Attached mouse won't power up

[Challenged_101]

Just broke the screen on my Pixel 2xl and am now trying to attach a usb mouse via otg cable to the Pixel but it won't power up. Tried the setup on a spare phone with success. Any positive suggestions will be most appreciated.

 

[Hadron]

Does OTG work at all on the pixel, or is the problem just the mouse? Maybe try a keyboard and see.

 

[svim]

Were you using this same USB mouse and OTG cable previously on this phone? Simply because it worked on a different phone as a test, that doesn't necessarily mean it will work on your Pixel 2 xl (well, unless that spare phone is the same model).
If you previously had a Bluetooth mouse and/or keyboard paired up on your Pixel and you're sure it's booting up normally despite the dead display, you might find that setup to work out better.

Last resort measure is to replace the display, the iFixit site has a step-by-step guide on your model:
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Google+Pixel+2+XL+Screen+Replacement/102774
Big caveat on smartphones now is they don't just have physical connectors (screws and clips) any more, there's a lot of glues and adhesives to get past (and replace) along with dust and/or water-proofing seals.

 

[Challenged_101]

I tried this setup on another working Pixel 2 and it didn't power up either. I'm assuming something needs to be assigned in which case i'm out of luck. Can anyone confirm what needs to be turned on?

 

[Hadron]

I don't think anything does need enabling. I've certainly connected USB peripherals to phones without doing that before now, including one with a broken screen. And my previous phone was a Pixel 2, which I'm pretty certain I tested with a mouse at some point, plus I can find no relevant settings for this on my current phone (searching on "USB" and "OTG"), including in the developer options.

(I'm not certain where the Pixel 2 is at the moment, and it would need charging anyway, so I can't test that phone just now).

 

[svim]

I tried this setup on another working Pixel 2 and it didn't power up either. I'm assuming something needs to be assigned in which case i'm out of luck. Can anyone confirm what needs to be turned on?

Yeah, I don't think it's an option you 'turn on' but rather the need to have some kind of driver/firmware installed in order for some external devices to work. In this instance it could be a driver could be required for the mouse or the OTG adapter/cable, or both. And it's matter where with Android something like a device driver is added via an app. So unless this is done back when the screen was working, that 'might' be part of the problem since testing this requires a Pixel 2 XL, and that specific brand of mouse and that specific brand of an OTG adapter/cable.