Connecting the tablet to a computer

The USB cable that comes with your Android tablet can be used to physically connect both the tablet and a computer. It’s cinchy, thanks to three-dimensional physics, 21st century electronics, and the following two important pieces of advice:

• One end of the USB cable plugs into the computer.
• The other end plugs into the Android tablet.

The connectors on either end of the USB cable are shaped differently and cannot be plugged in incorrectly. If one end of the cable doesn’t fit, try the other end. If it still doesn’t fit, try plugging it in upside down.

• After the USB connection has been made successfully, the USB notification appears atop the screen, similar to the one shown in the margin. Not every tablet displays this icon.
• The tablet-computer connection works best with a powered USB port. If possible, plug the USB cable into the computer itself or into a powered USB hub.
• Tablets with a USB 3.0 jack come with a USB 3.0 cable. You can still use the old-style, USB 2.0 micro-USB cables on such devices: Simply plug the micro-USB connector into the larger side of the USB 3.0 jack on the tablet’s edge.
• For data transfer to take place at top speeds over the USB 3.0 cable, you must connect the tablet’s USB 3.0 cable into the USB 3.0 port on a computer. These ports are color-coded blue.
• Android tablets lack the capability of using the USB connection to communicate with common USB peripherals, such as a mouse, thumb drive, and so on. Some tablets may come with a multimedia dock that offers this connectivity, but it can’t happen with a direct USB connection.

Configuring the USB connection

The USB connection is configured automatically whenever you plug your Android tablet into a computer. Everything should work peachy. When it doesn’t, you can try manually configuring the USB connection: Swipe down the notifications drawer and choose the USB notification.

The USB Computer Connection screen lists two options for configuring the USB connection:

• Media Device (MTP): This setting persuades the computer to believe that the tablet is a portable media player or thumb drive. This option is the most useful.
• Camera (PTP): This setting misleads the computer into thinking that the tablet is a digital camera.

If the computer fails to recognize the tablet, switch USB connection settings. Or, if you’re using a Macintosh, see the later section “Connecting your tablet to a Mac.” Also, if the tablet is locked, you must unlock it (work the screen lock) before its storage can be accessed.

• Some tablets may use their own file transfer software, which is annoying but you must deal with it. For example, older Samsung tablets required you to use the Samsung Kies utility to transfer files. Samsung’s newer tablets don’t come with this limitation.
• No matter which USB connection option you’ve chosen, the tablet’s battery charges whenever it’s connected to a computer’s USB port — as long as the computer is turned on, of course.
• If your Android tablet has a MicroSD card, its storage is also mounted to the computer, as well as to the tablet’s internal storage. You do not need to configure that storage separately to make the USB connection.

• PTP stands for Picture Transfer Protocol. MTP stands for Media Transfer Protocol.

Connecting your tablet to a PC

Upon making the USB connection between an Android tablet and a PC, a number of things happen. Don't let these things frighten you.

First, you may see some activity on the PC: drivers being installed and such. That's normal behavior any time you first connect a new USB gizmo to a Windows computer.

Second, you may see one of two different AutoPlay dialog boxes, as shown in Figure 17-1. Whether you see one or the other depends on how the tablet's USB connection is configured. Both dialog boxes show similar options.

Finally, choose an option from the AutoPlay dialog box or just close the dialog box. From that point on, you can use your computer to work with the files on your tablet. Later sections in this chapter provide the details.

• In Windows 8, things work differently: Look for a prompt on the screen that says Tap to Choose What Happens with This Device. Click or touch the prompt to view suggestions similar to those found in the AutoPlay dialog boxes (refer to Figure 17-1).
• Even if the AutoPlay dialog box doesn't appear, you can still access media and files stored on the tablet from your computer. The later section “Files Back and Forth” has details.

Connecting your tablet to a Mac

You need special software to deal with the Android-to-Macintosh connection. That’s because the Mac doesn’t natively recognize Android devices. Weird, huh? It’s like Apple wants you to buy some other type of tablet. I just don’t get it.

To help deal with the USB connection on a Mac, obtain the Android File Transfer program. On your Mac, download that program from this website:

www.android.com/filetransfer

Install the software. Run it. From that point on, whenever you connect your Android tablet to the Mac, you see a special window appear, similar to the one shown in Figure 17-2. It lists the tablet’s folders and files. Use that window for file management, as covered later in this chapter.

If the tablet has a MicroSD card inserted, you see two buttons on the Android File Transfer program window: Tablet and Card. Click one or the other to see files and folders on that storage location. (The buttons aren’t shown in Figure 17-2, because that tablet doesn’t feature removable storage.)

Disconnecting the tablet from a computer

The process is cinchy: When you’re done transferring files, music, or other media between your PC and the tablet, close all programs and folders you have opened on your computer — specifically, those you’ve used to work with the tablet’s storage. Then you can disconnect the USB cable. That’s it.

• It’s a Bad Idea to unplug the tablet while you’re transferring information or while a folder window is open on your computer. Doing so can damage the tablet’s internal storage, rendering unreadable some of the information that’s kept there. To be safe, close those programs and folder windows you’ve opened before disconnecting.

• Unlike other external storage on the Macintosh, there's no need to eject the tablet’s storage when you’re done accessing it. Quit the Android File Transfer program on the Mac, and then unplug the tablet — or vice versa. The Mac doesn’t get angry, either way.

Sharing files with the cloud

Perhaps the best and easiest way to swap files between your Android tablet and just about any other device is to use cloud storage. That’s just fancy talk for storing files on the Internet.

All Android tablets come with Google cloud storage called the Google Drive. Use the Drive app to access that storage. On a computer, visit drive.google.com to view the storage. From that site, you can also obtain the Google Drive program for your computer, which I recommend.

All files saved to your Google Drive are synchronized instantly with all devices that access that storage. Change a file in a Google Drive folder and that file is instantly updated on your tablet.

To move an item from your Android tablet to your computer, start by viewing the item. Follow these steps:

1. Locate the item you want to send to the computer.

   It can be a picture, movie, web page, YouTube video, or just about anything.

2. Tap the Share icon.

   If you don’t see the Share icon, the item you’re viewing cannot be copied to the Google Drive.

3. Choose Drive.

   If you prefer to use other cloud storage, choose that app icon instead.

4. Tap the Save icon.

   Before you tap the icon, you can optionally edit the item’s filename and choose a specific folder for saving the file.

Likewise, to make a file available to the tablet, copy that file to the Google Drive folder on your computer. When you next access the Drive app on the tablet, open the proper folder and find the file.

• Other cloud storage apps include the popular Dropbox, Microsoft’s OneDrive, the Amazon Cloud, and more. Each of these works similarly to Google Drive, allowing you to share and swap files between the tablet and a computer or any other device that accesses that cloud storage.

• Cloud storage apps are free and you can use a token amount of storage at no cost. Beyond that amount, you must pay a monthly fee.

Transferring files by using the USB connection

The direct way to transport files between a computer and Android tablet is to connect both devices by using a USB cable. Once established, you use the connection to move files one way, the other, or both ways. Here’s how it works:

1. Connect the Android tablet to the computer by using the USB cable.

   Specific directions are offered earlier in this chapter.

2. On a PC, choose the option Open Folder/Device to View Files from the AutoPlay dialog box; on a Mac, wait for the Android File Transfer program to appear on the screen.

   If the AutoPlay dialog box doesn’t appear, you can view files manually: Open the Computer window, and then locate and open the tablet’s icon to begin browsing files.

   The tablet’s folder window shows files and folders just like any folder window. The difference is that the files and folders are on your Android tablet, not on the computer.

3. On the computer, open the folder to which or from which you want to copy or move files.

   The key is to have two folders open, as shown in Figure 17-3. One folder shows the files on the tablet; the other, files on the computer.

4. Drag the file icons to copy them between the two folders.

   The same file dragging technique is used to transfer files between an Android tablet and a Macintosh. The difference is that files on the tablet appear in the Android File Transfer window.

5. Close the folder windows and disconnect the USB cable when you’re done.

When your Android tablet has a MicroSD card installed, Windows displays two AutoPlay dialog boxes and two entries for the storage (refer to Figure 17-3). Each AutoPlay dialog box represents a different storage source — internal storage as well as the MicroSD card.

• The most common things to transfer include music, photos, videos, and even vCards, which are used to build the tablet’s address book.
• The best way to synchronize music with your Android tablet is to use a music jukebox program in Windows. See Chapter 13.
• If you don’t know where to copy files to your Android tablet, place the files into the Download folder, shown in Figure 17-3.

• If your Android tablet features removable storage, you can use it to transfer files: Remove the MicroSD from the tablet and insert it into a computer. From that point on, the files on the media card can be read by the computer just as they can be read from any media card. Also see the later section “Unmounting the MicroSD card.”

Printing

You may not think of it as part of moving files back and forth, but using a printer with your Android Tablet is a type of file transfer. It just so happens that the other device is a printer, not a computer.

Android tablet printing works like this:

1. View the material you want to print.

   You can print a web page, photo, map, or any number of items.

2. Tap the Action Overflow and choose the Print action.

   If you don’t see the Print action, your tablet lacks this feature.

3. Choose a printer.

   The current printer is shown on the action bar, as shown in Figure 17-4. If it’s okay, you’re good. To view additional printers, tap the action bar, illustrated in the figure. You see a list of all printers available on the tablet’s currently connected Wi-Fi network.

4. To change any print settings, tap the Show More Details chevron.

   The items presented let you set which pages you want to print, change the number of copies, and make other common printer settings.

5. Tap the Print button.

   The item prints.

Not every app supports printing. The only way to know is to work through Steps 1 and 2 in this section. If you don’t see the Print action, you can’t print.

Reviewing storage stats

You can see how much storage space is available on your Android tablet’s internal storage by following these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Choose the Storage item.

   On Samsung tablets, you’ll find the Storage item on the General tab in the Settings app.

   You see a screen similar to the one shown in Figure 17-5. It details information about storage space on the tablet’s internal storage and, if available, the MicroSD card.

Tap a category on the Storage screen to view details on how the storage is used or to launch an associated app. For example, tapping App (refer to Figure 17-5) displays a list of running apps. Choosing the Pictures, Videos item lets you view pictures and videos.

• Things that consume the most storage space are videos, music, and pictures, in that order.

• To see how much storage space is unoccupied, refer to the Available item.

• Don’t feel gypped if the Total Space value is far less than the stated capacity of your Android tablet. For example, your tablet may have 16GB of storage but the Storage screen reports on 11.05GB of total space. The missing space is considered overhead, as are several gigabytes taken by the government for tax purposes.

Managing files

You probably didn’t get an Android tablet because you enjoy managing files on a computer and you wanted another gizmo to hone your skills. Even so, you can practice the same type of file manipulation on the Android tablet as you would on a computer. Is there a need to do so? Of course not! But if you want to get dirty with files, you can.

Some Android tablets come with a file management app. It’s called File or My Files, and it’s a traditional type of file manager, which means that if you detest managing files on your computer, you’ll experience the same pain and frustration on your tablet.

When your tablet lacks a file management app, you can swiftly obtain one. You’ll find an abundance of file management apps available at the Google Play Store. One that I admire and use is the ASTRO file manager/browser from Metago. See Chapter 15 for more information on the Google Play Store.

• If you simply want to peruse files you’ve downloaded from the Internet, open the Downloads app, found in the Apps drawer. Refer to Chapter 7.

• Pictures and videos on the tablet are stored in the DCIM/Camera folder, which is found on both internal storage and the MicroSD card.
• Music on the tablet is stored in the Music folder, organized by artist.

Unmounting the MicroSD card

The MicroSD card provides removable storage on some Android tablets. When the tablet is turned off, you can insert or remove the MicroSD card at will; directions are provided in Chapter 1. The MicroSD card can also be removed when the tablet is turned on, but you must first unmount the card. Obey these steps:

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Choose Storage.

   On Samsung tablets, tap the General tab to locate the Storage item.

3. Choose Unmount SD Card.

   This item is found near the bottom of the screen.

4. Ignore the warning and tap the OK button.
5. When you see the action Mount SD Card, it’s safe to remove the MicroSD card from the tablet.

It’s important that you follow these steps to safely remove the MicroSD card. If you don’t, and you just pop out the card, it could damage the card and lose information.

You can insert a MicroSD card at any time. See Chapter 1 for details.

Formatting MicroSD storage

Your Android tablet should instantly recognize a MicroSD card after it’s inserted. If not, you can try formatting the card to see if that fixes the problem.

All data on the MicroSD card is erased by the formatting process.

To format a MicroSD card, first insert it into the tablet. Directions are found in Chapter 1. Follow these steps to determine whether a format is in order:

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Choose the Storage item.

   On Samsung tablets, you find the Storage item on the General tab.

3. Choose the action Format SD Card.
4. Tap the Format SD Card button.

5. Tap the Delete All button to confirm.

   The MicroSD card is unmounted, formatted, and then mounted again and made ready for use.

After the card is formatted, you can use it to store information, music, apps, photos, and stuff like that.

• Some tablets may not let you format the MicroSD card when the device is connected to a computer. Disconnect the tablet (unplug the USB cable) and try again.
• The Camera app for most tablets automatically stores images on the MicroSD card. This setting can be changed; see Chapter 11.