Android Phone connector data pins broken/not working?

Hi,
My Android phone doesn’t mount on my computer (Ubuntu 16.04 LTS); earlier it could be seen as a folder/drive in any computer.

(1) Changing cables (with a known good one that has done data transfer) did not fix the problem.

(2) Installed “jmtpfs”, didn’t help.
(https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/linux-newbie-8/mounting-android-phone-as-usb-storage-device-ubuntu-4175610821/)

(3) I am suspecting the connector data pins, which is a hassle.

(4) My make-do solution is to copy pictures, etc. to a SD card in the phone and then transfer it from the SD card to as desired.

Diagnosis, how-to, suggestions, fixes, past experiences, etc. welcome!

Thanks!
-RK

Airdroid or syncing with Google Photos / Drive are the obvious technical
solutions to your problem.

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Thanks!

What’s the phone model? Does it still charge?

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(1) Model number: SM-G530W
(2) Name: Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime
(3) Android Version: 5.1.1

It does charge through the cables, however there is no data transfer.

Thanks,
RK

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I am trying to avoid syncing with Google Drive.

@Rebel_without_Clause I’m sure you’ve tried the following but just in case…

  1. Soft Reset - Take out the battery for 10 seconds. Then put it back in and restart by holding down the power button down.

or

  1. Start in safe mode

  2. Check the port for lint or corrosion…blow into it and and clean it out.

After ruling out software issues I would move on to the physical issues. Luckily your phone has a separate charging/data board. The part is probably under 5 bucks and available to buy online. I had the same issue with an old nexus 3 phone. I replaced the board several times to keep it going. You could also reflow the connector but that is tricky.

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Hi @Janet,

  1. & 2. Tried
  2. Easy to try, will try.

Thanks for sharing your repair experiences!
Best,
RK

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Hey - I should have asked - is it recognized on windows 10 OS? Just wondering if there is some ubuntu-android conflict.

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Tried on Win 10 & Ubuntu, not recognized.

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If you are comfortable opening the phone I would order the part and keep syncing using your SD card. Also caveat: there’s always some risk to opening the phone of course. :slight_smile:

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Will back up everything & then open it, but why not?
Thanks,
RK

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Sounds good - there are probably some opening instructions online if you google. That was very helpful for my nexus 3 teardown as there were lot sof little cables attached with adhesive. i had to be careful not to tear them off the board when I opened it.

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You could potentially also share through Windows (/Samba/CIFS) share. ES File Explorer is an application that works. Else there’s also Dropbox.

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Hi @Janet Thanks for warnings about glued cables!
@TyIsI, those are good options, a bit leery about Dropbox.

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Sounds good - post some pics if you do a teardown. Exciting!

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