[RESOLVED] Samsung A14 Won't Connect To PC

[dollanganger1]

Setting up this new smart phone has been a living hell. I was able to transfer over my phone contacts via Gmail but everything else has been a mess.

When I connected via USB to my Windows 10 PC all it would do I charge. The PC will not recognize it as device like it does with other smart phones.

I researched ways to fix this problem and tried two steps which failed.

-Dial "#*0808#" and USB settings will appear. "MTP + ADB" should be selected and it is.

-In Settings go to "About Phone" "Software Information" hit "Build Number" seven times. Then back in Settings under "Developer Options" switch "USB Debugging" to on.

These two failed.

The other option which I was unable to get to work is scrolling down from the top and "Battery Charging" will appear with a "file transfer option" For me there are no other options, it just shows battery charging.

Please help!

[Steve R Jones]

Samsung makes a killer app called SMART SWITCH


​It is designed to let you do Phone to Phone transfers... You can also backup Phone to PC with it. And then from PC to Phone.

[jdc2000]

Possibly useful links:

https://firmwarespro.com/computer/sa...-a14-5g-detail

https://firmwarespro.com/pc/samsung-...-a14-5g-detail

https://www.samsung.com/ca/support/m...to-samsung-pc/

https://www.samsung.com/us/support/answer/ANS00087844/

[dollanganger1]

Thank you for these links.

The only real suggestions which I haven't tried were Smart Switch. I'd downloaded this to my old and new phone and found it totally worthless as it just said the old photo was out of space... why would this prevent the transfer to the new phone?

I also tried downloading Smart Switch for my PC but it just said it did not meet the requirements. It provided no details on what the requirements it didn't meet.

The third link provided was something else I tried. https://www.samsung.com/ca/support/m...to-samsung-pc/ Under my PC Setting I found "Add A Phone." Great, it took 45 minutes and downloading an app to the phone but it finally did allow me to access PARTS of my phone on my PC. I could view all recent calls... THAT'S IT!!! I couldn't get access to any of the files!

In other new despite, 8 different employees at three different stores saying the A14 didn't have external storage, I found out it does!

Please help, how do I connect my PC to my phone?

[Steve R Jones]

Is the A14 the OLD or the NEW phone? Are they both made by Samsung?

ALL devices (computers/hones etc) need some breathing room to work....They create TEMP Files etc...

[jdc2000]

What happens when you connect a USB power and data cable from the phone to your computer?

Is the phone recognized? It should be. Most phones are. If not, what messages, errors or otherwise do you see on the phone and the computer?

[jdc2000]

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-2-Pack-...dp/B07DC5PPFV/

[dollanganger1]

"Is the A14 the OLD or the NEW phone? Are they both made by Samsung?" Are you referring to different models or if it's a brand new or used phone? It's a brand new phone.

"ALL devices (computers/hones etc) need some breathing room to work....They create TEMP Files etc..." Please clarify.

"What happens when you connect a USB power and data cable from the phone to your computer?

Is the phone recognized? It should be. Most phones are. If not, what messages, errors or otherwise do you see on the phone and the computer?" This is the problem, the phone is not recognized, it only charges. I did try different ports and different cables. The phone is USB-C which attaches to the computer via a cable which is USB-C to USB. The PC does not have a USB-C port.

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-2-Pack-...dp/B07DC5PPFV/ This ad doesn't show any difference from Samsung's standard USB-C to USB port. Please clarify what difference if any there is.

[jdc2000]

So, if I am interpreting your response correctly, you connected the phone to your computer using a USB C to USB A cable, and it charged, but you did NOT get any messages from Windows about "Found a new device" or something similar, and Windows Explorer did not show any new drives, and no messages appeared on the phone either.

Possibly useful links:

https://www.samsung.com/us/support/t...g/TSG01001516/

https://www.airdroid.com/remote-cont...g-phone-to-pc/
(See "Way 2" at this link.)

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...1-b0b2d842e619

https://www.google.com/search?q=sams...t=gws-wiz#ip=1

[Midknyte]

Is the USB-C cable the one that came with the phone? I've seen some cheap USB-C cables that work for charging, but not for data.

[fink]

There are also USB cables designed not to transfer data for security reasons (charging in a public location from unknown sources)

https://www.amazon.ca/StarTech-com-C.../dp/B09479KTC9

[dollanganger1]

After several more HOURS of test I suspecting yes it's the cable.

Believe it or not the phone only came with a USB-C to USB-C cable.

I misspoke earlier when I said my USB-C to USB cable came with the phone. In fact I cannot recall where this cable came from, possibly it was included with my work supplies. There are no marking on it at all.

I also have a USB-C to USB female adapter which has worked fine from day one and is how I was able to attach to my old smart phone which is micro USB. This was successful as well as normal USB thumb sticks.

Unfortunately my PC still has no USB-C port. I did try to connect via the USB-C to USB female to a double male USB cable but this didn't even enable charging.

My work laptop has two USB-C ports but ALL ports are locked to only charge cell phones so there was no way to test.

I searched for other possible smart devices to test alone with my old smart phone and work iPhone to compare the results. My 2022 TV did not recognize any of the three when plugged into the TV's USB port.

The 2018 Blu Ray player USB port DID accept the iPhone and old Smart phone as portable storage devices but not the Samsung A14.

For my work laptop I have a multi input work station which output in USB-C only. This cable is fixed to the station. When I connected to the station via the USB-C to USB cable nothing happened. When I connected to the work station via the USB-C to USB-C cable which came with the phone success! It recognized everything attached to the USB station. When the station's fixed USB-C cable was attached likewise success!

Unfortunately since I can't connect the work station to my PC this doesn't fix the problem but does narrow down the problem likely being the cable of unknown origin.

I also have three USB-C to Apple lightening cables for some reason and yes these could connect the phone to the iPhone.

I did try these recommended steps but the options they mention simple do not exist on the phone. This would make sense if the cable is the problem as these options would not be displayed.

https://www.samsung.com/us/support/t...g/TSG01001516/

https://www.airdroid.com/remote-cont...g-phone-to-pc/
(See "Way 2" at this link.)

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...1-b0b2d842e619

https://www.google.com/search?q=sams...t=gws-wiz#ip=1

[Midknyte]

I'm pretty sure it's the cable at this point.

Not sure if you have a Best Buy nearby, but I've used these cables before:
https://www.bestbuy.com/site/insigni...?skuId=6410815

[dollanganger1]

Yes, I tried a few more tests and it's the cable.

I found the source of the bad USB-C to USB cable. It's from a rubbish Tomax charging station. Work keeps sending everyone all these USB-C accesories despite everyone having work iPhone.

Going to Best Buy tomorrow for some good cables and other phone accessories and will report back.

[jdc2000]

iPhones are top quality phones. However, as such, they also require top quality accessories for use with them. I would advise you not to use cheap Chinese junk supplied by someone else with that phone. It needs top quality chargers and cables not only to work properly but also to prevent damage.