PLEASE HELP ME: Sending files between iOS device and PC?

[joshjohnson]

Does anyone else have an idea of what I can do?

This is a really important issue for me...

By the sound of your dissatisfaction I'd sell your iPhone and get an android. There is no other "better" way to do what you ask. You will just have to live with iTunes and a USB 2 cable if you remain afraid of the cloud. I would make sure the android has file encryption turned on and you will have to connect the phone itself. May I recommend a galaxy S7, the one that is a very nice phone and doesn't explode like the Note7. Enable Knox on it and be sure you run all the latest security and system updates.
What you seem to want is an accessible file syestem with folders and selectable files that you can sling about from one place on the phone to the other without worrying if the file is in one app or another. That is not how iOS is designed. There is no real file system. It's there in a way to support the underlying OS but to all your apps and you it's a bunch of buckets, clusters of buckets, where you can pour files in to depending on what that bucket was designed to hold. There are third party apps that give you the apperence of files and folders but it's really just an illusion. Other apps do not see the file tree, and you will have to get used to the share sheet really quick as you share the file to the editor or tool then share it back in to the file manager there is no real double clicking a file and it's edited in place from a central tree.

The blackberry way of managing files and folders does not exist on iOS. If you can not abandon that way of thinking, get an android.

 

[silverblack]

Does anyone else have an idea of what I can do?

This is a really important issue for me...

What you are asking cannot be done. The only wired file transfer has to go through iTunes and iCloud app (if you don't want any third party apps).

 

[BeautifulWoman_1984]

What you are asking cannot be done. The only wired file transfer has to go through iTunes and iCloud app (if you don't want any third party apps).

Thanks! I'm still unclear on how to use the iCloud app to transfer files... Do I need to upgrade my iCloud account? I don't want to upgrade my iCloud account because I've still got an iPod Touch that can't be upgraded past iOS 7...

 

[BeautifulWoman_1984]

By the sound of your dissatisfaction I'd sell your iPhone and get an android. There is no other "better" way to do what you ask. You will just have to live with iTunes and a USB 2 cable if you remain afraid of the cloud. I would make sure the android has file encryption turned on and you will have to connect the phone itself. May I recommend a galaxy S7, the one that is a very nice phone and doesn't explode like the Note7. Enable Knox on it and be sure you run all the latest security and system updates.
What you seem to want is an accessible file syestem with folders and selectable files that you can sling about from one place on the phone to the other without worrying if the file is in one app or another. That is not how iOS is designed. There is no real file system. It's there in a way to support the underlying OS but to all your apps and you it's a bunch of buckets, clusters of buckets, where you can pour files in to depending on what that bucket was designed to hold. There are third party apps that give you the apperence of files and folders but it's really just an illusion. Other apps do not see the file tree, and you will have to get used to the share sheet really quick as you share the file to the editor or tool then share it back in to the file manager there is no real double clicking a file and it's edited in place from a central tree.

The blackberry way of managing files and folders does not exist on iOS. If you can not abandon that way of thinking, get an android.

Wow, I REALLY appreciate your detailed reply!

I'll follow your advice and use a USB cable and iTunes to transfer files to my iOS device.

However, since I'll be using iTunes to transfer the files, isn't it possible for iTunes to contact Apple via the internet and tell Apple the details of the files that I'm transferring? How can I prevent iTunes from contacting the internet?

 

[joshjohnson]

Thanks! I'm still unclear on how to use the iCloud app to transfer files... Do I need to upgrade my iCloud account? I don't want to upgrade my iCloud account because I've still got an iPod Touch that can't be upgraded past iOS 7...

You must upgrade your iCloud account to use iCloud Drive. It's free and I don't know if it breaks backwards comparability but that's the only way to use iCloud Drive. Sending files to your iPhone via iTunes does not share what those files are or what is in them to Apple. In fact, apple has been bending over backwards to not collect as much personal data and statistics as practical, and has been in my opinion the most privacy oriented company around. Again the best way to know you're private is to disconnect your PC from the internet and iPhone as well, then copy the files in to a trusted application. iCloud Drive is another good choice but your files touch the internet then, albeit in an encrypted form but still possibly decryptable by Apple then. If your privacy paranoia doesn't like it don't use iCloud Drive. Use iTunes exclusively in an offline computer, and buy apps directly on the phone over cellular with the file vault (the app you load a document in to, be it pages, numbers, iBooks, etc.) cellular data turned off so it can't talk to the internet at all. Never use wifi and always keep iTunes at the minimum necessary to use it with whatever iOS version you are using. Be sure any backups are encrypted too, those are irretrievable by Apple so don't forget your password or you won't be able to reload the backup! Anyway, finally you should be aware that nobody is specifically going to target you unless you are a person of interest. Your chances of your data being targeted specifically are less then the chance of being struck by lightning and perhaps even less then the chance of winning the Powerball lottery. But since it is possible to be offline with certain things on the phone and online with others and it does actually work, go ahead and do it. Be sure you have a massive data plan tho and there is a possibility you can't update your iOS device without a wifi connection. Updating the OS is critical to security integrity of course unless you NEVER use it online. If you can always keep cellular data and wifi turned off, and the pc with iTunes is never connected to the internet when it's connected to the iPhone, you may have the maximum privacy and security. Of course an iPhone that never touches the internet in any way would be severely hobbled in this highly connected age and extremely inconvenient. But again it's perfectly possible to do so if you like do it.

 

[BeautifulWoman_1984]

You must upgrade your iCloud account to use iCloud Drive. It's free and I don't know if it breaks backwards comparability but that's the only way to use iCloud Drive. Sending files to your iPhone via iTunes does not share what those files are or what is in them to Apple. In fact, apple has been bending over backwards to not collect as much personal data and statistics as practical, and has been in my opinion the most privacy oriented company around. Again the best way to know you're private is to disconnect your PC from the internet and iPhone as well, then copy the files in to a trusted application. iCloud Drive is another good choice but your files touch the internet then, albeit in an encrypted form but still possibly decryptable by Apple then. If your privacy paranoia doesn't like it don't use iCloud Drive. Use iTunes exclusively in an offline computer, and buy apps directly on the phone over cellular with the file vault (the app you load a document in to, be it pages, numbers, iBooks, etc.) cellular data turned off so it can't talk to the internet at all. Never use wifi and always keep iTunes at the minimum necessary to use it with whatever iOS version you are using. Be sure any backups are encrypted too, those are irretrievable by Apple so don't forget your password or you won't be able to reload the backup! Anyway, finally you should be aware that nobody is specifically going to target you unless you are a person of interest. Your chances of your data being targeted specifically are less then the chance of being struck by lightning and perhaps even less then the chance of winning the Powerball lottery. But since it is possible to be offline with certain things on the phone and online with others and it does actually work, go ahead and do it. Be sure you have a massive data plan tho and there is a possibility you can't update your iOS device without a wifi connection. Updating the OS is critical to security integrity of course unless you NEVER use it online. If you can always keep cellular data and wifi turned off, and the pc with iTunes is never connected to the internet when it's connected to the iPhone, you may have the maximum privacy and security. Of course an iPhone that never touches the internet in any way would be severely hobbled in this highly connected age and extremely inconvenient. But again it's perfectly possible to do so if you like do it.

WOW! I must say I'm very impressed with your reply!

THANK YOU!