From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

How to choose a data transfer USB-A to USB-C cable on Amazon.

I'm traveling using borrowed equipment where the USB-A to USB-C cable I'm borrowing, or the laptop setup, isn't allowing the Windows 10 PC to
recognize the phone. This thread assumes we want to replace the cable.

Since Amazon is everywhere, I'm ordering a cable even though, at home, I
have seemingly hundreds of them to test - but right now I'm living out of a backpack so I only have the one USB-A to USB-C cable that I'm borrowing.

Looking up what matters for USB-A to USB-C data cables, speed matters.
a. USB 2.0, Max 480 Mbps (black insert)
b. USB 3.0/3.1/3.2, 5-10 Gbps (blue insert, or marked SS for super speed)

Power matters also for the Windows 10 laptop.
a. Most USB-A 2.0 ports provide 5V at 0.5-0.9A (~2.5-4.5W)
b. Or, for USB 3.0, up to 1.5A

When looking for a cable to fit the phone & laptop, you start with the
laptop specifications and then you check the phone specifications.

On the PC, use Win+R > "devmgmt.msc" or "msinfo32" or "control"
to find the USB-A port spec, e.g., in Universal Serial Bus Controllers
I see "Intel(R) USB 3.0 eXtgensible Host Controller 1.0 (Microsoft)".
a. devmgmt.msc > Device Manager > Universal Serial Bus Controllers
b. msinfo32 > System Information > Components > USB
c. control > Control Panel > Hardware and Sound > Devices

The laptop I'm borrowing has two USB ports, only one of which is marked
"SS" (super speed), which is the USB 3.0 port. USB 2.0 is the other port.

The mouse goes into the USB 2.0 port & the phone in the USB 3.0 port.
In addition, you might want to look for USB-IF certified cables.
If so, look for the USB-IF logo or wording (e.g., Certified USB Cable).
<https://www.usb.org/compliance>

Note that the cable I'm borrowing has the USB trident logo embossed on the USB-A end, and it seems to have 4 pins: long, short, short, & long.

So it should support USB 2.0 data transfer (480 Mbps).
Pin 1 (VBUS, 5V power) long
Pin 2 (D?, data) short
Pin 3 (D+, data)short
Pin 4 (Ground) long

The problem 'could' be the drivers but this thread is only going to be
about the cables themselves, so we will assume a new cable is needed.

Once you understand the PC, then you need to check your phone.
Mine only supports USB 2.0 (max 480 Mbps) & 15W charging.

And, of course, you may very much care about the cable length.

With that in mind, we can begin to construct the Amazon search terms.
a. USB-IF certified usb-a to usb-c 2.0 data transfer cable 6ft
b. USB-IF certified usb-a to usb-c data sync and charge cable 6ft
c. USB-IF certified usb-a to usb-c phone cable 6ft

But wait. There's more. Amazon uses badges & labels such as
a. Amazon's Choice
b. Best Seller
c. Top Rated / Highly Rated
d. Sponsored / Ad

Trust them at your own peril, but Amazon's Choice, for example, uses an AI algorithm to select products based on reliably meeting specific keywords.
<https://www.marketingscoop.com/consumer/what-is-amazons-choice/>

Whether or not you include badges, always confirm in the listing that it
says 'data transfer' or 'sync & charge' & ideally lists at least 480Mbps.

Overall, this is what I consider a reasonably good set of search terms:
a. USB-IF certified usb-a to usb-c 2.0 sync and charge cable 6ft
b. USB-IF certified usb-a to usb-c data transfer cable 6ft
c. USB-IF certified usb-a to usb-c phone cable 6ft
For example: <https://www.amazon.com/s?k=USB-IF+certified+usb-a+to+usb-c+2.0+data+transfer+cable+6ft>

If I wanted to future-proof, I might search for a higher USB standard: <https://www.amazon.com/s?k=USB-IF+certified+usb-a+to+usb-c+3.0+data+transfer+cable+6ft>

Now it's time to order that cable and get back to connecting the phone to
the PC seamlessly by mounting the phone as a drive letter onto Windows.

Let me (and the team) know if there's key detail I missed in the above.
--
Many people do things but few will take the time to teach & discuss how to.
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On Wed, 26 Nov 2025 05:12:15 -0000 (UTC), Marian wrote:

Now it's time to order that cable and get back to connecting the phone to the PC seamlessly by mounting the phone as a drive letter onto Windows.

Normally I get everything off of Amazon for 'free' (as I'm a gold member of
the Amazon Vine Program) but they didn't happen to have this cable on Vine.
<https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-USB-IF-Certified-Black/dp/B06XMY49BM/>

It arrived today, and worked perfectly, which proved it wasn't the laptop
but the cable which prevented the phone from being recognized as a device.

This ten-dollar cable is USB-IF Certified & supports USB 3.1 Gen 2 speeds
up to 10Gbps (even as my phone is USB 2.0 at 480Gbps).

Apparently this Cable Matters USB-A to USB-C cable has 9 pins on the USB-A
3.1 side and connects to the 24 pins available on the USB-C side, though
not all 24 are used. Only the subset needed for data transfer and charging
is wired all the way through, apparently.
<https://superuser.com/questions/1392235/which-pins-from-usb-a-goes-to-usb-c-in-usb-cables>

For charging, my phone is 15W limited, where this cable supports 5V at 3A
(15W) but for others who may need 18W, 30W, 65W, or 100W charging profiles, this isn't the cable for them, as it does not support USB Power Delivery
(PD), but I think no USB-A cable does.

The coloring of the USB-A end is blue, where the typical color table is
a. USB 2.0 (black/white): up to 480 Mbps
b. USB 3.0/3.1 Gen 1 (blue): up to 5 Gbps
c. USB 3.1 Gen 2 (often teal or red): up to 10 Gbps

The white/black/blue/teal/red/yellow/orange scheme is described here.
<https://www.positioniseverything.net/usb-color-code/>
But I wouldn't rely on the color alone other than a quick indicator.
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