General Will Apple ever allow proper USB storage device usage on iOS?

[zorinlynx]

With the iPad Pro now having proper USB-C ports and Apple encouraging us to use more USB peripherals on them, will Apple ever enable proper USB storage device support?

When you plug a USB thumbdrive into an iPad, it should appear under Files. You should be able to access all files on it, not just photos in the DCIM directory. But you can't.

The lack of this feature is a serious oversight on Apple's part; there have been multiple cases already when it would have come in handy to be able to do this.

Anyone think iOS 13 is when we'll finally get this? It would really increase the usefulness of iOS devices for some tasks.

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

No.

 

[alex00100]

It's probably a matter of resources to program this stuff. They have the files app, I see no reason why they wouldn't allow the usb drives to show up there.

 

[danieldavis3924]

No.

Why would apple want to do this? They can charge for iCloud storage, and stop you from using the existing drives you have.

1-0 to Android.

 

[digitalexplr]

https://www.sandisk.com/home/mobile-device-storage/ixpand

 

[GreyOS]

https://www.sandisk.com/home/mobile-device-storage/ixpand

Photos and videos.

 

[Anarchy99]

They'll only do it if they get enough backlash for not.

I think it's one of a handful of things necessary if they ever want iOS especially the iPad to be a real productivity machine, the files app was a step in the right direction but a small one.

 

[CTHarrryH]

remember Apple is heading in the direction of everything wireless - they want to have no physical ports on all their devices. I think that is wrong but that is what they want.

 

[C DM]

remember Apple is heading in the direction of everything wireless - they want to have no physical ports on all their devices. I think that is wrong but that is what they want.

How do we know that that's what they actually want and where things are actually heading?

 

[s15119]

remember Apple is heading in the direction of everything wireless - they want to have no physical ports on all their devices. I think that is wrong but that is what they want.

That would be awesome. Wires are so last decade. I would be perfectly fine with a phone or ipad with no ports at all.

 

[canesalato]

That would be awesome. Wires are so last decade. I would be perfectly fine with a phone or ipad with no ports at all.

“Motivation: wires are SOO last decade!”
So, just don’t use them!

 

[C DM]

Motivation: wires are SOO last decade! So, just don’t use them!

Screens have been around for a while now too, for decades and decades, sounds like it's time to get rid of them in the name of progress.

 

[canesalato]

Screens have been around for a while now too, for decades and decades, sounds like it's time to get rid of them in the name of progress.

Now that I think about it, iPhones are more than ten years old and, next year, the first iPad will be ten years.
I would be perfectly fine with an iPhone or an iPad with no iPhone or iPad at all.
In the name of progress, of course ;-)

 

[BuddyRich]

Photos and videos.

Use the app File Browser for Business

Only works with the iXpand drive specifically (and a host of wireless drives and NASes), SMB shares, FTP and a bunch of other things but integrates them into the Files app nicely.

It is a shame Apple doesn't do this natively for all USB drives though.