Third-Party Apps: iOS flash drives rely on proprietary third-party apps to interface between the phone and the USB device.

That means especially large file transfers, like backing up your entire Camera Roll, might not complete before your battery depletes.

Charging: Because all the iPhone flash drives use the Lightning port, you cannot charge your device while a thumb drive is in use.

Before you decide which iPhone thumb drive you want, there are a few points you need to consider:

This means that either the drive has not been certified as 'Made for iPhone' (MFi) and there are compatibility issues, or the drive is trying to draw more power than the Lightning port can provide.Ī flash drive made for an iPhone will have a regular USB connector on one end of the stick and a Lightning connector on the other.

It works with an array of USB peripherals, such as microphones and digital cameras.īut if you try to connect a regular USB drive to the port, there's a high chance you'll see a 'This device is unsupported' message. In theory, it's possible to connect a regular USB drive to your iPhone using Apple's in-house Lightning to USB Adapter. Keep reading if you want to learn about the best flash drive for iPhones. It is possible to use USB storage on an iPhone, despite some restrictions imposed by Apple's iOS operating system. Wouldn't it be great if you could use a flash drive with your iPhone? You'd be able to access all your documents on-demand without worrying about internet connectivity and excessive data charges. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Usb 3 card reader to phone