bq phone does not connect to computer. The computer does not see the phone via USB: reasons

The problem that arises for many users of smartphones with completely different operating systems.

In this article, we will, if possible, reveal all the possible and most common causes of this problem, and also help give the necessary advice on how to eliminate them.

Why does the computer not see the phone via USB, but is charging?

Having connected your smartphone to your PC, you expect that a notification window should pop up in front of you, requesting or already confirming the connection of the smartphone to the computer.

If nothing of the kind is observed, but only automatic battery charging has turned on, then you need to proceed as follows:

  1. A PC system unit or a laptop can have from 3 to 10 USB connectors. Some of them are designed for mice, keyboards, modems, flash memory cards and other devices. Quite often, USB connectors on the front panels do not support mobile devices. Try plugging the cord into another USB input, preferably black (USB0), since it is designed to work with gadgets.
  2. If you have other universal cords at home, then try using them. It is quite possible that the reason lies in the problematic USB cable.
  3. The problem may be related to the mobile device socket itself. If it is too loose or moisture gets in, malfunctions may occur. Try charging your phone through a wall outlet. If the charge goes on, then the problem is not in the socket.
  4. Just in case, connect your smartphone to another PC. Perhaps due to the recent reinstallation of Windows, the settings were lost, or some drivers were not installed. It's unlikely, but it happens one in a million.

Ask yourself, do flash drives connect to your computer? If not, then check its settings manually. To do this, go to Control Panel => Troubleshooting => Setting up devices. This is automatic troubleshooting.

If this method does not help, then try disabling the power saving mode in Generic USB Hub.

Be sure to check your gadget's default settings. If the charging only mode is selected, then it is natural that the computer does not see the phone via USB.

You can tick absolutely all the points, except MIDI, because practically no one uses it anymore.

Why doesn't the computer see the Android phone via USB and charge?

If a problem arises, it is worth analyzing whether your computer always detected the phone, or did it just happen now? Has the phone stopped being visible via USB on its own, or after certain manipulations?

More and more new smartphones are being released every day, with updated software installed. If you are the owner of an old PC by today's standards, then most likely the phone is not visible due to the lack of certain plugins. Try installing the MTP protocol – Media Transfer Pritocol.

The new generation of Samsung, starting with the Samsung Galaxy S3, may require the installation of this program. If, on the contrary, your PC is more modern, and your phone is not the latest model, it is most likely worth updating the Android version.

Now consider the situation when the computer does not see the Windows phone 8.1 and the new Windows phone 10 smartphones. Remember that smartphones with Android and Windows phone operating systems that have a graphic or digital lock key must be unlocked when connected to the PC, only then will you gain access to all folders.

When connecting to a PC, check whether a notification appears or the USB icon is displayed. If no signs are visible on the smartphone screen, open the connection settings, it will describe in detail what type of device your smartphone is connected to (as a camera, as a memory card, or as a full-fledged gadget).

Windows phones have many, many connection modes, so it's always worth checking which one is selected before you panic. The best option is the MTP mode, which allows you to exchange all files.

Also, the computer does not see the Android phone via USB, but it charges in cases where the drivers on the computer are outdated, or they do not fit the model of your phone. This problem is common with new phones whose brands are relatively new to the market.

If you scour the Internet, you can see that owners of the brand new Xiomi Redmi note3 often encounter similar situations.

In such cases, you should proceed as follows:


Iphone owners experience great inconvenience when connecting their smartphones to a PC. The IOS operating system is quite complex and specific. If it so happens that when you connect your iPhone or iPad to your PC, the device is not displayed, then you should try the following methods:

  1. Try to force reboot the system. Moreover, by doing this, not by turning the phone off and on again, but by simultaneously pressing the “Home” button and the lock button. If your PC and smartphone are working properly, this should work.
  2. One common problem is the USB cable itself. It often happens that you have to use a non-original lace. If you purchased a cheap, low-quality cable, then that's the problem, it simply does not display the external device and is only able to charge the battery.
  3. It's possible that iTunes hasn't been updated on your computer in a while. Uninstall the existing program and install a new one from the official website.
  4. Many people think that it's all about the firmware, but this is not so. Don't forget to update your iOS version. If your phone doesn’t glitch or throw you out of programs, then try resetting your geolocation in the settings. This should help.
  5. A firmware update may only be necessary if it is broken. The world-famous Cidia application, which makes it possible to install paid content for free, is often the reason for the incompatibility of a smartphone with a PC. At first, this is reflected by the inability to import certain files, and soon the PC stops seeing the phone. By updating the firmware, you will delete this application and everything should work again.

Note! If for some reason you cannot use standard data exchange using USB, do not be upset, because you can exchange between devices in other ways:

  • Synchronization using virtual storage.
  • Wireless exchange programs – AirDroid.

Modern mobile phones combine in their capabilities a media player, a telephone, an organizer, a flash drive, a navigator and a host of other useful devices. Of course, users constantly communicate between their mobile device and their computer, moving a lot of information in both directions.

Music, movies, photos, applications - all this is simply necessary for a modern person in his phone. Without communication with a PC, the mobile phone will sharply lose its functionality. Close interaction is ensured through a connection via a USB cable or via Bluetooth. Since file transfer via Bluetooth is quite slow, the USB connection is the most common.

Now imagine the bewilderment and even anger of the user if nothing happens when you connect the phone to a personal computer. The operating system stubbornly refuses to see the mobile device, suggesting a lack of proper connection. In this article we will try to find out the reasons for this phenomenon and answer the common question: “Why doesn’t the computer see the phone?” We will consider two options: when the computer does not respond to the mobile connection at all, and also if the phone is detected as an unknown device. So, now in more detail.

How to detect a problem

When you connect to the computer, your phone is not detected in any way, nothing lights up on it, and there is no message on the monitor about connecting the device. This is a fairly common malfunction, with several causes. Let's try to list them and give recommendations for eliminating this problem. This assumes that the USB port you are connecting to is working. That is, other devices work normally through it.

1. If the phone used to connect normally, but then suddenly it didn’t want to, then you should first of all suspect the quality of its connection to the computer. Try removing the connection cable from both the mobile and the USB input and then reconnecting them. It often happens that the contacts of the telephone connector simply become loose or dirty. This problem is inherent to a greater extent to the Sony Ericsson brand, whose models stand out in the mobile communications market with a completely illiterate and often faulty connector.

Tip: if possible, try to clean the telephone connector with an eraser, after which remove any remaining rubber from the surface of the contacts.

If cleaning does not help, then connect the phone via another USB cable. Take it from friends or relatives. Cable failure is not the most common cause of trouble, but this option also needs to be taken into account. If it helps, then you just need to buy a new accessory.

2. Restart your computer. Oddly enough, this method helps in most cases without any additional measures. The reboot process resets the system settings and redefines the USB ports. By the way, when the computer does not see the tablet, the best way to help is to restart the computer, as is the case with the phone.

3. Rebooting your PC didn't help? Then, to be safe, restart your mobile phone. Unplug it, remove the battery for 10 minutes, and then put it back in. Turn on the device. Nothing happens? Go ahead.

4. Disconnect the cable from one USB and connect it to another USB input. This simple action often helps, since the computer sometimes confuses the ports. To ensure that the OS sees the connection, you can use the following method. Go to "Device Manager" and find a list of used ports there. Typically this information includes all USB bus controllers. Open the list. In it you can see all the working ports of the computer. Find in this list the port to which the phone is currently connected (this can be seen in the “Power” column). All other ports, except the one found, can be temporarily disabled. The computer will have no choice but to see your mobile.

There is, of course, the possibility of a breakdown of the phone itself or its connector. This is the most difficult option, in which you cannot do without contacting a service center. There they will be able to tell you exactly why the computer does not see the phone and how to fix it.

USB device not recognized

We go further, considering the second case, in which the computer identifies the phone as an unidentified device. Of course, the OS does not want to work with an unknown device. And the question is not that Windows itself is imperfect, because the same problems often arise with Linux and other operating systems. Therefore, we must help the computer identify our mobile phone. We list the reasons for this phenomenon and possible user actions:

The problem may be with the phone itself. Connect the device to another computer. If the problem persists, then the reason lies inside the mobile device. You may need to enable one of the computer connection modes in the settings. For example, the “Data transfer” or “Storage” mode. Experiment with these modes;

Tip: Check your phone settings. In some mobile models, you must manually enable synchronization mode, which is disabled by default. Or disable the current blocking. If there is a blocking, open access must be established.

a) restart your PC and phone as described in section 1;

b) often the mobile phone is not recognized by the OS in case of lack of power supply. If you connect the phone to the front computer panel, then try connecting it directly to the motherboard, into the USB slot located on the back of the system unit;

Tip: Under Device Manager, find the port you are using and open the Power Management tab. Check to see if the “Allow device to turn off to save power” checkbox is unchecked. If the checkbox is checked, remove it.

Sometimes failures occur in the OS, as a result of which the “native” drivers of some devices are lost. Reinstalling drivers for the motherboard and connected devices helps solve the problem. If your phone came with a driver disk, use it to connect the device;

Tip: You can check whether your device needs drivers in Device Manager. If there is a yellow question mark before the device name, you can conclude that there are no drivers for this plug-in. How can you determine that an unidentified device is a mobile phone? Very simple. Disconnect it from your computer and the question mark will disappear.

We also cannot exclude the possibility of the OS being infected by a virus that sets its own rules on the computer. Check all drives (including the system drive) with a good antivirus with up-to-date databases.

If none of the above helped you, and there is still no connection between your mobile phone and your computer, then you can use a radical treatment. If the phone is detected perfectly on another PC, then the cause of the problem most likely lies in the operating system. You'll have to reinstall the system. Then everything will surely work. Moreover, such errors in the system accumulate gradually, it is impossible not to notice. Thus, reinstalling the software will not only solve the issue of connecting the phone, but will also eliminate other possible errors.

Possible problems, instructions for diagnosing the problem and other useful tips.

Even with the availability of high-speed Internet and almost limitless cloud storage, many users connect their smartphones to their computer to copy photos, download music, or share the Internet. Usually everything works almost automatically, and no problems arise. But what should you do if nothing happens when you connect your smartphone to your computer via a USB cable?

Checking the USB cable and connectors

First of all, you need to check the functionality of the connectors and the cord itself. Everything is simple here - try connecting another device to the PC using the same connectors and cable. If this phone is again not visible on the computer, then there is some kind of mechanical problem. Replace the USB cable and try using other connectors on your PC.

If the problem turns out to be in the USB connectors, you need to try updating their drivers through the device manager, contact a technician or service center.

USB connection settings

The next most common and important factor is the Android device settings. If the phone is connected to a PC to transfer data, and the “Charging only” setting is set in this section, then nothing will happen when connected to the computer, but the smartphone will .

Usually, when pairing, a USB icon appears in the status bar of the smartphone (top line with notifications and time). You need to click on the notification and in the settings that open, select the desired item, in our case “USB drive”.

If there is no notification in the status bar, you need to go to the settings, use the search for the phrase “USB” and find there the same settings as described above.

Enable Debug Mode

In some cases, debugging mode helps solve the problem. You can read in detail about its inclusion and purpose in. To activate the debugging mode, you need to open the “ ” section and find the corresponding toggle switch there.

Modem mode

On many forums, this problem is explained by a software conflict associated with activating the modem mode. Go to “Settings” - “More” - “Modem Mode” and, if necessary, disable the USB tethering function.

Windows Drivers and Device Manager

Typically, when connecting smartphones to a PC, drivers and related software are installed automatically - this takes a couple of minutes. If for some reason this does not happen, there may be problems with detecting the phone and transmitting data.

To fix the problem, on Windows you need to go to “My Computer” - “System Properties” - “Device Manager”.

The list should show "Unknown device" - this is probably a connected smartphone. Right-click on it, select “Update drivers” - “Automatically search for updated drivers”. Wait for the process to complete. If everything completes correctly, the PC should detect the phone.

If this action does not bring results, you must first download drivers for a specific model of smartphone or tablet from the official website, on forums (4PDA) or through the Universal Adb Driver program. When updating drivers, you need to select “Search for drivers on this computer” and specify the folder with the downloaded files.

If none of the suggested tips helped solve problems and errors when connecting an Android phone to a computer, there is a high probability that one of the devices has some serious hardware failure that will have to be diagnosed and repaired at a service center.

Recently, with a huge influx of phones with the Android operating system, a problem has arisen - your personal computer or laptop does not detect the gadget running the popular OS connected to it. In this article we will tell you about all the known causes and help you find ways to solve the problem.

The steps below solve the problem exclusively on Android smartphones and tablets. However, some methods can be adapted for other operating systems.

Why doesn't the computer see the phone?

It is worth starting investigations on this topic after answering the question: “Did the phone initially not connect to the computer or did the problem arise as a result of some action?” After answering this question, it will be easier to determine the vector of action and choose the most effective method of solving the problem.

Very important! If the problem arose immediately after purchasing a smartphone and the phone was not detected when connecting to a PC running Windows XP (older gadgets connect easily), then you should install a more modern operating system on your computer or download and install Media Transfer Protocol - a special protocol for the XP version (you can download it from the official Microsoft website). After successful installation, you should restart your computer and the gadget should become “visible”.

It is worth noting that before connecting, you need to unlock your smartphone (if it is protected with a password or pattern) in order to have access to the gadget interface and see all displayed processes.

You definitely need to make sure that the phone is really synchronized with the PC, not only for charging, but also for data exchange. It's very easy to find out - either using notifications or in the "Connected devices" settings. There are three possible options for connecting your phone: a storage device, a USB modem, or a PTP camera. If the second option is indicated in the parameters, then all you need to do is disable the use of a USB modem in the settings - the issue is resolved.

Developers of older versions of Android made more connection modes available. Without a doubt, the most suitable connection option is USB MS or, as it is also called, Data Storage. Switching to this mode is not difficult - in the notification area, simply select the required item by checking the box.

Once connected, the phone only charges

If, when you connect your smartphone to your computer, it only charges and the connection notification does not appear, you need to take the following steps:

  • Repeat the connection, only in a different USB input. It is advisable that this be a 2.0 port, otherwise additional delays and slowdowns may occur;
  • If you have other similar USB cables at home (cords even from completely different devices are considered acceptable), repeat the connection using them, because the reason may be in the very delicate USB cable itself;
  • The cause of the problem may be the input on the smartphone itself. Perhaps water or debris got into it, it was damaged as a result of mechanical intervention or, during repairs, it was replaced with another one of lower quality (we’ll talk about this in more detail at the end of the article);
  • In my opinion, the most productive option is to do the connection trick on another computer. If unsuccessful, it will immediately become clear to us that the problem is in our smartphone and the USB cable. If the connection succeeds, the problem is your PC. Perhaps the essence of the problem lies not in the malfunction, but in the computer settings. Therefore, you should first try to fix settings errors automatically. And if it doesn’t help, manually disable power saving for Generic USB Hub in the device manager.

Important: most of the latest models of gadgets on the Android system, when connected, default to “Charging” mode. To change the mode, you need to click on the corresponding notification and select the appropriate one from the list of available ones.

Additional Information

If the cause of the problem is in the phone socket and repair is necessary, information can be transmitted in alternative ways.

Many smartphone users do not use all the capabilities of the device, some out of ignorance, and others out of fear of disrupting stable operation. This article will focus on connecting your phone to a computer/laptop. We won’t talk about the reasons for the connection, but we’ll look at the main problem, namely, why the computer doesn’t see the phone via USB. There are many reasons, ranging from software to virus attacks and hardware problems. First things first.

Hardware

So, when connected, the computer does not see the phone via USB, the best thing to do is check the hardware.
Possible problems.

First of all, pay attention to characteristic sound, which reproduces a Windows-based computer when connecting any device via USB and a light indication on the phone if:

  • The computer makes a sound - you need to check the software;
  • there is no sound - the problem may be either software or hardware;
  • there is a light indication - we are looking for a software error;
  • There is no light indication - the problem could be either software or hardware.

Damaged cable– inspect it for integrity and check if it is clogged inside.

Check computer connector/ laptop, to do this, connect another phone / tablet.

  • USB flash drive, mouse, printer, etc. - if the computer’s USB connector works with other devices, move on.
  • Check the same cable with another phone/tablet on the same computer - if it works, then we will look for a problem in the software part.
  • If other devices do not work with the same cable, then replace the cable, and if they do, it is a software problem → go to the section on software errors and their solutions.
  • There is not enough power - this is possible if you connect the cable to the computer through a hub (hub).

Connect directly to the computer, the reason may be precisely insufficient power, even if the hub comes with its own additional power to a regular electrical outlet. If in this case it doesn’t work, move on.

Why has your computer stopped seeing your phone via USB? The reason may lie in the computer hardware and may be a failure of the USB descriptor request (Code 43). In this case, you need to check the power supply and its power:

In addition, you need to step by step perform on your computer:

  • Relieve tension and remove clumps of static.
  • Check the power settings of the USB ports, which are often turned off to save power.

Read more about these steps in the article on our portal.

Software part

Having ruled out hardware faults, we move on to software errors. The reason that the laptop does not see the phone via USB may be due to a number of errors. Let's divide it into several categories and tell you more about each.

Drivers: to be or not to be?

To the question - why doesn’t the laptop see the phone via USB if everything worked before? Something may have happened with the drivers; you can easily check this by going to Device Manager.

If the error is resolved and the “Unknown Device” is no longer in the list, you can not update the remaining drivers.

Viruses: looking for the gray cardinal

The PC does not see the phone via USB, why? Your Android phone may be infected. In fact, the user does not always feel the presence of malware; some work extremely quietly and accurately, but at the same time causing problems with the stability of the OS. This is easy to check using special software that is free and available on the Play Store.

  • Enter “cureit” into the search bar without quotes → click “search”. The result will offer you “Dr.Web Light Antivirus” → tap “Install”. Click "Open".

  • Next, click on “Accept” in the License Agreement. The program will ask you to give access to multimedia and files → click “Allow”. If you receive a message about an overlay, open the settings and check the permissions.

What I would like to note is that on the XIAOMI MI 5 phone, which also works on Android, viruses were identified during such a scan and pointed to the “9Apps” application.

By the way, it was he who endlessly produced banners with advertisements that spontaneously output sound (speech, music, etc.). At first glance, it was a harmless application, but it blocked the installation of a number of programs, including updating the operating system. The installation of the application occurred independently, as usual in a batch installation - due to the user's carelessness. So, when you connect the phone to the computer, only charging occurs - this is how it looks on the computer screen.


In this case, this was fixed as follows:

Afterwards, we recommend that you delete this application from your phone and run a full scan again. It is important to carry out the deletion in the “Flight” mode. If the above steps did not help and/or you did not detect a questionable application, proceed further.

Incorrect USB operation mode

There is also an extremely unexpected situation: the smartphone is detected and Windows does not display any errors, but when you access the phone on the computer, you do not find any files.

What to do? So, if the computer does not see the files (contents) of the phone via USB, you need to check its operating mode.

Look to the root!

If all the above actions did not lead to results, then the only radical method left is to reset the system to factory settings. Depending on the model of your smartphone, the menu may differ; let’s look at it step by step with screenshots using the Sony XPERIA M5 as an example.

For Samsung phones, the path will be as follows:

  • "Settings";
  • “General settings” - if this item is not there, then continue;
  • “Archiving and reset”, this item, depending on the firmware version, may also be called: “Archiving and reset”, “Reset”, “Confidentiality”.
  • “Device reset”, otherwise known as “Data reset”.
  • There will be an option “Delete everything” or “Reset device”.

Happy communications!

Have a great day!

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