iPad The Files app is still a disaster

[sparksd]

No hub as there is no physical attachment to the iPad - it's wireless. I generally use a Samsung 500GB T5 SSD with it but I also use a Western Digital 4TB My Passport hard drive at times. My usual SD cards are 256GB SanDisk Extreme SDXC but I also use 256GB uSD cards in SD adapters. All are formatted exFAT.

Some time back, I posted a review of this model -

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/new-ravpower-filehub-model-wd009.2166261/

I also reviewed an earlier model that had similar performance characteristics. That review has data transfer numbers -

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/new-ravpower-filehub-model-review.2128117/

It's not as fast as a hard-wired connection but it's dependable. If I can't depend on/trust a device, speed is irrelevant.

Edit: I just noticed that the link you have is to an app. I'm referring to the hardware device -

https://www.amazon.com/RAVPower-FileHub-Wireless-Portable-Transfer/dp/B07P5QDQ1B

Edit 2: I saw that the FileHub is $10 cheaper at https://www.ravpower.com/ than at Amazon and that if you create an account there, you get an immediate 20% discount on purchases through them.

FileBrowser for Business got an update today and it now supports multiple USB connections. I did a test with the following:

2018 12.9 iPad Pro
256GB SanDisk Extreme SD card from Canon camera
500GB Samsung T5 SSD (exFAT)
HooToo USB-C hub

I copied 654 Canon RAW images (14.5GB) from the SD card to the SSD. Transfer took 8min 30sec. All files copied and no corruption.

Edit: Did the same test but with the wireless RAVPower FileHub. Transfer time was 18min, no missing files or corruption.

 

[macdogpro]

FileBrowser for Business got an update today and it now supports multiple USB connections. I did a test with the following:

2018 12.9 iPad Pro
256GB SanDisk Extreme SD card from Canon camera
500GB Samsung T5 SSD (exFAT)
HooToo USB-C hub

I copied 654 Canon RAW images (14.5GB) from the SD card to the SSD. Transfer took 8min 30sec. All files copied and no corruption.

Edit: Did the same test but with the wireless RAVPower FileHub. Transfer time was 18min, no missing files or corruption.

14gb for 8min sounds fast enough.
Hopefully this update does improve transfer speed.

 

[sparksd]

14gb for 8min sounds fast enough.
Hopefully this update does improve transfer speed.

It does beat my FileHub and it does work so I'm really pleased with it (that speed is with this latest update - previous versions only supported working with a single external device at a time).

 

[macdogpro]

It does beat my FileHub and it does work so I'm really pleased with it (that speed is with this latest update - previous versions only supported working with a single external device at a time).

Yeah, the multiple external device support also very welcomed.
Also with that feature, now I can add direct connection to “download folder” on the Files app through “USB/Files” connection.

 

[Slartibart]

I copied 654 Canon RAW images (14.5GB) from the SD card to the SSD. Transfer took 8min 30sec. All files copied and no corruption.

gentle persons,

how long does it take to copy these files TO the iPad? And then FROM the iPad back to external media?

 

[sparksd]

Using FileBrowser for Business and same iPad, files and SSD from above:

To iPad - 1min 30sec

To SSD - 3min 55sec

Same test but using Files app:

To SSD - 4min 30sec

Using the Files app, 24 of the files copied to the SSD were corrupted and unusable. Everything copied cleanly using FileBrowser for Business.

 

[macdogpro]

Using FileBrowser for Business and same iPad, files and SSD from above:

To iPad - 1min 30sec

To SSD - 3min 55sec

Same test but using Files app:

To SSD - 4min 30sec

Using the Files app, 24 of the files copied to the SSD were corrupted and unusable. Everything copied cleanly using FileBrowser for Business.

A bit OOT, do you turn on background app refresh for FileBrowser?

I just notice the app being active in the background activity like almost always.
And I don’t know if this being related, but my iPad charges significantly slower now, even though is not taking tolls on the battery life while not charging.

I’m turning off the background app refresh now for the FileBrowser for testing.

 

[sparksd]

A bit OOT, do you turn on background app refresh for FileBrowser?

I just notice the app being active in the background activity like almost always.
And I don’t know if this being related, but my iPad charges significantly slower now, even though is not taking tolls on the battery life while not charging.

I’m turning off the background app refresh now for the FileBrowser for testing.

Yes, it is on and I don't see any activity.

 

[macdogpro]

Still really stressful dealing with slow data transfer on iPad OS.

Is it possible to transfer files from ipad directly to macbook And vice versa using LAN / ethernet cable?
I’m thinking to connect my ipad through USB type-c-to-ethernet adapter to the Macbook’s ethernet port using a single LAN cable. Will it improve the transfer speed?

 

[cynics]

Weren't they supposed to add support for APFS at some point? Does anyone know if they have? I don't have any external drives formatted APFS but I might move to that if it works better.


I also have a Sony a7R III. Using the smaller 12-bit compressed RAW, I still have issues. Have you tried copying a batch of photos? That's what kills it for me. The biggest problem is trying to move files between drives. I have a HyperX USB-C hub and card reader for iPad Pro, and I have I/O errors trying to move files across from the SD card to my external Samsung T5 SSD on EXFAT. I've heard other people have had better luck with HFS.

This might just be the perfect storm sort of scenario.

Honestly my recommendation is to transfer to your editing machine directly via one of the computers USB ports directly from the camera. I've never messed with a Sony but they might even have their own software and while often that software is very user friendly they usually focus on data protection.

Using LR I will and copy and convert to DNG (specifically for checksum validation). Since I use a Mac it will automatically Time Machine and iCloud backup the images so I dont have to forget to do it. To get it to a mobile device from there I would AirDrop or transfer it to my NAS and pull it off there via the iPad.

I personally have never had a problem but there is a very vocal community around here that will tell you to avoid exFAT with MacOS.

A power loss or not properly ejecting a drive can damage several exFAT systems (tables and such) that will immediately corrupt all the data or more likely make the drive inaccessible to the OS and basic software.

So just knowing that I wouldn't trust it even if Apple said it was "good to go" because it will still likely have the issues we've always dealt with just not as severe.

This issue gets worse if the exFAT drive is transferring between different OS's due to drivers. Gets even worse if you are using and iPad which is a mobile OS (iPadOS) w/ sandboxed APFS and with a mobile USB controller that from the reviews I read can be spotty if you load it up like a Mac/PC. Something else to consider is the power consumption of the hub. This is me transferring a file to a an SD card via USB C hub.....

Maintaining 5.17 volts @ .407amp which is 2.1watts. Portable devices aren't typically designed to supply power like a dedicated charger. I plugged in an artificial load into the hub and cranked it up till the hub killed power (safety) and tweaked it back a turn...

At 12 watts the voltage drops dangerously low at the USB C port on the Mac. And I wouldn't trust the hub to transfer a file at 3.75volt (USB 3.0 5vdc standard spec should never be outside of lower than 4.45vdc or higher than 5.25vdc).

Not only that but MacOS disconnected the USB and if that was in the middle of a transfer from an exFAT disk there could be a problem.

If your USB hub has power delivery and is plugged in it shouldn't be an issue but its tough to tell. A lot of little things can be causing your issue or even a combination of a few of them.

 

[Shirasaki]

Still really stressful dealing with slow data transfer on iPad OS.

Is it possible to transfer files from ipad directly to macbook And vice versa using LAN / ethernet cable?
I’m thinking to connect my ipad through USB type-c-to-ethernet adapter to the Macbook’s ethernet port using a single LAN cable. Will it improve the transfer speed?

This might sound irrelevant but i’ll put here. iPhone has a Personal Hotspot feature that can also be enabled with a lightning cable. I cannot make my iPad Pro recognise that Personal Hotspot connection despite having an entry in Settings app.
I doubt iPad Pro can connect to a simple Ethernet.

 

[macduke]

This might just be the perfect storm sort of scenario.

Honestly my recommendation is to transfer to your editing machine directly via one of the computers USB ports directly from the camera. I've never messed with a Sony but they might even have their own software and while often that software is very user friendly they usually focus on data protection.

Using LR I will and copy and convert to DNG (specifically for checksum validation). Since I use a Mac it will automatically Time Machine and iCloud backup the images so I dont have to forget to do it. To get it to a mobile device from there I would AirDrop or transfer it to my NAS and pull it off there via the iPad.

I personally have never had a problem but there is a very vocal community around here that will tell you to avoid exFAT with MacOS.

A power loss or not properly ejecting a drive can damage several exFAT systems (tables and such) that will immediately corrupt all the data or more likely make the drive inaccessible to the OS and basic software.

So just knowing that I wouldn't trust it even if Apple said it was "good to go" because it will still likely have the issues we've always dealt with just not as severe.

This issue gets worse if the exFAT drive is transferring between different OS's due to drivers. Gets even worse if you are using and iPad which is a mobile OS (iPadOS) w/ sandboxed APFS and with a mobile USB controller that from the reviews I read can be spotty if you load it up like a Mac/PC. Something else to consider is the power consumption of the hub. This is me transferring a file to a an SD card via USB C hub.....

View attachment 948542

Maintaining 5.17 volts @ .407amp which is 2.1watts. Portable devices aren't typically designed to supply power like a dedicated charger. I plugged in an artificial load into the hub and cranked it up till the hub killed power (safety) and tweaked it back a turn...

View attachment 948546

At 12 watts the voltage drops dangerously low at the USB C port on the Mac. And I wouldn't trust the hub to transfer a file at 3.75volt (USB 3.0 5vdc standard spec should never be outside of lower than 4.45vdc or higher than 5.25vdc).

Not only that but MacOS disconnected the USB and if that was in the middle of a transfer from an exFAT disk there could be a problem.

View attachment 948547

If your USB hub has power delivery and is plugged in it shouldn't be an issue but its tough to tell. A lot of little things can be causing your issue or even a combination of a few of them.

I just ended up buying a MacBook Pro. I think I'm done with my iPad Pro experiment for now. Might try again some day. I still really like the iPad for some things, but it just can't replace a Mac for me yet. I'll probably go back down from 12.9 to 11" later next year when I upgrade again.

 

[macdogpro]

This might sound irrelevant but i’ll put here. iPhone has a Personal Hotspot feature that can also be enabled with a lightning cable. I cannot make my iPad Pro recognise that Personal Hotspot connection despite having an entry in Settings app.
I doubt iPad Pro can connect to a simple Ethernet.

Yes iPhone’s personal hotspot via lightning cable works on Mac only. As do iPad with cellular connectivity to share internet connection via cable to the Mac.

But I read many where, iPad can connect to a router via ethernet cable to gain wired internet access. The ethernet option will appear on the settings.
So I’m wondering if we can connect the iPad directly to the Mac via ethernet cable. So that we will gain file sharing access, and hopefully faster data speed as well.

I don’t see anyone share a sort of wired data connection on the settings when connecting the iPad via ethernet. Nor do I find such option on the FileBrowser for Biz app. I even contacted the dev and they haven’t reach back.

I still being reluctant to buy ethernet adapter and cable for my iPad to try this myself.

 

[macdogpro]

I just ended up buying a MacBook Pro. I think I'm done with my iPad Pro experiment for now. Might try again some day. I still really like the iPad for some things, but it just can't replace a Mac for me yet. I'll probably go back down from 12.9 to 11" later next year when I upgrade again.

I pretty much solved the data transfer from any external drives and camera to the iPad by using FileBrowser app.
The only thing right now that still being my gripe of using the iPad as my only computer is the write speed into external drives.

I do still keep my old MacBook Pro, but that doesn’t solve my specific problem.
Maybe I’ll just buy the next ARM iMac if budget allows.

 

[pja2536]

This interesting article was published today on the 9to5 website:

The Files app is one of my most relied upon iOS apps

In the interest of being open minded, I did download and try the FileBrowser app (it seems I tried it and paid for it some years ago) - I just don't see the point compared with using the Files app and my new atolla powered USB hub. I've got to say, I agree with the article!

Stay safe,
Peter

 

[macdogpro]

This interesting article was published today on the 9to5 website:

The Files app is one of my most relied upon iOS apps

In the interest of being open minded, I did download and try the FileBrowser app (it seems I tried it and paid for it some years ago) - I just don't see the point compared with using the Files app and my new atolla powered USB hub. I've got to say, I agree with the article!

Stay safe,
Peter

The folks on the comment section pretty much pointed out some of the many problems we stated here in the thread.
Maybe non heavy user will find the Files app adequate, but I use my iPad as video editing rig, and transferring huge files into the iPad and onto external drives, is still, a disaster.

FileBrowser gives so much stability, writting accuracy on huge batch of file transfers, folder size infos and better transfer progress info. At least that’s what I’m experiencing.

Of course I expect Apple do this natively and more beautifully with the Files App in the future.

 

[1193001]

FileBrowser for Business got an update today and it now supports multiple USB connections. I did a test with the following:

2018 12.9 iPad Pro
256GB SanDisk Extreme SD card from Canon camera
500GB Samsung T5 SSD (exFAT)
HooToo USB-C hub

I copied 654 Canon RAW images (14.5GB) from the SD card to the SSD. Transfer took 8min 30sec. All files copied and no corruption.

Edit: Did the same test but with the wireless RAVPower FileHub. Transfer time was 18min, no missing files or corruption.

going to test this app out, screw files app from apple it always corrupted my raw arw photos and videos from my sony a6400. I do own ravpower file hub; but it is dreadfully slow to transfer files

 

[sparksd]

going to test this app out, screw files app from apple it always corrupted my raw arw photos and videos from my sony a6400. I do own ravpower file hub; but it is dreadfully slow to transfer files

The less expensive FileBrowser app can do what you want - the Business one has additional functionality like folder synching. And yes, I also prefer the speed of a direct connection.

Stratospherix Apps available now on the AppStore

Discover our iPad, iPhone and Apple TV apps including FileBrowser, MusicStreamer and more.

www.stratospherix.com

 

[sparksd]

This interesting article was published today on the 9to5 website:

The Files app is one of my most relied upon iOS apps

In the interest of being open minded, I did download and try the FileBrowser app (it seems I tried it and paid for it some years ago) - I just don't see the point compared with using the Files app and my new atolla powered USB hub. I've got to say, I agree with the article!

Stay safe,
Peter

The point is that the Files app is failing to work with exFAT storage for many of us and FileBrowser is not. I will not use the Files app as it destroys my data.

 

[macdogpro]

Still really stressful dealing with slow data transfer on iPad OS.

Is it possible to transfer files from ipad directly to macbook And vice versa using LAN / ethernet cable?
I’m thinking to connect my ipad through USB type-c-to-ethernet adapter to the Macbook’s ethernet port using a single LAN cable. Will it improve the transfer speed?

I finally decided to buy a gigabit ethernet adapter with a cat 6 LAN cable.
I connected my iPad Pro using above combo to my MacBook Pro with built in gigabit ethernet port.

The connection was plug and play by using FileBrowser app with SMB 3 connection.

I transferred around 25GB files from the iPad Pro to the MacBook Pro’s internal SSD (journaled file system). It took 36 minutes.
The File Browser app gave instant transfer time info.

I think it’s still slower than transferring files directly from iPad Pro to an external SSD, but far better than directly transferring files from iPad Pro to my external HDD (journaled file system) which took around 3 hours and 25 minutes.
The File Browser app did not give instant transfer time info (just “calculating...”).

 

[jeyf]

i dont know about 25GB file transfers but
i routinely copy 1or2 meg PDF files between my iPhone and a NAS box using my home network wifi. Just takes a second. No extra cables or anything. The iPhone mounts the NAS box really fast.
The iPhone Files app works ok. I actually like it.
No reason to suspect larger files couldn't be accessed.
I am sure the same iPhone could directly access say a MBP on the home network, again no special cables.

I have a really old wifi box but just over ethernet cable between say 2 iMac's transferring 25G would take a few minutes.

 

[1193001]

i dont know about 25GB file transfers but
i routinely copy 1or2 meg PDF files between my iPhone and a NAS box using my home network wifi. Just takes a second. No extra cables or anything. The iPhone mounts the NAS box really fast.
The iPhone Files app works ok. I actually like it.
No reason to suspect larger files couldn't be accessed.
I am sure the same iPhone could directly access say a MBP on the home network, again no special cables.

I have a really old wifi box but just over ethernet cable between say 2 iMac's transferring 25G would take a few minutes.

so you haven't tested bigger files like we have; but you still suggest it would still work without testing it lol

 

[jeyf]

i am sure the file protocol well known and functional
that is the goodness of going over a network

again no cables or cost

 

[rui no onna]

i am sure the file protocol well known and functional
that is the goodness of going over a network

again no cables or cost

Well known, sure. Functional, not so much.

I tried copying a 2GB folder consisting of 50MB+ PDF files from NAS mounted as SMB in Files app a while back and it just crashed. SMB mount disappeared and the main folders in the Files app were showing empty so I had to restart the iPad. Had several corrupted files in the copied folder as well.

Iirc, I ended up using the SMB client built-in to GoodReader for the transfer.

 

[sparksd]

Well known, sure. Functional, not so much.

I tried copying a 2GB folder consisting of 50MB+ PDF files from NAS mounted as SMB in Files app a while back and it just crashed. SMB mount disappeared and the main folders in the Files app were showing empty so I had to restart the iPad. Had several corrupted files in the copied folder as well.

Iirc, I ended up using the SMB client built-in to GoodReader for the transfer.

Yep, same issues here but I use the FileBrowser SMB client.