Is there a way to MOVE files off my iPhone?

[Ambrosia7177]

I have a bunch of video (~500GB) that was shot with FilmicPro on my iPhone.

I am looking for a way to MOVE the files off my iPhone and onto my MacBook Pro.

When I go into Finder, the only option I see is to select all of the video files and drag them into a folder in Finder.

However, that is a COPY, and I want to do a MOVE.

You might ask, "Well, isn't that the same?"

To which I would say, "No, it's not the same!"

I hate how Apple wants you to COPY files, because it makes it extremely difficult to verify that everything was successfully moved over.

As it stands right now, I would have to manually write down the file names of maybe 60-70 files on my iPhone, and then check them off was they are COPIED over to my Mac.

What a stupid approach!

Oh, my other frustration with Apple is how they want you to move everything to "the Cloud".

Um, I DO NOT want my person photos, personal videos, or personal data stored on the Internet, the Cloud, or anywhere else that isn't in my physical possession!!!!

Is there a way to copy, verify, then delete (i.e. "MOVE") FilmicPro video files from my iPhone (iOS 16.2) and move them to my Mac (BigSur) like you historically would do on a computer?

Why are simple things so difficult with Apple?

 

[orionquest]

Are you new to computers, and tech? Please show us an example where your approach is vaild by moving files to another device or physical location without copying it first, then deleting. As far as I am aware this has never been a thing in the world of computers.

 

[hg.wells]

Have you tried using Image Capture instead of Finder?

Last time I used Image Capture it gave the option to delete.

 

[dwig]

Digital files can't be "moved" from one drive to another in the same sense that you can move a piece of paper from one desk to another. All digital file "moves" are actually a combined "copy & then delete" operation.

It is a simple matter in macOS to "move" the files using drag & drop in Finder. Simply hold the Cmd key while you drop the files. Holding Ctrl toggeles a "move" to a "copy". While there are bugs in recent macOS versions, macOS tries to show a green "+" dot to indicate a copy. Tapping either Ctrl or Cmd will wake up the hamsters in the bowels of Finder and present this indicator correctly.

This type of behavior is normal in the computer world and has been for at least a third of a century. Windows works roughly the same way, defaulting to "move" when the target is the same volumn as the source and to "copy" when the target is a different volumn. To toggle the "copy" to "move" you hold the Shift key. Windows also leverages the right-click context menus to present a menu of options if you drag using the right mouse button.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Are you new to computers, and tech?

Not new to computers, but not iPhone savvy.

Please show us an example where your approach is vaild by moving files to another device or physical location without copying it first, then deleting. As far as I am aware this has never been a thing in the world of computers.

I said I was looking for a way to move files, and not copy them.

In a "move", the OS copies the files to the new location, verifies that the copy was successful, then deletes the files from the original location. That is how a "move" has worked since thee have been operating systems.

There is no way to move the Filmicpro files using Finder and my iPhone.

All it does is copy them, and so then I have to go in and reconcile dozens if not hundreds of files.

What a PITA.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Have you tried using Image Capture instead of Finder?

Last time I used Image Capture it gave the option to delete.

When I shoot photos or videos on my iPhone, the Image Capture app is my go-to app.

Unfortunately, that doesn't work with FilmicPro video as it stores it somewhere else on my iPhone - which is my overarching complaint with iPhones...

Why can't they make all files on your iPhone accessible in a file browser like Windows Explorer or macOS Finder like on computers?

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Digital files can't be "moved" from one drive to another in the same sense that you can move a piece of paper from one desk to another. All digital file "moves" are actually a combined "copy & then delete" operation.

Which, again, is what I said in my OP...

It is a simple matter in macOS to "move" the files using drag & drop in Finder. Simply hold the Cmd key while you drop the files. Holding Ctrl toggeles a "move" to a "copy". While there are bugs in recent macOS versions, macOS tries to show a green "+" dot to indicate a copy. Tapping either Ctrl or Cmd will wake up the hamsters in the bowels of Finder and present this indicator correctly.

That doesn't work with my iPhone.

When I go to Finder > Ambrosia's iPhone > Files > FILMIC Pro > 04012023_233954.mov and hold down the Command key as I drag, I get a green icon with a plus sign inside and when I drag that video file to my Mac's hard-drive, all it does is COPY the file to my Mac, leaving the original file untouched on my iPhone (i.e. a "copy" and not a "move").

This type of behavior is normal in the computer world and has been for at least a third of a century. Windows works roughly the same way, defaulting to "move" when the target is the same volumn as the source and to "copy" when the target is a different volumn. To toggle the "copy" to "move" you hold the Shift key. Windows also leverages the right-click context menus to present a menu of options if you drag using the right mouse button.

Not in this case...

 

[Ambrosia7177]

I asked the mods to move this in the hopes of getting better responses.

There must be other people with the same frustration of there not being an easier way?

Is this a Big Sur issue or an Apple issue?

 

[Tagbert]

What does Filmicpro support tell you abut exporting videos? You might need to export them first to get them to where they can be access by other systems. I don’t know how Filmicpro is storing it’s data but it may not be in a form that is accessible to other apps, including Files/Finder.

Is there a community of other users for Filmicpro? That might be something to look into for this and other questions.

 

[hg.wells]

These are all the options Filmicpro supports:

How do I import my footage onto a computer? - FiLMiC Knowledge Base

How you import your clips from Filmic Pro to your computer will depend on whether you use a Windows or MacOS computer. Mac: Finder The easiest way to import foo

filmicpro.helpscoutdocs.com

 

[hg.wells]

Just downloaded Filmic Pro to give it a go, you can’t move the files.

In Finder > iPhone > Files Filmic Pro:

Select the files you want, CMD + Click to select multiple files or Click on the first file, hold down shift and select the last file to highlight the whole list.

Drag the files to your desktop to copy. Go back to Finder and right click on your selection to delete all of those files off your iPhone.

Finder keeps the files selected, so there shouldn’t be any need to go and reselect.

 

[kevcube]

It seems trivial to simply manually do the "copy" then "delete"

also a misconception in this thread is that all "move" operations are just "copy then delete" under the hood.

modern filesystems are capable of moving references to a file instantly, this is why you could move a terabyte-sized file in an instant, but doing a manual "copy and delete" would take some time. BUT this cannot be done across volumes.

 

[svenmany]

I think the OP's main point is that the copy/delete should be handled in a single software transaction. That would mean that the delete would not happen unless the copy finished (and was verified), and that would be guaranteed by the software doing the copy/delete. Right now they are forced to do the copy check manually before doing the delete.

 

[Tagbert]

It seems trivial to simply manually do the "copy" then "delete"

also a misconception in this thread is that all "move" operations are just "copy then delete" under the hood.

modern filesystems are capable of moving references to a file instantly, this is why you could move a terabyte-sized file in an instant, but doing a manual "copy and delete" would take some time. BUT this cannot be done across volumes.

Move’s between storage volumes are copy+delete but on a single volume they are usually handled more efficiently.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

What does Filmicpro support tell you abut exporting videos?

Well, they suggest the way I am asking about. (I think in years prior, they suggested using iTunes, but that is no longer available.)

You might need to export them first to get them to where they can be access by other systems. I don’t know how Filmicpro is storing it’s data but it may not be in a form that is accessible to other apps, including Files/Finder.

Starting in I believe Big Sur, you can use Finder to view files on iOS devices. It seems like no one is familiar with this feature?

Is there a community of other users for Filmicpro? That might be something to look into for this and other questions.

It's not a FilmicPro question or issue.

It is a macOS issue in Finder as far as I can see. Or, it is an issue with iOS.

I can transfer files from my iPhone to my Mac, but it is only a copy and not a move.

That eans I have to apinstaking reconcile all of the video files on my iPhone against what was copied over to my mac, and then after I verify evrything is there, then I have to go back and delete everything off my iPhone.

That is just stupid!

 

[Tagbert]

Well, they suggest the way I am asking about. (I think in years prior, they suggested using iTunes, but that is no longer available.)




Starting in I believe Big Sur, you can use Finder to view files on iOS devices. It seems like no one is familiar with this feature?






It's not a FilmicPro question or issue.

It is a macOS issue in Finder as far as I can see. Or, it is an issue with iOS.

I can transfer files from my iPhone to my Mac, but it is only a copy and not a move.

That eans I have to apinstaking reconcile all of the video files on my iPhone against what was copied over to my mac, and then after I verify evrything is there, then I have to go back and delete everything off my iPhone.

That is just stupid!

I made the suggestion about exporting from FilmicPro thinking that you could not see the files. Apps often store their data in proprietary formats. It is helpful that if they are just available as normal video files. i am aware that you can see the files on iOS if they are available.

In Finder you can cause it to do a move if you hold the CMD key and drag the files to a destination. That will cause it to move instead of copy.

If you would rather use keyboard commands, you can CMD-C to copy and then Opt-CMD-V in the destination to move the files.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

I made the suggestion about exporting from FilmicPro thinking that you could not see the files.

There isn't a feature in the app to do that. As far as I know, using Finder - or formerly iTunes - is the only way to get things off your iPhone.

Apps often store their data in proprietary formats.

Pretty much why I hate mobile devices, and would never use one as a repalcement for my laptop.

It is helpful that if they are just available as normal video files. i am aware that you can see the files on iOS if they are available.

In Finder you can cause it to do a move if you hold the CMD key and drag the files to a destination. That will cause it to move instead of copy.

If you would rather use keyboard commands, you can CMD-C to copy and then Opt-CMD-V in the destination to move the files.

But here is the issue...

I just shot a dumy video of my keyboard. When I go onto my Mac, running Big Sur, and go into Finder, I see my iPhone in the left margin. When I click on it, I see a series of tabs (e.g. General, Music, Movies, TV Shows, Podcasts, Audiobooks, Books, Photos, Files, Info).

When I click on "Flies", I see a listing of applications that might have "files", in my case: Chrome, Clips, FilmicPro, Firefox, GarageBand, iMovie, Keynote, Numbers, and Pages

Then when I click on the FilmicPro icon, I see my tes video file "05112023.mov"

If I select that one video file, and right click all I see is "Delete".

If I click on "Edit" in Finder's menu, Copy, Cut and Paste are all greyed out.

If I slect the file and Cmd drag it to a shortcut folder in the left pane of Finder, all it does it copy the file, leaving the original file in the file tree described above.

If I just had one file that I shot in Filmic Pro, not a big deal. But if I have 100 video files, then I have to go back and manually check that every file was copied over to Finder, before deelting them in the Finder > iPhone > Files view.

That seems like a ridiculous process.

I realize that Apple wants you to upload your lif eto "the CLoud" but ot me. (It especially freaks me out uploading family photos/videos, including kids. Those are for my family's eyes only, and not appropriate t put online, even if they are supposedly "safe".)


Q1.) So how can I "move" video that I shoot in Filmic Pro, but am accessing via Finder > My iPhoen > Files?

Q2.) And if I had a newer version of iOS would that feature be available?

Q3.) Or is there some 3rd party applications that I could install on my laptop to do this?

I can't ever recall moving files being this difficult in years past when it came to cameras and other devices.

Not sure why Apple makes this so difficult?

 

[Tagbert]

@Ambrosia7177
I tried out your scenario and do see that odd interface in Finder for accessing files. It looks like an iTunes component grafted onto Finder. It seems to be aimed at people who need hand holding to find their files and is a lot more limited than finder proper. It’s too bad that the “Files” option doesn’t skip that mode and go directly to the files. As near as I can tell there really isn’t another way to access those files short of a jailbreak.

You could do the transfers using AirDrop but that is probably no faster and doesn’t solve your problem of doing the copy and delete in one operation.

I really do think that iCloud would solve your problem if you were willing to us it. It would make your files directly accessible on your Mac and you could directly move them to where you want to work on them. ICloud is not the open web. It is end to end encrypted and you can choose to have it encrypted at rest, too, though that requires more key management than most users are willing to do. I know you said that you don’t want your files on the internet. I’m not sure of your specific concerns, but if you were to accept that as an option, it probably would solve your other problems.

 

[Tagbert]

Hmmm I did just run across this discussion about using a couple of third-party apps to make iPhone files available to the terminal. Maybe that would be an avenue for you to pursue?

App to mount iPhone as disk accessible from Terminal

Is there an app which mounts my iPhone as an external drive on my Mac through wifi so that I can access its files from Terminal? It would be great if I could sync files with rsync (or maybe even un...

apple.stackexchange.com

 

[Ambrosia7177]

I tried out your scenario and do see that odd interface in Finder for accessing files. It looks like an iTunes component grafted onto Finder. It seems to be aimed at people who need hand holding to find their files and is a lot more limited than finder proper. It’s too bad that the “Files” option doesn’t skip that mode and go directly to the files. As near as I can tell there really isn’t another way to access those files short of a jailbreak.

Very frustrating.

Am I the only person in the world who wants to download/move photos/video from my iPhone onto my computer?

You could do the transfers using AirDrop but that is probably no faster and doesn’t solve your problem of doing the copy and delete in one operation.

You are saying that AirDrop is also just a copy operation, and would leave the original files behind on my iPhone, so I would have to verify that everything was copied over before I deleted the originals on my iPhone?

I really do think that iCloud would solve your problem if you were willing to us it. It would make your files directly accessible on your Mac and you could directly move them to where you want to work on them. ICloud is not the open web. It is end to end encrypted and you can choose to have it encrypted at rest, too, though that requires more key management than most users are willing to do. I know you said that you don’t want your files on the internet. I’m not sure of your specific concerns, but if you were to accept that as an option, it probably would solve your other problems.

I don't like the idea of putting family photos, and especially younger family member's photos, on the Internet or the Cloud.

A lot of people make fun of me for this, but every week I read about hacks, data breaches, etc. that happen at major corporations where this should never happen. Every week I also hear of attacks that "could never happen" until they do.

I also read every week about sickos online doing bad things to kids and their photos.

While I understand encryption to some degree, and use it on my MBP, not being a cybersecurity expert, I am also realistic enough to know that a lot of hacks are trivial for professional hackers. (Think of all of the people who were shocked to learn that FDE was easy to get around on Macs!)

And beyond security concerns, there is also the practical issue of, "Why do I have to upload photos from my iPhone to The Cloud and then back down to my laptop just to transfer files?"

My entire adult life, I am used to plugging in my DSLR, and in a matetr of minutes all of my photos are safely on my laptop. People seem to expect that workflow, so why not for an iPhone?


Are there any 3rd party apps that would allow me to do a simple "move" from my iPhone to my laptop?

 

[G5isAlive]

Am I the only person in the world who wants to download/move photos/video from my iPhone onto my computer?

I think the complication you are running into is that IOS does not manage the whole phone like MacOS. Each Application is responsible for its own file area. And so IOS does the bare minimum, but pushes the rest onto what the App allows and doesn't. IOS is not a full featured replacement for Mac OS. Never was intended to be. A lot of people would like it to be, but Apple's philosophy is to keep the IOS systems simple. Which in this case conflicts with what you would like to do. Just like apparently the iCloud conflicts with what you want. I feel for you, but I think the best answer is to go to the specific App and see what they say to do to transfer files.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

I think the complication you are running into is that IOS does not manage the whole phone like MacOS. Each Application is responsible for its own file area. And so IOS does the bare minimum, but pushes the rest onto what the App allows and doesn't. IOS is not a full featured replacement for Mac OS. Never was intended to be. A lot of people would like it to be, but Apple's philosophy is to keep the IOS systems simple. Which in this case conflicts with what you would like to do. Just like apparently the iCloud conflicts with what you want. I feel for you, but I think the best answer is to go to the specific App and see what they say to do to transfer files.

Sad commentary.

I understand what you are saying, but isn't the issue really on the macOS side?

Granted, FilmicPro chooses to store the video file slike they do, but what I am complaining about is how FInder works.

After all, I am going onto my Mac, and using Finder in BigSur to access the files located on my iPhone.

It seems to me the problem is that Finder isn't letting me perform a "move" but instead only copies things.

If Finder can see the files on my iPhone - wherever that is - then it should be able to move or copies files, right?

 

[svenmany]

Sad commentary.

I understand what you are saying, but isn't the issue really on the macOS side?

Granted, FilmicPro chooses to store the video file slike they do, but what I am complaining about is how FInder works.

After all, I am going onto my Mac, and using Finder in BigSur to access the files located on my iPhone.

It seems to me the problem is that Finder isn't letting me perform a "move" but instead only copies things.

If Finder can see the files on my iPhone - wherever that is - then it should be able to move or copies files, right?

Finder couldn't capitalize on existing "move" code since the source was not a typical location - a filesystem on a mounted disk. I think that's what @G5isAlive is saying.

Apple coded the specialized "copy", but didn't bother making the effort to code a specialized "move". Apple usually falls short if the use case is not something really mainstream.

 

[Ambrosia7177]

Finder couldn't capitalize on existing "move" code since the source was not a typical location - a filesystem on a mounted disk. I think that's what @G5isAlive is saying.

Apple coded the specialized "copy", but didn't bother making the effort to code a specialized "move". Apple usually falls short if the use case is not something really mainstream.

Sounds like I just have to deal with it, or stop using FilmicPro - which I don't really like all that much anyways.

Very frustrating.

To be honest, I have a similar complaint when I just shoot using the camera app on my iPhone. The only way that I can find to download/transfer photos/videos that makes sense is to use the Image Capture app in macOS.

It too, only copies files. But that is a bigger problem because iOS adds in lots of extra files, so if you shoot 100 photos/videos, you typically would have 300 files, and that is too much effort to try nd reconcile. So when I download photos/videos from my ihone to my Mac, I just cross my fingers and *hope* that everything gets transferred over.

Sadly, I have lost some important photos when this didnt work as advertised.

I guess Tim Cook wants you to use Apple's iCloud or suffer...

 

[Tagbert]

Sounds like I just have to deal with it, or stop using FilmicPro - which I don't really like all that much anyways.

Very frustrating.

To be honest, I have a similar complaint when I just shoot using the camera app on my iPhone. The only way that I can find to download/transfer photos/videos that makes sense is to use the Image Capture app in macOS.

It too, only copies files. But that is a bigger problem because iOS adds in lots of extra files, so if you shoot 100 photos/videos, you typically would have 300 files, and that is too much effort to try nd reconcile. So when I download photos/videos from my ihone to my Mac, I just cross my fingers and *hope* that everything gets transferred over.

Sadly, I have lost some important photos when this didnt work as advertised.

I guess Tim Cook wants you to use Apple's iCloud or suffer...

If you are using Image Capture, are you able to turn on its “delete after import” function?

See this article

4 Practical Ways to Use Your Mac's Image Capture App

Your Mac's Image Capture app is a quiet but useful tool. Here are some practical uses for Image Capture you must check out.

www.makeuseof.com