MTP As Default USB Connection

Music

Senior Member
Feb 5, 2011
571
7
Is there a way to have your Nexus 7-13 with Android 6 default to MTP when you connect it via the USB cable? So far it looks as if you need a rooted device and you can get an MTP enabler application for free.

Perhaps someone knows of a way to get a "suggestion" to Google to get them to add a setting for the default USB connection?
 

Traveller

Administrator
Staff member
Jun 16, 2012
2,858
982
As of developer preview 3, Android N has continued this behavior. It is a step back because in some versions of Android you could set a default, though I suspect Google did it this way so that the device wasn't needlessly draining the battery when connected. I seriously doubt they will change things back to setting a default, and without root setting a default simply is not possible.
 

Music

Senior Member
Feb 5, 2011
571
7
Maybe they could just make it so it asks you to change to MTP as soon as you connect it? It's like the autoplay dialog in WinXP when you plug in a flashdrive. It makes sense to me because I usually connect the tablet first, then open a file browser on the PC.
 

Traveller

Administrator
Staff member
Jun 16, 2012
2,858
982
Well here's the funny thing about this. Prior to Google using MTP, Android users running anything predating Android 4.4 would have to pull down the notification bar and tap the USB notification for USB options. Of course, the option was to enable the connection to the PC, but that connection screen was required. It notified the user that widgets and apps would stop working while in file transfer mode.

While I suspected it was to prevent the battery from being needlessly drained, Google may also have set the default at charging as it is the one thing everyone does with a smartphone or tablet. Being able to set a different default would then be the aberration, since you couldn't set a default in earlier versions of Android.
 

Music

Senior Member
Feb 5, 2011
571
7
I had Winamp installed before Android 4.4, and had it set to auto-mount the device when you connect it to the PC. I dunno if it will still mount in MTP, and I think it probably won't. It's not a big deal to change from Charge mode to MTP, and the only annoying thing that I have is if you have a file browser open to the device, the browser will close when you switch to MTP mode, and you have to re-open the file browser. You need to remember to switch to MTP before you open the file browser.
 

Music

Senior Member
Feb 5, 2011
571
7
Hey, I did find a setting for the default USB mode. It's in the developer options.
 
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