, but the following extracts from their email confirm my worst suspicions. They said:

'I can confirm that when a USB device is connected to the tablet the SD card is meant to unmount.'

and

'We would also not recommend using a USB hub on the tablet as this not the intended purpose of connecting a USB device to the tablet, the main one being for external storage. '

What follows is based on my experience  so far:

• This means that while a USB memory device is attached to the Z4 tablet, any app which has been transferred to the SD card will stop. If an app attempts to run in the background, the Z4 tablet can crash. This has happened on my Z4 tablet.
• Using 'Tap here to safely remove USB storage' does not re-mount the SD card. The only way to restore access to the SD card is to restart the Z4 tablet.
• On some occasions, both USB memory AND SD based apps work, despite what Xperia Care say! However this not the norm! When the USB device is removed, the SD card becomes unmounted!

Although Sony do not recommend the use of USB hubs, they do work. However:

• If the hub offers power to the Z4 tablet, the Z4 will go in to 'charge' mode and disables the OTG data mode.
• If the hub is completely non-powered, the Z4 tablet is likely to disable power to the USB port and close it down if you attach multiple devices. It certainly can't power a USB powered hard drive, unlike my LG G3 phone which can!
• If the hub powers USB devices but not the Z4 tablet, it seems to work normally. However, the USB implementation on the Z4 can only support ONE memory device, again unlike my LG G3 phone which supports the two I have tried and probably more!

I have told Xperia Care that I think the USB support on the Z4 tablet is a mess!

[AnnoyedWithSonyUK]

There must be no cross over with the phone and tablet developers,. My Z1C does not behave in this way.  I just can't believe somebody decided that this was a good design to implement. Reduces the Z4 capability as being a laptop replacement in my opinion. 

[KarlisGedrovics]

Same here. I bought Tablet Z4 as desktop replacement. I tried several times to solve the issue. Now, when I am planning a 3 weeks holiday trip where I am planning to photoshoot a lot, thus I want to transfer all photos from MicroSD from photo camera to external 200 GB SSD that I bought specially for this occasion. Internal memory has just 5GB available, so I cannot copy files onto internal memory and then to MicroSD in one go.

Shame, Sony, shame. Had so much hassle, this most probably will be my last Sony tablet.

[Lord_viridis]

Are you using the built in Android file browser?
I can copy from usb to sd no issue..