I have many IOS devices. I still use most of them. If I'm outside doing work or something that's risky of physical damage, I don't usually use my main phone so I have several older ones I use as a just in case. I have ipads going to back to ipad 2. I want to be able to access data on those with less storage, via thumb drives. I've tried many drives but they all require 3rd party apps. I"ve seen this question on several forums but have yet to find a good ACCURATE answer. I have adapters so I can go from lightning to USB-C, USB/Lightning, etc... so the physical connection isn't as important. Of course since most of my older devices are lightning, having a lightning i/f would be good but again, if it's 10x the cost of the same storage w. standard USB i/f, I'll go with the $50 vs $500. Again, just to clarify, thumb drive that will work in different IOS versions, from the newest back to ios 12, just a standard thumb drive that does not require add'l apps to see files on it. NOTE: Please do not do what I've seen on several forums, recommend a $30 1TB drive from scam vendors. Thanks in advance.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Thumb drive that does not require 3rd party spyware.
- Thread starter iwtunx
- Start date
-
- Tags
- accessories thumb drives
- Sort by reaction score
What Snørrbjørg said. The files app has allowed direct access to external storage devices since iOS 12. You should be able to use any old flash drive or SSD.
That's what I thought. I just tested it with 3 different drives with lightning connectors, on 2 different phones. None of the devices showed up. I DID get a popup on one iPhone for one of the drives needing software and I told it to ignore it. That drive was not visible on the iphone and I dont get the prompt anymore. This is beyond weird. I've also tried different filesystems, i.e. exFAT, APFS, etc..
Connect external storage devices to iPhone
On iPhone, use files stored on USB storage devices and SD cards.
support.apple.com
How to use external hard drives with your iPhone or iPad in iOS 13 and iPadOS 13
In the upcoming software updates this fall, you'll be able to plug a hard drive directly into your iPhone or iPad and transfer files to and from it. We show you how.
www.imore.com
Allow USB and other accessories to connect to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch - Apple Support
You might need to unlock your passcode-protected iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to connect it to a Mac, PC, or accessory.
Also might be a problem with the dongle itself. If I plug into my 13 Mini with the Apple camera dongle, get a too much power message if not connected to a power brick. Seem to recall some older iOS versions did not provide the message, just never saw anything connected.
ADD: seem to recall a thread from the past where a person was having issues when daisy-chaining cables/adapters. Non Made for iPhone cables caused problems, and when "legit" cables, the daisy-chaining could be an issue in that it seems as there is no pass-thru of certification info (ie. cable plugged into iPhone sees that that cable is MFI, but phone does not see the MFI status for the cable plugged into the cable in the phone).
ADD2: found the thread.
ADD: seem to recall a thread from the past where a person was having issues when daisy-chaining cables/adapters. Non Made for iPhone cables caused problems, and when "legit" cables, the daisy-chaining could be an issue in that it seems as there is no pass-thru of certification info (ie. cable plugged into iPhone sees that that cable is MFI, but phone does not see the MFI status for the cable plugged into the cable in the phone).
ADD2: found the thread.
Last edited:
I saw a thread on the Apple forum, where someone with a phone the same model as mine was having the exact same issue. Apparently the iPhone 13 no longer supplies power out the port to USB drives. I’ll see if I can find a device with external power that I can use.
Mastering the Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter: A Comprehensive Guide - BlinksAndButtons
If you are an Apple device user and a photography enthusiast, the Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter can be a game changer. This small yet powerful
blinksandbuttons.net
Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter
Transfer photos and videos to your iPad Pro with Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter. Buy now with fast, free shipping.
www.apple.com
I ordered one as an experiment. The weird thing is one of the drives that had an integral lightning connector worked on the identical model phone, same OS, but not mine. I did find one that worked, weirdness was it was
darned rescue cat stepped on my keyboard and posted before I was done. Lol. As I was saying, the weird thing is I tried a drive in another phone but the drive was Mac OS Exctended. According to Sun, eXFat/Fat/APFS all should work. At any rate,I'm going to take the same drive that worked, backup the data, reformat to a different type and see if that works, as an experiment. I'll keep experimenting for a day or two. If I still can't get it to work the way I need, I'll just use my android. Thanks for the response, btw.Mastering the Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter: A Comprehensive Guide - BlinksAndButtons
If you are an Apple device user and a photography enthusiast, the Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter can be a game changer. This small yet powerful
Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter
Transfer photos and videos to your iPad Pro with Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter. Buy now with fast, free shipping.www.apple.com