Using Your iOS Device as A Network Drive

If you store a lot of photos and other files on your iOS device, you may want wireless access to these photos without launching iTunes. To do this, you will need to make your iOS device a network drive. This requires a third-party app called Flash Drive.  This app is $4.99 in the iTunes App Store.

Before we start, make sure you have downloaded the Flash Drive app from the iTunes App Store.

Using Your iOS Device as A Flash Drive

To start, make sure Wi-Fi is enabled on your iOS device.  You can do this by launching the Settings app on your iOS device. Look towards the top of your screen. You will see an option labeled “Wi-Fi”, tap on this option. From here you can connect to your home network.

Now, open the Flash Drive app on your iOS device.  Look towards the bottom of the screen, you will see three tabs. Tap on the “Wi-Fi Drive” tab. You will see an IP address. Keep this screen open on your iDevices screen for the next few steps.

On your Mac, right click on the Finder icon that is located on the left-hand side of your dock. When you do this, a popup window will appear. Click on the “Connect To Server” option. When you do this, a popup window will appear.

Look towards the center of the popup window. You will see a textbox that is labeled “Server”. Type the IP address that is displayed on the Flash Drive app into the textbox. It should be formatted like this: “http://xx.x.x.xx”. After this, click the “connect” button.  You are now connected to your iOS device.

Transferring Files With Your Phone

If you would like to transfer files from your Mac to your iPhone, open a new Finder window. Look towards the left-hand side of the window. You will see a header labeled “Shared”. Under this, you will see your iOS device’s IP address. To send files to your device, simply drop the files onto your iPhone’s IP address.

The Flash Drive app can open most Microsoft Office files, PDFs, as well as a many other file types. This is great for viewing documents on the go.

To view files on your iPhone, tap on the “Documents” tab that is located towards the lower left-hand corner of your iPhone’s screen.  You will now be able to view files that you have transferred from your Mac to your iPhone.

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SK( Managing Editor )

Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.

In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.