It's just a quick comment in addition to the above post about the services being available on more than just Apple devices. I'm sure you will find the answer to your question in google
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What do you actually need an iOS File System for?
- Thread starter spac3duck
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Thank goodness the galaxy tab S3 exists...all of these issues I had with the ipad pro and various other ipads have been resolved.
Let me get to the heart of the issue with wanting a file system. iOS has a different structure than a computer has.
Apps are sandboxed, unlike a computer where you choose where to save the document to.
What you really want is basically a local version of iCloud Drive where all apps on the device have read and write ability to this "file system". And the user has the ability to move different types of files into folders.
Which is where I come to the conclusion of why doesn't iCloud Drive work? The only difference is that it is on the cloud vs. on the device. Sure the iCloud Drive app could use some more sprucing up when it comes to moving files around and organizing, but from what I'm reading no one actually wants a true file system where one would have the ability to access any file, including system files on their local device, which will never happen.
Apps are sandboxed, unlike a computer where you choose where to save the document to.
What you really want is basically a local version of iCloud Drive where all apps on the device have read and write ability to this "file system". And the user has the ability to move different types of files into folders.
Which is where I come to the conclusion of why doesn't iCloud Drive work? The only difference is that it is on the cloud vs. on the device. Sure the iCloud Drive app could use some more sprucing up when it comes to moving files around and organizing, but from what I'm reading no one actually wants a true file system where one would have the ability to access any file, including system files on their local device, which will never happen.
But there are lightning/USB sticks that can do that?! It can also be done with the lightning-SD-card thing. It's rudimentary, I admit, but it's possible to do so.
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My brother in law has this thing, but I found it to be utter crap. Not the hardware, that seemed decent enough, but if you think ios on the ipad is the same as on the iPhone and has not adaptations, then try Android on a tablet.
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Agreed. There aren't many people that buy an iPad and think: lets go tinker with the file system. There is better, be it less secure, hardware for that.
As far as file management, iCloud.app does some things, but there are other apps that add much functionality. One that is often named (by me as well) is Documents 5. Free and really good at file management.
The issue with not having a file system is that it is difficult to do really basic stuff. Let's say I get a PDF in an e-mail. I may want to view it in the Adobe app, annotate it via the Pencil in another app, etc. You have to go through several steps to do that. Why can't I just send it to a central documents location on the iPad and have the ability to access it from a variety of apps?
I had 1 thing that I needed a computer still for (updating an application on my home media server). I used Documents 5 and was able to do it that way. I used their built in browser to locate the file, saved it to iCloud drive, then selected that file when it was time to update. It was all very simple. I think I can go iPad and iPhone only moving forward. I am fine using the Documents app, but it would be cool if Apple stole some of this functionality. Really just a download manager is all they need.
My brother in law has this thing, but I found it to be utter crap. Not the hardware, that seemed decent enough, but if you think ios on the ipad is the same as on the iPhone and has not adaptations, then try Android on a tablet.
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It's definitely not utter crap. I hate when people who probably tested the device for less than an hour make comments on a device. If you are in the android ecosystem and you want a flawless screen with hdr capability, fast charging, a real file manager, microsd card slot, photo and video high end capability, s pen integration, and a keyboard attachment ..its the perfect tablet.
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It's definitely not utter crap. I hate when people who probably tested the device for less than an hour make comments on a device. If you are in the android ecosystem and you want a flawless screen with hdr capability, fast charging, a real file manager, microsd card slot, photo and video high end capability, s pen integration, and a keyboard attachment ..its the perfect tablet.
I did like the hardware, I didn't like the software.
Your points are all hardware (except the file manager, but that is just as good on my iPad as I had on the Tab 3).
But being the resident Samsung fanboy it's understandable.
@hovscorpion12 pretty much summed it up for me, but I want to add that I would like the ability to locally save and transfer files as well. I live in Europe and my internet is not all that great at times plus I travel to some pretty remote locations and it would be nice to have an area in the FS to store files rather than just relying on the cloud.
A file system != file management.
What you guys seem to want is file management (and offline storage).
Dropbox, iCloud, documents 5, iFiles, File Manager, File Master and many, many other provide this service.
Is iCloud to limited? IMHO and for my professional use: YES. is there an app for that? Absolutely.
The issue with having no access to file system, as on iOS, is that each app presents a different interface to the user for saving/loading. With an OS that exposes a file system there are app dialogs that unify these operations, plus file managers that allow manipulation of stored files. iOS is app-centred and specialised, macOS is more open and general-purpose.
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I could not have said it better!
(Although ironically, it's the people who are unlikely to understand '!=' that are confusing the two concepts)
Because, for me, it's much faster to be able to select all my files to copy/backup/share than having to go into each app individually to do the same thing.
That I like to have that additional control over my files in case anything goes wrong with my device. I've had data loss on my iPad and Mac before, saved on the mac only because I noticed the folder size under the folder name didn't look right.
Those are my two big reasons. Because of the lack of file system support it does feel a bit Fischer Price.
Backup, backup, incremental backup and offline backup. No such thing as to many backups.
Where are the files located at your iPad?
Where to would you like to backup?
They're spread around many apps and I share them frequently with my business partners. Plus, quite a number of apps lack a duplicate or Save As function which is not very useful at all. I'd like a faster way to work without having to connect my iPad to a computer.
Its also riddled with viruses and MUCH more complex to code for. Also the software updates are all over the place. Only a tiny fraction can/are running the latest android OS. Meanwhile you have 2, 3, 4, 5 year old apple products up to date.
Most consumers want things to be simple. Apple has a knack for adding things that you can turn on and off. And regular users never know they're there so it keeps it simple. Its just a different philosophy and it seems to be working pretty well. I think we will see much more tablet enhancements for iPad OS coming since they will be releasing new iPads at the same time. It send a strong signal that Apple is going to devote more resources to tablets going forward.
BTW, in case nobody noticed, Readdle released Documents 6 yesterday and it now has drag and drop support. Another big upgrade is the ability to open files directly from the cloud without having to first download them to local storage.
This is a huge upgrade for me personally, as it allows me to stream/listen to audio files on my FTP site without having to first download them.
This is a huge upgrade for me personally, as it allows me to stream/listen to audio files on my FTP site without having to first download them.
Yeah, it is a good upgrade though I'm finding it can't handle streaming larger (300MB as one example) mp4 videos from smb sites (e.g., PC) - just get a continuous spinning circle. FileBrowser & Infuse handle same files quickly without a problem.
Probably will give an update in a few days ironing out bugs like that.
I had the PDF expert 6 update a few days ago (paid version with lots of features, but same file management basically) and it freezes every time I open it for two seconds after 5-10seconds of using it.
Btw waiting two seconds can be sooooo long.
For me personally (I know many will disagree) Androids solution where you can download an app to make the file system user accessible leaves a lot to be desired in actual practice.
I came from Windows and Android and at first the transition was a bit difficult but after time I started to appreciate the way Apple did things and could see the reasoning behind it. While I still feel an Android tablet can replicate an actual PC better the experience is seriously lacking especially for a "power user" which IMO are the main audience that would want such a thing. (Not sure but can an Android user accessible FS connect to local networks SMB FTP and such? If so I could see the usefulness in that)
Even with Android I often found myself utilizing a PC. And iOS is no different except getting that PC/Mac out a little sooner.
For many users an iOS device is not only all they need buts its more then they need. My mother is an example of this, she can do everything she is required to do on a computer on an iPad and she isn't even scratching the surface of what its capable of.
The enthusiast shouldn't even be mentioned here because they (myself included) want or need the power of a full fledge OS with desktop class performance anyway. I'd be kind curious to see the real power difference of an Apple Ax SOC vs some of Intels/AMDs offerings, testing like software encoding video. Not a very fair test however I think most of us would be severely disappointed.
I came from Windows and Android and at first the transition was a bit difficult but after time I started to appreciate the way Apple did things and could see the reasoning behind it. While I still feel an Android tablet can replicate an actual PC better the experience is seriously lacking especially for a "power user" which IMO are the main audience that would want such a thing. (Not sure but can an Android user accessible FS connect to local networks SMB FTP and such? If so I could see the usefulness in that)
Even with Android I often found myself utilizing a PC. And iOS is no different except getting that PC/Mac out a little sooner.
For many users an iOS device is not only all they need buts its more then they need. My mother is an example of this, she can do everything she is required to do on a computer on an iPad and she isn't even scratching the surface of what its capable of.
The enthusiast shouldn't even be mentioned here because they (myself included) want or need the power of a full fledge OS with desktop class performance anyway. I'd be kind curious to see the real power difference of an Apple Ax SOC vs some of Intels/AMDs offerings, testing like software encoding video. Not a very fair test however I think most of us would be severely disappointed.
Just to answer your one question - with Android's ES FileExplorer (one app as an example) I can fully connect and access files across my LAN in addition to internal and uSD card storage and storage attached via OTG cable.