Identifying data transfer micro USB cables vs charge only micro USB cables

Solution 1:

No. XKCD made a good cartoon about how frustrating this is.

When you identify a cable that works well, you could mark it so it's easier to find next time, maybe by wrapping it with a piece of electrical tape.

Solution 2:

I tested many cables. The majority had USB trident but over half would not do data. Of those that do data, most would not do data in all my tests.

The only cables I have that do data in all situations have two physical characteristics.

1. Longer edge pins.
2. Extra grooves above all pins.

In the photo below:

• the top cable does data only in some situations
• the bottom cable does data in all situations

Solution 3:

While an old thread, people will come here through a search, as I did. The problem is to identify whether a cable marked as a micro USB cable (trident logo) is for charging only or for data (data cables also support charging, but may be slower due to thinner connectors). The way I do this: I set up a phone with a micro USB socket as mass storage, and connect it to a computer with a cable known to be a data cable; a file manager should show the phone as a storage device. I then test other cables in this known setup; if and only if the phone shows as a storage device, the cable is a data cable. (I also wiggle the cable to test for intermittent faults.)

To see whether a cable is USB OTG, I use a similar technique: use it to plug a USB keyboard into a phone that supports USG and see if it is recognised.