How to connect Android 7.1 to Ubuntu Linux with USB?

I'm trying to connect a Google Pixel phone, with android 7.1, to a Ubuntu 16.04 laptop with a USB cable using mtp-tools. But the mtp doesn't see the phone file system and gives the error message "Get Storage information failed".

Then trying the mtp tools ...

# mtp-detect
libmtp version: 1.1.10

Listing raw device(s)
Device 0 (VID=18d1 and PID=4ee1) is a Google Inc (for LG Electronics/Samsung) Nexus 4/5/7/10 (MTP).
   Found 1 device(s):
   Google Inc (for LG Electronics/Samsung): Nexus 4/5/7/10 (MTP) (18d1:4ee1) @ bus 2, dev 17
Attempting to connect device(s)
Android device detected, assigning default bug flags
Error 1: Get Storage information failed.                 ***** ???
USB low-level info:
   bcdUSB: 512
   bDeviceClass: 0
   bDeviceSubClass: 0
   bDeviceProtocol: 0
   idVendor: 18d1
   idProduct: 4ee1
   IN endpoint maxpacket: 512 bytes
   OUT endpoint maxpacket: 512 bytes
... many lines omitted ...


# mtp-connect
libmtp version: 1.1.10

Device 0 (VID=18d1 and PID=4ee1) is a Google Inc (for LG Electronics/Samsung) Nexus 4/5/7/10 (MTP).
Android device detected, assigning default bug flags
Usage: connect <command1> <command2>
Commands: --delete [filename]
          --sendfile [source] [destination]
          --sendtrack [source] [destination]
          --getfile [source] [destination]
          --newfolder [foldername]


# mtp-filetree
Device 0 (VID=18d1 and PID=4ee1) is a Google Inc (for LG Electronics/Samsung) Nexus 4/5/7/10 (MTP).
Attempting to connect device(s)
Android device detected, assigning default bug flags
Error 1: Get Storage information failed.
Device: (NULL)
LIBMTP_Get_Storage(): Resource temporarily unavailable
OK.

In case it's useful ...

cat /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="18d1", ATTR{idProduct}=="4ee1", MODE="0666", OWNER="sullivan"

Many thanks for any advice!

Here's what I found works:

First, ignore all the web comments you've seen about /etc/udev/rules.d/51-android.rules. That file isn't needed.
Second, skip mtp-tools. They aren't documented, and jmtpfs is far easier anyway.
Install the jmtpfs package: sudo apt-get install jmtpfs
Make a directory, any directory: sudo mkdir /media/myphone
Connect the USB cable
Unlock the android phone.
Swipe down from the top of the phone screen
You should see a notification "USB ..."
Tap that notification.
You should see a menu titled "Use USB to...", select "Transfer files".
On the linux computer issue:

sudo jmtpfs /media/myphone

ls /media/myphone

fusermount -u /media/myphone

This works for me on a Motorola Moto Z Force Droid running Android 7.1.1:

On the phone go to Settings > Developer Options (turn on if not already turned on) > scroll down to Select USB Configuration > select Picture Transfer Protocol > then re-select Media Transfer Protocol. The phone's internal memory and SD card memory (if any) then mount.

I did not have to install any software on the Ubuntu 16.04.3 computer that I use.

Sullivan's answer worked for me, but only after I replaced the cable I was using. With the previous cable (2 meters long), connection was extremely slow or disconnected frequently.

Also I did the following, in addition to Sullivan's answer:

Went into developers options in my Android 7.0 (Moto G5 Plus) and enabled USB debugging. Without that no connection was ever possible!

How to connect Android 7.1 to Ubuntu Linux with USB?

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