Earlier this week, we announced our new iOS & iPadOS app called Copy That. It lets you easily copy photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad to an external storage drive.
Now that we’ve made it easy to back up your mobile media, only one question remains: How do you connect external storage to your iPhone & iPad? Also, your iPad/iPhone doesn’t put out a lot of power—it works with thumb drives, but with anything larger, you’ll need to use a disk that has its own power supply.
If your USB disk doesn’t have a USB-C connector, you can use an adapter cable. We recommend Apple’s Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter—it includes an additional Lightning port so you can keep your iPhone/iPad connected to power during the copy process—copying large numbers of files can take some power.
You will then need to respond to the standard login questions such as Server name, Guest or Registered User, Password, etc. Apple’s security sandboxing doesn’t allow enough access to support Copy That’s features. If you would like to see a “hands-on” demonstration, check out the video, “How to Transfer Files from Your iPad or iPhone to an External Drive“
How to Transfer Files from iPhone/iPad to External Hard Drive
When connecting iPhone/iPad to computer, you are not allowed to copy and paste files to external hard drive directly. That means you can move files freely between the external hard drive and iPhone or iPad without computer! There are 2 ways that can help you transfer files from iPhone or iPad to external hard drive without computer.
● If not, you can try cloud storage services like Google Drive to transfer files in an indirect way.
You can transfer files from third-party apps to external hard drive directly. Go to Photos app > Choose the pictures you want to transfer > Click Share button > Tap Save to Files.
We can take advantage of this feature to achieve iPhone/iPad to external hard drive transfer. You can transfer data from iPhone/iPad to external hard drive without computer, but the above two methods have disadvantages.
So here come’s another way to help you transfer files from iPhone/iPad to external hard drive via USB connection. The professional iOS data transfer tool FoneTool can help you save photos, videos, songs, contacts, messages and more from iPhone/iPad to external hard drive directly. Open FoneTool > Connect iPhone/iPad to computer via USB cable > Enter passcode on iPhone/iPad Home screen. If you have a computer at hand, you can rely on FoneTool to transfer files to external hard drive via USB connection.
Connect external storage devices to iPad
View the contents of the drive or memory card: In a supported app (for example, Files), tap Browse at the bottom of the screen, then tap the name of the device below Locations.
Is there a way to add memory to an iPad?
A properly reset for sale iPad should initially power up to an animated, multi-language “Welcome” screen. Apple doesn’t get involved with ANY user activation locked, used/second-hand sold devices, either. Even better, ask for a short video be sent to you showing this animated, multi-language “Welcome” screen, in action and in its entirety, posted to the online ad or emailed to you.
Connect external storage devices to iPad
View the contents of the drive or memory card: In a supported app (for example, Files), tap Browse at the bottom of the screen, then tap the name of the device below Locations.
Using external hard drives with an iPad Mini 5
I seriously found no information whether the new iPad Mini 5th generation would support external hard drives in iOS 13 until I bought the adapter and tried it myself using the latest beta. The new iPad Pros with the USB-C Port don’t have this issue since Apple allows the device to provide more power – up to 7.5 watts.
I tested a Samsung EVO 840 with 120GB and a Lacie Porsche Design Mobile Drive with 2TB. The Porsche hard drive with the rotating discs didn’t work as I expected.
How to use external storage with an iPhone or iPad
Well, thankfully, despite the proprietary Lightning connector on iPhones and most iPads, you can still access files stored on an external drive. Apple made this possible with the release of iOS 13 in 2019, adding native support for external storage devices using both Lightning and USB-C connectors. In this article, we’ll show you what you need to get your iPhone or iPad working with an external drive, including which Apple devices it’s compatible with and what adapters you may need. Apple introduced the Lightning port in 2012 as part of the company’s goal to make the iPhone slimmer. Before unlocking your iPad or iPhone and jumping into the software, you must establish a physical connection between your external storage device and your tablet or smartphone. For example, a thumb drive might also use a Lighting connector, allowing it to plug directly into iPhones and most iPads.
Or, an external hard drive might use a USB-C connector, allowing it to plug directly into iPad Pro devices. Otherwise, if the connectors are different, you will need to purchase an adapter so that your external device can connect to your iPad or iPhone. Step 1: Tap to open the Files app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Step 3: Tap any folder or file with your finger to open it or tap and hold with your finger on any visible folder or file to open a submenu for additional management options, including copying, duplicating, moving, deleting, renaming, tagging, and favoriting.
Windows assumes the NTFS file format, but that isn’t the case with Mac and iOS. Either consult the Apple Support website or talk to an expert at your local in-store Genius Bar.
How to Connect External Storage Drive to iPad & iPhone
This article is going to demonstrate how to use and connect external storage drives to iPhone or iPad, including external hard disks, USB flash drives, SD cards, and other common storage formats. Open the ‘Files’ app on the iPhone or iPad Connect the USB drive to the iPhone or iPad, either directly or by using an appropriate adapter for the device model * (adapter information further below) Tap on “Browse” if you’re not at the primary Files app screen already Now from Browse, look under “Locations” to find the name of the external storage drive you connected Tap on the name of the external storage drive to access the contents and use that data from iPhone or iPad The most common adapters for connecting external storage to iPhone and iPad are the following, these are partner affiliate links pointing to the products on Amazon: Likewise an y iPhone that wishes to use external storage devices must be using iOS 13 or later, as earlier versions of Files app there doesn’t support the capability either.
How to connect external storage to your iPad in iOS 14
AppleInsider is supported by its audience and may earn commission as an Amazon Associate and affiliate partner on qualifying purchases. Have a properly formatted drive with APFS or FAT, as NTFS is not compatible with Apple products Connect the device to a hub or dongle that is connected to the iPad Open the Files app The external storage is shown in the left side column Once connected to a properly formatted drive, users can drag and drop files and manage the storage as if it were native to the system as expected.
Additionally, the Files app on iPadOS and iOS is capable of connecting to network storage.
On your Mac open the System Preferences application Select “Sharing” near the bottom of the window Select “File Sharing” in the service menu and ensure the check mark is selected on the left side Network sharing menu on macOS Big Sur Select the “+” button at the bottom of the window and add the desired folders Now you can connect to the shared folders on you network using the provided user-mac.local address shown in the window.
Features Supported by LaCie External Drives on iPad USB-C
You can access, share and copy files between external storage devices and compatible iPads running iPadOS 13 and higher. Note: The iPad must have a USB-C port to connect the external storage device, including: To view the contents of the storage device on your iPad, open the native Files app. Once your LaCie storage device is connected you can copy content to your preferred cloud service.
iPadOS treats files in a different manner than computer operating systems such as Linux, macOS and Windows. To find out if an app supports external storage device check with the application vendor.
While the USB-C port on supported iPads is equivalent to USB 3.1 Gen 2, transfer rates tend to vary and the performance experienced with a Mac or PC is most likely superior. Please note that Rugged SSD Pro can be used with Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 and higher hosts.
Extended time with a connection to an external hard can lead to greater demand on the battery. Unlike macOS and Windows, iOS does not require a “safe” ejection of a storage device. Allocation sizes larger than 1024K can lead to detection and write issues on an iPad USB-C. When connecting an APFS password-protected storage device, use the Files app to unlock the drive when prompted.
NOTE: Unlocking a LaCie storage device with a Seagate Secure password is currently unavailable. Seagate Secure can be temporarily disabled using Toolkit on a Mac or PC before connecting it to a supported iPad. Most LaCie storage devices are meant to be first connected to a computer in order to run the out-of-box registration and Toolkit installation.
Please continue to first connect your storage device to a Mac or PC to register it and then download and install Toolkit.
How to use external hard drives with your iPhone or iPad in iOS 13 and iPadOS 13
iOS 13 and iPadOS, launching later this year, will bring support for external hard drives and flash drives to iPhones and iPads (though Apple only talked about this feature in relation to iPads, the company has confirmed that it will work with iPhones, as well). Of course, this feature will be dependent on third-party support, but it’s likely that there will be plenty of apps to implement it. Using an external hard drive or SSD with your iPhone or iPad is fairly simple, and in many cases, even easier than doing so on a Mac. Tap on the location where you want to move the image, such as iCloud Drive, Dropbox, or On My iPhone/iPad.
In the Files app, tap the name of your storage service from the Browse menu or sidebar. If you’ve got any questions about using an external drive with your iPhone or iPad, let us know in the comments.
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