Pixel tablet and laptop don't recognize each other

Elgoog

When I plug my P8a running GOS into my Fedora laptop with a USB cable, the two devices recognize each other:

A Pixel-phone icon appears on the laptop, and
The laptop appears in in the phone's System -> Connected devices menu.

On the other hand, when I plug my Pixel tablet, also running GOS, into the laptop, the tablet emits a sound indicating connection and begins to charge, but neither does a Pixel icon appear on the laptop nor does the laptop appear in the tablet's System -> Connected devices menu.

Thus, I cannot figure out how to transfer files between the laptop and tablet.

Any ideas?

Elgoog

BTW, the phone and the tablet recognize each other and can exchange files when connected by a USB cable. That proves the tablets USB socket is not the problem.

Elgoog

OK, how's this for weird.... I had previously been connecting the tablet to the laptop's USB-C port. Connecting to a USB-A port (with a different cable, of course), solves the problem: tablet and laptop recognize each other and can exchange files.

How can that be?

tumbord

most of these cases come down to a) faulty cable or b) cable has no datalink, only charging.

Elgoog

tumbord Indeed, I have encountered that problem myself in the past. But in this case I've established that the cable is good for data transfer by successfully using it to move files between phone (p8a) and Linux laptop.