Craig Russell

Web n That

I ♡… the web… php… html… css… linux… shell scripting… folding paper… dog walking… sandwiches… being outside… and most of all @vicuol ☺

Samsung Galaxy S2 USB Storage and Tethering with Ubuntu

June 16th, 2011

I’ve just got myself a shiny new Samsung Galaxy S2. I’m not going to write a big old review of the whole thing here, there’s plenty of others elsewhere. Ubuntu users may have difficulty mounting the phone via USB. Getting ugly errors like this…

"Unable to mount SAMSUNG_Android Error initialising camera: -60: Could not lock the device"

Samsung uses it’s own software to sync and update the phone called Kies. Kies is only available for Windows (naturally), not Mac or Linux. But you can still use the USB storage and USB tethering, you just have to enable USB debug mode.

Settings > Applications > Development > USB Debugging

Now when you connect the phone with the USB cable, you can choose to mount the USB storage from the status bar.
Alternatively, you can use the USB tethering.

Settings > Wireless and Network > Tethering and Portable Hotspot Settings > USB Tethering.

Edit also check out my post on Galaxy S2 tweaks.

  • Gregorbutler

    Thanks for the galaxy s 2/ubuntu tip mate!

  • Kedi

    Thanks, great tip.

  • http://www.facebook.com/kovinet Borut Kovačec

    Thank you, that saved me some time :)

  • Lemuel Cantos

    thank you thank you thank you!! you saved my life!!

    Galaxy s2 with Ubuntu rules!!

  • SalineBoy

    Hi
    Tried this both ways, and still can’t see it. Typing lsusb shows that it is on Bus 002 Device 009: ID 04e8:685e Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, but can’t see it anywhere else. Do I need to mount it? If so where would I do that? 
    Have tried loading KIES though wine………got so many COM errors I gave up. Why can’t companies just support Linux?? Life would be so much better!!!!!

    Kind regards

     SalineBoy

  • Rich

    Or just use “Kies Air” with a Wifi connection. Then you surf to your phone from firefox on Ubuntu and you have Kies running in your browse and you can manage your phone.

    No Wine. nothing to install.

    If you load “ES File Explorer” on your S2 you can also map SAMBA network shares directly to the phone – makes copying music, photos etc easy as no USB connection, just straight forward file copies.

  • Cosmin-Marian Circu

    Hy!
    How do you do that in UBUNTU 10.10? I can`t find the USB debugging.
    Tks.

  • Cosmin-Marian Circu

    Hy!
    How do you do that in UBUNTU 10.10? I can`t find the USB debugging.
    Tks.

     

  • Cosmin-Marian Circu

    Hy!
    How do you do that in UBUNTU 10.10? I can`t find the USB debugging.
    Tks.

     

  • Anonymous

    thank you.

  • A. D. Ghjk

    No need to do any of that. I do this on ubuntu 10.10: don’t connect the cable yet, press Settings, Wireless and Network, USB Utilities, press “connect storage to pc” (If you’ve already connected the phone to the computer the phone will tell you to remove the cable now, remove it and press ok, then “press connect storage to pc” again and continue). It tells you to “connect USB cable etc”. Do it and it tells you “USB connected”. Press the “Connect USB storage button” and you’re done. You have a drive icon on your desktop. It could have been a plug and play experience, but it takes longer to read what to do than to do it.

    Remember to eject the drive from Ubuntu first, then on the phone, then remove the cable

  • http://tomslominski.net/ Tom Slominski

    Whenever I connect my phone to my laptop, my wireless breaks :/ Never did that with my HTC Hero, that a setback!

  • peter baker

    thankyou so much!

  • Nobody

    Thank you very much! Very deserving to be the one of the top search result on Google under “samsung galaxy s2 ubuntu”

  • John–silver

    My laptop just says its connected on a limited connection and will only load up the homepage. No other page will load up. Galaxy s2. Any advise as to get it to work properly?

  • Shakirmeister

    Thank you !!!! 

  • Zoran Bacic

    Forget both Kies and tethering.
    Just do:
    1. Settings -> Wireless and Network -> USB utilities
    2. Unplug USB cable
    3. Touch “Connect storage to PC”
    4. It tells you to plug USB again, so do it

    Now Ubuntu asks what to do with USB drive already and you’ll see it like a normal drive :-)
    Voila…

  • dickusvi

    T-Mobile now wants to charge for this after I have been using this feature at airports with my BlackBerry 9700 bold. I want to upgrade to the Galaxy S2 but I do not like the idea of now paying for this. Can you point me in a directions  for “CM7″?

  • Jeffslops

    galaxy s2 says usb is connected. remove the cable.

     I have removed it, still the same message, cannot connect to computer. 

  • S2owner

    same here, any solution?

  • Sean Dixon

    Great tip. Thanks

  • http://www.wfgsports.com/category/World-Financial-Group-Canada.aspxPower-Of-One.aspxOf-One.aspx78ws/disability-services/the-national-benefit-authority-in-north-york-on-1188496 WFG Canada

    Thank you very much “samsung galaxy s2 ubuntu”…

  • Tim

    Fantastic. Been trying everything and this simple little guide works perfectly. Many thanks Zoran!

  • dang

    Perfect, a human touch, unplug, replug…mass storage device…..

  • Anonymous

    Thank you! 

  • Bum_diddy55

    i cant find the aplication setting :(

  • Thiago De Sousa Araujo

    thanks a lot… it really worked.

  • Randerson

    thanks man, searched all over the web for this.