Connecting Nexus 7 to Linux (SOLVED!)

[caerolle]

So, it seems to be kinda like turkeys have wings, but they can't fly...

I just got a Nexus 7, and silly me, having found out that Android is built on Linux, I thought I would plug it in and it would be like two a meeting of kindred spirits. Um, no, not so much. My computer has no idea that my tablet is in the same universe, much less jacked right in. Turns out there is now MTP, and the tablet is not seen as just another drive.

So, I search the Mint and Ubuntu Forums, didn't really find much that seemed to apply so well. This amazes me, would think lots of people would be hooking Android tablets to their Linux computers? Am I just having a completely different experience from everyone else? Or totally missing something?

So I went to the wider net, found a few things, such as using Dropbox or AirDroid, which seems bizarre, when I have the tablet and the computer right here, and a nice new cable to hook them together. I also found several like the link below, which involve apting MTP-TOOLS MTPFS, followed by a bunch of udev hacking:

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/12/how- ... ile-access

My question is, is this really the way to do this? I already have libmtp-runtime and libmtp-runtime as part of my initial install, should the mtpfs and udev stuff really be necessary? I found something called Qlix in the Software Manager, seems old and not really for Android, but will that work? Or do I really need to do all the udev stuff?

I appreciate any suggestions anyone has.

Thanks so much!


Caerolle

[remoulder]

I search the Mint and Ubuntu Forums

Then surprised you didn't find http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=109676&p=619589&ilit=nexus#p619589

[caerolle]

I did a more general search, for 'connect Android', so missed the post you reference, sorry. Odd I missed the link to Make Tech Easier that was in the post you linked to, though.

I did install gMTP, but it didn't recognize my tablet either. Looks like the libusb-dev is the missing piece, I will give that a try!

Thanks so much!

It still blows my mind that an OS built on Linux, developed by a company that runs on Linux, would not just plug into an up-to-date Linux computer.

Caerolle

[caerolle]

Oh, and that Make Tech Work article has a string of comments saying it didn't work for people. Will try it tonight and see.

I did install Dropbox on my tablet and on my computer last night, but that isn't so good either. You can export files from Dropbox to the tablet, but only one at a time with actual Dropbox (it looks like there are some other apps that will let you move folders, but Dropbox won't do that). And that doesn't help to move things I created on the tablet to Dropbox. I downloaded one of the file management apps to the N7, and that lets me see the files on the tablet, but doesn't let me move anything, and but of course, doesn't show Dropbox as a folder. I am going to try a couple of more file management apps to see if there is one that will let me move things.

Looking like the best option may be AirDroid, which means I have to buy a Wifi card for my computer (am wired at home, only use wireless for my devices). Or perhaps send the thing back, and just update my e-reader and continue to use my iPod Touch for Google calendaring, instead of trying to have it all in one device. We don't have wifi for us to use for personal devices at my work, so the Nexus is only really useful as a tablet at home anyway.

Of course, if I plug the Nexus 7 into my wife's Windows 7 computer, it just connects, and I can see all the folders and files of interest, just drop-and-drag between the computer and the tablet. Very annoying.

Caerolle

[OldManHook]

While i don't know about the Nexus 7, I do know this is not an Android 4.0 problem..Maybe some type of Google DRM

My Off-Brand 10.1.Android 4.0 tablet works just fine on Linux...(Linux mint 13-Cin64B and KDE,PCLinuxOS.ZoinOS ..) On most they show up as Nexus S
the mounted Vol show both the 8G internal and 32G MSDC,even show up in Banshee ...A 7" Coby Also work ...Maybe Linux Users Should Check out some of the cheap Android Tablets...Maybe Google is Pulling An Apple

[Therion87]

I used this here to mount my N7 before. It's involved, and if your not comfortable with the command line it may not be for you. It does work tho at least for me on Mint 13 MATe 64bit.

[caerolle]

OldMan,

I thought the issue was with all Andriods from at least 4.0 on, from what I have found on the internet (Google changed how the drive is partitioned), but I may be wrong!

Therion,

Yes, I have seen this hack a few places, and I have no problem with using the terminal. It just seems insane to have to do all this to plug this thing in, and I wanted to see if anyone had a simpler solution before I did that! It's great to see that there is a Nexus 7 board out there, I had not run across that. Honestly, I am not sure the device is worth the effort, especially if the hack turns out to not work with my system.

Thanks, guys!

[OldManHook]

@ caerolle
Just to be sure i hooked up the Coby 7"
Tablet Screen>USB Connected >turn on USB Storage=Computer> Banshee Opens showing tablet as Google Nexux S the computer Shows the two mounted file systems> Tablet Screen USB storage in use> Turn off USB storage
This Tablet is Running 4.0 So it can't be Android..Also note a10.1" Kocaso works, This is Linux Mint 13 Cinnamon 64 Bit One of my friends have a Nexus 7 Will see what it do on my system this weekend

[caerolle]

Thanks, OldManHook!

[Therion87]

The issue is the MTP, older devices use USB Block Mode, which mounts fine on Linux, when this happens tho it disables the device from seeing the storage while it's mounted on Linux. MTP doesn't do that and allows both the device and Linux (when it works) or Windows to use it at the same time. I'm sure given some time that it will become more compatible with Linux.

[caerolle]

Therion,

Yes, maybe they will eventually fix it, I just find it bizarre that a company that USES Linux on its computers would build a device that won't just plug into them. Maybe the sysadmins hacked the whole network at once there, so it works on their PCs and laptops?

I am confused that OldManHook's 4.0 device is working as a USB, from what I read, it seemed they switched to single partitions and MTF with 4.0, or earlier, maybe even 2.0 or 3.0.

Caerolle

[caerolle]

Actually, just came across Google Drive, and of course there is an Android App for that, will try it tonight when I am home and have wifi. Of course, it turns out that Google has never ported the download for the desktop to Linux (even though they apparently promised months ago, and said it was a high priority), but you can upload and download through Chrome from and to the desktop. The bigger issues are whether the upload from the desktop works with folders or only individual files, and how easy it is to move things in and out of Google Drive on the Nexus 7.

[steev]

I found that the most reliable way to copy files to/from the device is to forget about MTP and just use ADB or a GUI frontend like QtADB
http://qtadb.wordpress.com/

Most Android 4.0+ devices are using MTP now; I think the reason was so that they can use Ext4 for the internal storage and still be able to mount the device on Windows. Unfortunately MTP doesn't seem to work very well on other operating systems.

[caerolle]

OK, this one worked! YAYS!

http://nexus7forum.com/index.php?topic=221.0

Thanks Therion, for this! And thanks to everyone else for your help, too!

Caerolle

[Therion87]

Glad you got it working. MTP is a Windows invented POS lol

[caerolle]

Yes, that is what annoys me the most. The N7 is a Linux-based device at its core, developed and manufactured in partnership and sold by a company that has Linux on all its computers, and it can't talk to a Linux computer in a more sane way? Geez-o-Pete...

[bindo]

I found that I could transfer files into folders DCIM and PICTURES in the PTP mode. So I zipped my files transferred them to DCIM folder. Later using filemanger (I used Androidzip since they were zip files) unzipped them and moved to newly created folders outside DCIM folders.
It was so simple as that.