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USB for iPhone to plug in a PC

M

MrMister111

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Jan 28, 2009
3,900
382
UK
I'm after a simple function for my iPhone 5. I want to plug into any PC and copy a file from the PC to my iPhone, then copy that file from my iPhone to a different PC.

Can this be done simply with an app or whatever? I know as such iOS doesn't allow this but there must be a simple workaround or app?

I'm not jailbroken, don't want to be, so do I have to get an app? Which one? I don't want to install something on the PC I'm taking from/copying to. Don't mind paying for an app that works as a simple USB flash drive.

Cheers
 
There are several apps on the store for "File Transfers." Most of them work flawlessly over wi-fi, haven't tried them over USB.

I have used "WiFi Transfer" and "eFile". But there are many, many others.
 
Yeh a WiFi one is no good. I have a lightning USB cable so basically want one to act as a USB with the iPhone and cable.

Loads are there but I've bought some a while ago, some had to use WiFi, some had added in app to enable stuff.

Was hoping for a recommendation from someone that knows it works.

Cheers
 
Yeh wanted a solution without using iTunes and ideally without WiFi or Bluetooth as a lot of PCs don't have it.

I agree it is easier with just a dedicated USB drive, I do have them, it's just handy for the times when I need it
 
Have you tried searching the iTunes store for "USB Flash Drive" there are a billion of them there. What they don't do is give you access to the application data, but makes the phone act as a USB drive.

There are tons of them, some free, some not. This one is $0.99 seems good.

I'd try the free ones first though.
 
Regarding USB,

1, you can NOT act your iPhone as a true flash drive, not even with jailbreaking. (There's a flash drive JB app but it's dreadfully slow and requires a part of the file system to be hard-reserved for its mapped area.)

2, you MUST have iTunes on the desktop you're transferring files from. It doesn't need to be synched to the iPhone, though.

3, non-iTunes-based (you don't need to fire up iTunes to transfer some files to your handset), free desktop solutions are for example the excellent, very versatile iFunBox.

Feel free to ask for more info, I've thoroughly tested all these techniques / have written several articles on them.
 
USB for iPhone to plug in a PC

Menneisyys2 said:
Regarding USB,

1, you can NOT act your iPhone as a true flash drive, not even with jailbreaking. (There's a flash drive JB app but it's dreadfully slow and requires a part of the file system to be hard-reserved for its mapped area.)

2, you MUST have iTunes on the desktop you're transferring files from. It doesn't need to be synched to the iPhone, though.

3, non-iTunes-based (you don't need to fire up iTunes to transfer some files to your handset), free desktop solutions are for example the excellent, very versatile iFunBox.

Feel free to ask for more info, I've thoroughly tested all these techniques / have written several articles on them.
Click to expand...

Yes any info you can give and I'd be interested in the articles you've wrote.

I'll have to just use a flash drive if I can't do it the way I want to, ie without iTunes or any other software installed on the PC I'm copying from, although that's a frustration as its only for now and then, and I always have my iPhone and USB lightning cable
 
MrMister111 said:
Yes any info you can give and I'd be interested in the articles you've wrote.

I'll have to just use a flash drive if I can't do it the way I want to, ie without iTunes or any other software installed on the PC I'm copying from, although that's a frustration as its only for now and then, and I always have my iPhone and USB lightning cable
Click to expand...

ITunes must be installed. This is iOS and not a more free OS like Android, Symbian, Bada, BB etc.
 
Menneisyys2 said:
ITunes must be installed. This is iOS and not a more free OS like Android, Symbian, Bada, BB etc.
Click to expand...

So all these apps that are selling on the iTunes Store saying use as a USB flash disk using a cable are not true? It can't be done as I want it, ie not using WiFi or BT?

Cheers
 
MrMister111 said:
So all these apps that are selling on the iTunes Store saying use as a USB flash disk using a cable are not true? It can't be done as I want it, ie not using WiFi or BT?

Cheers
Click to expand...

It can't be done without iTunes installed or without jailbreaking and using the (in no way recommended) JB tool I've spoken of.
 
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