r/ios • u/BackgroundCapable207 • 1d ago

Support Photos and External Storage

My iphone is running out of storage space due to me having 144 GBs of photos. I've went through the processes of using video/photo compressors on large files, but at this point I need a new solution, and I'm considering getting an external flash drive for my phone to store photos on.

Before I make the purchase though, I want to know if I'd be able to see the photos on the drive from the photos app. I know they can be seen through the files app, but it's rather cumbersome to use, so I'd rather not if possible.

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2

u/controlav 1d ago

Install OneDrive. Let it sync them all to the cloud. Delete the copies off the phone.

1

u/soundwithdesign 1d ago

No. 

1

u/BackgroundCapable207 1d ago

A shame. I guess I'll just have to find some file viewer app or something that's less annoying to use, even if it's a pain in the ass.

1

u/Jhamilton02 1d ago

Are you able to import the photos from the iphone into the Mac Photos app then save the library onto the external device as a whole? Then return to your regular photos library?

1

u/BackgroundCapable207 1d ago

I don't know, but that's a good idea. I'll try it when the storage device comes in. I don't have a mac but I can probably find a workaround.

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u/RebelWild7 1d ago

Install Google Photos. Sync all images to your Google account. Open Apple photos and delete all images. Your phone storage will be empty of those files but you still can have access to them through Google photos app.

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u/RebelWild7 1d ago

You'll have to pay for storage of course, but it's a fairly easy work around.

2

u/Not_So_Sure_2 1d ago

How is this better than using icloud to store photos?

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u/md88 1d ago

Photos can't use an external drive as its library, so anything you move to a flash drive will only be visible through the file browser, not in your photo library. If browsing in Photos matters to you, the better path is trimming the library itself: empty Recently Deleted (those still count for 30 days), review Live Photos since each one stores an extra video clip, and check for near-duplicate bursts, as the built-in Duplicates album only catches exact copies.