iPadOS 15: Files App Gains NTFS Support, Progress Indicator, and More

[rui no onna]

Even lightning iPads supported external drives since iOS 11, e.g. iXpand drive.

That required its own app to work and apps like Infuse had to be coded specifically for the drive. The Lightning side doesn't use USB mass storage protocol.

I'm referring to plain old flash drive support via adapter. Native support for USB mass storage is also what I'm enquiring about with USB-C iPads.

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

 

[Slartibart]

That required its own app to work and apps like Infuse had to be coded specifically for the drive. The Lightning side doesn't use USB mass storage protocol.

I'm referring to plain old flash drive support via adapter. Native support for USB mass storage is also what I'm enquiring about with USB-C iPads.

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

Yes, you can do that on lightning as well as USB-C at least since iOS 11.4.1. Besides an adapter (at least for the lightning iPads) you had to allow your iOS device to always access USB accessories (if I remember correctly). A power-through adapter or a powered usb-c hub was recommended because the iPads, depending on the external device, didn’t necessarily supply enough power on the lightning or usb-c.

 

[rui no onna]

Yes, you can do that on lightning as well as USB-C at least since iOS 11.4.1. Besides an adapter (at least for the lightning iPads) you had to allow your iOS device to always access USB accessories (if I remember correctly). A power-through adapter or a powered usb-c hub was recommended because the iPads, depending on the external device, didn’t necessarily supply enough power on the lightning or usb-c.

Iirc, USB support was mainly just for photos. It didn't really support generic file transfers until iPadOS 13.