USB-C on cell phone to USB-A on computer to transfer data. Easy?

[John Galt III]

Got a new cell phone. Want to transfer photos from phone to my computer.



The cell phone has a USB-C port on it. The computer has a USB-A port.



I saw some cables you can buy with a USB-C connector on one end and a USB-A connector on the other.



Is it as easy as buying one of those cables and plugging it in?


What about 1.0 vs 2.0 vs 3.0 ?


The instructions say it can be done by connecting a "compatible cable", so that's a good start.



Thanks

 

[jollystomper]

Yes. USB-A is the most common type of USB Connector. You just need a cable with USB-C on the other end. That is what we have in our case. Both our phones are USB-C, we connected them to our computer with USB-C<->USB-A cables.

Just make sure the cable supports file transfer - some (not the majority) are made to only support power charging.

There might be an additional step on your phone, when it is connected, to put it in "file transfer" or "storage" mode, so that files on it can be seen by the computer.

In terms of speed, USB 3.0 cables are backward compatible with slower USB 1.1 and 2.0 speeds. USB 2.0 speeds are backward compatible with slower USB 1.1 A faster cable usually costs a little more, and will only transfer at the speed supported by the devices. What speed is the USB port on your computer?

 

[Jerry1]

You can also get a USB-A to USB-C adapter that you plug into your computer. I’m assuming the cord you use to charge your phone has USB-C on both ends. With an adapter, you’d be able to plug the adapter into your computer and then the cord you already have into that adapter.

https://www.amazon.com/Adapter-Anke...1711597058&sprefix=USB+a+to+c+,aps,107&sr=8-3

 

[audreyh1]

Yes, easy adapter or a cable that connects usb-A to usb-C.

 

[John Galt III]

Thanks, guys!
Jollystomper, I will make it a fun, knowledge-building project to poke around in device manager or something, to find out the USB port speed on my computer. And yes, I found out the steps to go through on the cell phone to enable data transfer. I thought it was interesting that the charging port on the phone is also the file transfer port.



Jerry, the USB cable that came with the phone has a USB-C at one end and a plug-in charging block at the other end, that plugs into an electrical outlet.



Will pick up a cute green 39 inch A to C USB cable at the Dollar Store for $1.25. The internet says they work fine for charging and file transfer.



I love it when there is a quick, easy, inexpensive solution. (Knocking on wood, lol)

 

[folivier]

Depending on whether an iPhone or Android phone and whether your computer is Windows or Mac you made need an app so the computer can read the files. Should be easy to find what you need by searching for phone file transfer.

 

[statsman]

Depending on whether an iPhone or Android phone and whether your computer is Windows or Mac you made need an app so the computer can read the files. Should be easy to find what you need by searching for phone file transfer.

I was really surprised to find I could connect my iPhone 13 to my Windows 10 PC (Dell XPS 8930, about four years old) without any extra software or app. I transfer photos all the time.

Even better, the PC has one USB-C jack on the front panel and one USB-C jack on the rear of the tower. That allows me to disconnect the cable provided with Apple's 20W fast charger from its adapter and use that directly in the PC.

The OP may want to check whether they have a USB-C jack on their computer.

 

[target2019]

Thanks, guys!
Jollystomper, I will make it a fun, knowledge-building project to poke around in device manager or something, to find out the USB port speed on my computer. And yes, I found out the steps to go through on the cell phone to enable data transfer. I thought it was interesting that the charging port on the phone is also the file transfer port.



Jerry, the USB cable that came with the phone has a USB-C at one end and a plug-in charging block at the other end, that plugs into an electrical outlet.



Will pick up a cute green 39 inch A to C USB cable at the Dollar Store for $1.25. The internet says they work fine for charging and file transfer.



I love it when there is a quick, easy, inexpensive solution. (Knocking on wood, lol)

A cute green USB cable from the Dollar Store? That can work, and you'll find out.

 

[frank05]

Thanks, guys!
Jollystomper, I will make it a fun, knowledge-building project to poke around in device manager or something, to find out the USB port speed on my computer. And yes, I found out the steps to go through on the cell phone to enable data transfer. I thought it was interesting that the charging port on the phone is also the file transfer port.



Jerry, the USB cable that came with the phone has a USB-C at one end and a plug-in charging block at the other end, that plugs into an electrical outlet.



Will pick up a cute green 39 inch A to C USB cable at the Dollar Store for $1.25. The internet says they work fine for charging and file transfer.



I love it when there is a quick, easy, inexpensive solution. (Knocking on wood, lol)

I wouldn’t use that cable for charging, data transfer would be ok.

 

[cathy63]

... the USB cable that came with the phone has a USB-C at one end and a plug-in charging block at the other end, that plugs into an electrical outlet...

What brand and model of phone is it? I'm really surprised to hear anyone is manufacturing and including a hard-wired usb-c charger with a new phone nowadays. Usually if a charging block is included at all it's going to be a usb-a block with an a-to-c cable.

 

[sengsational]

What happens on my Android phone is an alert to allow the connection.

SynchThing makes it a no-brainer (but you need to set it up, which takes some brain power). You install the (free and open source, no fees) program on both devices, accept each device in the other device, select which folders you want to keep in sync, and every time you plug in, the folders are synced. So if you delete on one device, it deletes on the other. Same with adding, of course. If a file changes on both while not connected, you need to pick one. I use it for my KeePass vault and I've added passwords to each and had a head scratcher, but usually it requires no thought.

 

[GenXguy]

Is this that Windows 7 computer that's super slow and 2 GB of RAM that I assisted you with in the past, or did you get something different? Are you using a wireless router now? Hope it's going well and secure and would offer another way of syncing photos without a direct connection.

 

[ERD50]

Thanks, guys! ...

Will pick up a cute green 39 inch A to C USB cable at the Dollar Store for $1.25. The internet says they work fine for charging and file transfer.

I love it when there is a quick, easy, inexpensive solution. (Knocking on wood, lol)

Agreed. I hope people appreciate the efforts of the USB Implementers Forum.

They aren't perfect (it's too bad they didn't go from the old mini-USB directly to USB-C - the interim micro-USB has complicated things), but I look at this as a glass 98% full.

Before USB, connecting peripherals was a PAIN. Now, most of the time, the product uses an established common interface, no need to load/update drivers, deal with compatibility, etc (at least on Mac/Linux - I don't work with Windows much, but I've seen Win ask for drivers for things that 'just work' plug-play on Mac/Linux).

https://www.usb.org/members

The USB Implementers Forum, Inc. (USB-IF) was established in 1995 to support and accelerate the market and consumer adoption of USB compliant peripherals. Today, the USB-IF has more than 1,000 member companies and has led the way in helping companies introduce hundreds of USB-compliant products to the market.

In order to do some USB-On-The-Go transfers (where two devices can negotiate which is the host/peripheral) between a newer USB-C device and an older Micro-USB device (which had as special "On-The-Go" cable), I used a USB-C hub that had the old USB-A host ports, and that worked. A reasonable solution, IMO. I don't think you can do it with just a cable.

-ERD50

 

[John Galt III]

Wow. Lots of interesting stuff about USB cables!



Well, I ran into a glitch, hopefully just temporary.


I bought the second to last USB cable at the dollar store, for $1.25. BUT... it is simply labelled a 'micro usb cable' with no mention of USB-A or USB-C.



The big end looks like a USB-A and the little end looks like a USB-C.


But I have to assume the little end is actually a USB 'micro', since that's what the words on the package say. (No description whatsoever except 'micro usb cable', except somewhere else it says 'capable of charging and data transfer'. I shone a flashlight into the package, and yes, the end of the small connector is longer on the top than the bottom, hence not symmetrical, hence not a USB-C.



My female USB-C port on my phone is symmetrically oval, and looks like it will accept (has enough width) the non-symmetrical micro male terminal. But is the pin arrangement the same ?



Am getting yes and no from my internet search on whether I can use the USB from dollar store safely. ie, pin arrangement is compatible.



Have not opened the package yet. Can still return it and get my $1.25 back !



Leaning towards returning it and paying more somewhere else for something labelled USB-A to USB-C.



I had my hopes up after I read that the dollar store usb-A to usb-C cables work great. Maybe dollar store changed something since those posts were made.


Maybe they were just sold out of the usb-a to usb-c cables.



Thoughts ?

 

[John Galt III]

Is this that Windows 7 computer that's super slow and 2 GB of RAM that I assisted you with in the past, or did you get something different? Are you using a wireless router now? Hope it's going well and secure and would offer another way of syncing photos without a direct connection.

Yes, it's me. Same Windows 7 computer. Still using just a modem, no wireless, no router. Yes, it is going well, but I sometimes think about buying the 'box' from Amazon with Windows 10 and lots of capability, and maybe faster page loading.


By the way, is 'syncing' the new buzzword for 'transferring'? I don't need to synchronize anything, but I do need to transfer things.

 

[jollystomper]

There are converters one can buy (I have gotten them from Amazon) to slip over a micro-usb connector and convert it for use with a USB-C port on a device.

But I think you are better off getting an actual USB-C to USB-A cable. If the dollar store you refer to is Dollar Tree, their online site shows they carry them, as part of their overall inventory, so the one you went to might just have been out of them.

If you are willing to pay a little more, you can go to any nearby Walmart/Target/Five Below/Best Buy/Micro Center/Home Depot store, as all those places carry them. Many other local local computer/convenience stores carry them. Or order it online.

 

[GenXguy]

Yes, it's me. Same Windows 7 computer. Still using just a modem, no wireless, no router. Yes, it is going well, but I sometimes think about buying the 'box' from Amazon with Windows 10 and lots of capability, and maybe faster page loading.

By the way, is 'syncing' the new buzzword for 'transferring'? I don't need to synchronize anything, but I do need to transfer things.

Syncing would normally mean it was copying the photos from the source that aren't in the destination but not deleting them from the source, or matching up the source and destination. It sounds like that is what you would want to do.

 

[John Galt III]

What brand and model of phone is it? I'm really surprised to hear anyone is manufacturing and including a hard-wired usb-c charger with a new phone nowadays. Usually if a charging block is included at all it's going to be a usb-a block with an a-to-c cable.

It is a Nokia 2780 flip phone.

 

[cathy63]

... I bought the second to last USB cable at the dollar store, for $1.25. BUT... it is simply labelled a 'micro usb cable' with no mention of USB-A or USB-C.

The big end looks like a USB-A and the little end looks like a USB-C.

But I have to assume the little end is actually a USB 'micro', since that's what the words on the package say. (No description whatsoever except 'micro usb cable', except somewhere else it says 'capable of charging and data transfer'. I shone a flashlight into the package, and yes, the end of the small connector is longer on the top than the bottom, hence not symmetrical, hence not a USB-C.

My female USB-C port on my phone is symmetrically oval, and looks like it will accept (has enough width) the non-symmetrical micro male terminal. But is the pin arrangement the same ? ...

Many USB cables, especially the cheap ones, are not labeled as "USB-A" on the package; only the other end is described. It sounds like the one you bought is indeed a USB-A to micro USB. If that's what you have, it will definitely not match up with the USB-C port on the phone. There's a flat little blade inside the C port on the phone which is wider than the opening at the end of the micro cable, so although the micro looks like it will fit into the port, it will not actually connect.

It is a Nokia 2780 flip phone.

Ah, I see this is one of the few phones that has the old fashioned hard-wired charger.

I saw an interesting note on Reddit that says if you want to charge this phone using a different cable and it isn't working, flipping the cable over will likely solve the problem. The charging circuitry in this phone is only on one side of the port while most phones have it on both sides and most cables only have it on one side.

 

[John Galt III]

Many USB cables, especially the cheap ones, are not labeled as "USB-A" on the package; only the other end is described. It sounds like the one you bought is indeed a USB-A to micro USB. If that's what you have, it will definitely not match up with the USB-C port on the phone. There's a flat little blade inside the C port on the phone which is wider than the opening at the end of the micro cable, so although the micro looks like it will fit into the port, it will not actually connect.



Ah, I see this is one of the few phones that has the old fashioned hard-wired charger.

I saw an interesting note on Reddit that says if you want to charge this phone using a different cable and it isn't working, flipping the cable over will likely solve the problem. The charging circuitry in this phone is only on one side of the port while most phones have it on both sides and most cables only have it on one side.

OK, thanks! I guess I am going to have to bite the bullet and pay market price for whatever is available in the way of straight up USB-A to USB-C cables at the full price places, since Dollar Tree is sold out around here.

 

[John Galt III]

Update: found a USB-A to USB-C cable at another dollar tree store. It says 'charging and data transfer' on the package, and yes, it does charge, but the phone keeps restarting itself during the charge.


And it won't do file transfer. Doesn't show as connected to my computer, even when my cell phone is in data transfer enabled.



The C end of the cable won't go in all the way, into my cell phone, and I refuse to jam it in, and possibly mangle something.


So, my next idea is to get an A to C USB cable at Best Buy. Anyone have luck with those?


Thanks

 

[misanman]

I've often heard that one should beware of cheap USB cables as they scrimp on the negotiation circuitry and have been known to damage devices. Not sure if that's true anymore but I think there were many problems with the early USB-C cables.

 

[Al18]

On Amazon, you can buy a Anker USB C Adapter (2 Pack),High-Speed Data Transfer, USB-C to USB 3.0 Female Adapter for $9.99

 

[TheWizard]

The best USB-C cables have USB-C connectors on both ends, no USB-A. These have smart fast charging features that vary the wattage supplied, depending.

But obviously you can't do file transfers to an older PC with USB-A connectors. So I have a few of both types...

 

[ERD50]

...

The C end of the cable won't go in all the way, into my cell phone, and I refuse to jam it in, and possibly mangle something.

...

You probably looked for this, but if your phone is in a case, the case can interfere with getting the cable in all the way.

But the suggestions to find one on Amazon with good reviews (including RECENT reviews - things change sometimes) is likely a better bet than a random generic one from a Dollar Store, which might be OK, but hard to put too much faith in them.

Ad if you didn't, try it both ways.

-ERD50