Why doesn't Apple just let you manage your iOS file system natively on Windows?

On 2018-08-14 13:41:08 +0000, NY said:
snip
I tried using iTunes on Windows, with the iPad connected by USB, but
the device didn't show up in iTunes at all, in the way that an iPod
would do. If it had shown up, I think iTunes would allowed me manual
control over which files I copied.

Then something was wrong. *Some* of the possibile causes could include:

- too old version of iTunes for that iPad / iOS version
- broken USB cable
- one of the ports is broken (either on computer or on iPad)
- using a USB hub
- USB port not supplying enough power
- a screwed up iPad due to 'jailbreaking' it and mucking about with the OS

In article , It's A Me
wrote:

On 2018-08-14 13:41:08 +0000, NY said:
I tried using iTunes on Windows, with the iPad connected by USB, but
the device didn't show up in iTunes at all, in the way that an iPod
would do. If it had shown up, I think iTunes would allowed me manual
control over which files I copied.

Then something was wrong.

yep, and instead of trying to resolve the problem, he'd rather blame
apple than admit he ****ed up.

*Some* of the possibile causes could include:

- too old version of iTunes for that iPad / iOS version

that shouldn't matter.

an outdated version of itunes could cause issues when using itunes, but
using itunes is not required to copy photos (which it doesn't actually
do anyway).

all that's needed is to connect a usb cable and copy photos with
whatever photo software is normally used with other digital cameras.
very simple.

there are also several other ways to copy photos, without a usb cable.

- broken USB cable
- one of the ports is broken (either on computer or on iPad)

that's possible, however, that would likely cause issues with more than
just ios devices, including problems charging it.

- using a USB hub
- USB port not supplying enough power

that does not matter. a usb hub is not an issue and ios devices are not
bus-powered (they have an internal battery). worst case, it won't
recharge while connected, but content can still be copied.

however, if the usb hub is defective or non-compliant, then that could
be a problem, and not just with ios devices.

- a screwed up iPad due to 'jailbreaking' it and mucking about with the OS

that's possible, however, it shouldn't affect copying photos unless
it's really mucked up.

nospam wrote:
In article , Wolf K
wrote:

I needed a new tablet this past week so I bought the new 9.7 iPad
with 128GB storage. Gorgeous screen and it's fast. Great tablet
- but I live in a Windows world and after finding out the
limitations and kludges I would have to use to transfer
files/folders between the systems, I gave up. Not worth the
effort.

it's very easy to move content to/from an ipad, regardless of operating
system.

Typical utterly useless "You're wrong" post.

It's time you gave real world examples so that the poor sods who lack
your brilliance and knowledge can learn how to dfo it themselves.

that's been done numerous times,

But you can't/won't give a pointer! Why's that!?

but trollboi doesn't care. he simply
denies everything and goes off on another ignorant rant.

Never mind 'trollboi'! 'trollboi' isn't the only one asking. *Others*
like Bob-S and Wolf K are also asking. So backup your claims to *them*.
Or are you going to continue to be the endless weasel who claims all
sorts of things, but hardly ever delivers?

[This space is intentionally left blank for more of nospam's
footstamping.]

In article , Frank Slootweg
wrote:


I needed a new tablet this past week so I bought the new 9.7 iPad
with 128GB storage. Gorgeous screen and it's fast. Great tablet
- but I live in a Windows world and after finding out the
limitations and kludges I would have to use to transfer
files/folders between the systems, I gave up. Not worth the
effort.

it's very easy to move content to/from an ipad, regardless of operating
system.

Typical utterly useless "You're wrong" post.

It's time you gave real world examples so that the poor sods who lack
your brilliance and knowledge can learn how to dfo it themselves.

that's been done numerous times,

But you can't/won't give a pointer! Why's that!?

i *have* given pointers. many, many times.

i've even explained it to *you* a while back, regarding smb apps. or
have you somehow forgotten that?

unlike android devices, smb on ios does *not* require root/jailbreak.
in other words, it's *easier* and more secure on ios than on android.

the claim that apple products can't interoperate with the real world is
utter bull****. people who say that are not interested in discussing
anything. they just want to go on hating. explaining anything to them
is a waste of everyone's time. they insist it can't be done despite
repeated explanations exactly how.

the reality is that there are numerous methods for transferring content
in either direction using industry standard protocols, including via
ftp, sftp, ftps, http, afp, smb, webdav, amazon s3, dropbox & other
cloud services as well as many other options, no kludges necessary. it
might require downloading an app, but that's about it.

In article , Wolf K
wrote:

I needed a new tablet this past week so I bought the new 9.7 iPad
with 128GB storage. Gorgeous screen and it's fast. Great tablet
- but I live in a Windows world and after finding out the
limitations and kludges I would have to use to transfer
files/folders between the systems, I gave up. Not worth the
effort.
it's very easy to move content to/from an ipad, regardless of operating
system.
Typical utterly useless "You're wrong" post.

It's time you gave real world examples so that the poor sods who lack
your brilliance and knowledge can learn how to dfo it themselves.
that's been done numerous times,
But you can't/won't give a pointer! Why's that!?
i*have* given pointers. many, many times.

i've even explained it to*you* a while back, regarding smb apps. or
have you somehow forgotten that?

unlike android devices, smb on ios does*not* require root/jailbreak.
[...]

OK, so I can connect any iPad to my Windows PC's via USB ports, and I
will see the the iPad's files.

Right?

as usual, you snipped the numerous options i gave. now do you see why i
am not particularly interested in explaining things further?

here it is again:
the reality is that there are numerous methods for transferring content
in either direction using industry standard protocols, including via
ftp, sftp, ftps, http, afp, smb, webdav, amazon s3, dropbox & other
cloud services as well as many other options, no kludges necessary. it
might require downloading an app, but that's about it.

nospam wrote:
In article , Frank Slootweg
wrote:

I needed a new tablet this past week so I bought the new 9.7 iPad
with 128GB storage. Gorgeous screen and it's fast. Great tablet
- but I live in a Windows world and after finding out the
limitations and kludges I would have to use to transfer
files/folders between the systems, I gave up. Not worth the
effort.

it's very easy to move content to/from an ipad, regardless of
operating system.

Typical utterly useless "You're wrong" post.

It's time you gave real world examples so that the poor sods who lack
your brilliance and knowledge can learn how to dfo it themselves.

that's been done numerous times,

But you can't/won't give a pointer! Why's that!?

i *have* given pointers. many, many times.

So, once more, you're proving what you're snipping:

[This space is intentionally left blank for more of nospam's
footstamping.]

i've even explained it to *you* a while back, regarding smb apps. or
have you somehow forgotten that?

1) This isn't about me, but - as I stated in the part you SNIPPED -
about Bob-S and Wolf K, 2) This isn't about SMB. 3) Me being interested
in SMB on iOS, unlikely, so PROVE me wrong.

[Yet another slew of straw men / red herrings deleted.]

[RESTORE of yet more pathetically SNIPPED and DODGED/DIVERTED arguments:]

but trollboi doesn't care. he simply
denies everything and goes off on another ignorant rant.

Never mind 'trollboi'! 'trollboi' isn't the only one asking. *Others*
like Bob-S and Wolf K are also asking. So backup your claims to *them*.
Or are you going to continue to be the endless weasel who claims all
sorts of things, but hardly ever delivers?

So are you going to backup your claims or can we expect more
weaseling, dodging, diverting, dishonest snipping of relevant material/
arguments, etc.?

Wolf K wrote:
On 2018-08-15 09:30, nospam wrote:
In , Frank Slootweg
wrote:

I needed a new tablet this past week so I bought the new 9.7 iPad
with 128GB storage. Gorgeous screen and it's fast. Great tablet
- but I live in a Windows world and after finding out the
limitations and kludges I would have to use to transfer
files/folders between the systems, I gave up. Not worth the
effort.
it's very easy to move content to/from an ipad, regardless of operating
system.
Typical utterly useless "You're wrong" post.

It's time you gave real world examples so that the poor sods who lack
your brilliance and knowledge can learn how to dfo it themselves.
that's been done numerous times,
But you can't/won't give a pointer! Why's that!?
i*have* given pointers. many, many times.

i've even explained it to*you* a while back, regarding smb apps. or
have you somehow forgotten that?

unlike android devices, smb on ios does*not* require root/jailbreak.
[...]

OK, so I can connect any iPad to my Windows PC's via USB ports, and I
will see the the iPad's files.

Right?

The answer is 'no', so stay tuned for yet another one of nospam's
dodge-and-divert attempts.

nospam wrote:
In article , Wolf K
wrote:

I needed a new tablet this past week so I bought the new 9.7 iPad
with 128GB storage. Gorgeous screen and it's fast. Great tablet
- but I live in a Windows world and after finding out the
limitations and kludges I would have to use to transfer
files/folders between the systems, I gave up. Not worth the
effort.
it's very easy to move content to/from an ipad, regardless of operating
system.
Typical utterly useless "You're wrong" post.

It's time you gave real world examples so that the poor sods who lack
your brilliance and knowledge can learn how to dfo it themselves.
that's been done numerous times,
But you can't/won't give a pointer! Why's that!?
i*have* given pointers. many, many times.

i've even explained it to*you* a while back, regarding smb apps. or
have you somehow forgotten that?

unlike android devices, smb on ios does*not* require root/jailbreak.
[...]

OK, so I can connect any iPad to my Windows PC's via USB ports, and I
will see the the iPad's files.

Right?

as usual, you snipped the numerous options i gave. now do you see why i
am not particularly interested in explaining things further?

here it is again:
the reality is that there are numerous methods for transferring content
in either direction using industry standard protocols, including via
ftp, sftp, ftps, http, afp, smb, webdav, amazon s3, dropbox & other
cloud services as well as many other options, no kludges necessary. it
might require downloading an app, but that's about it.

In other words, the answer (to - amongst others - Wolf K question) is
'no'.

Why is it so hard for you to give that answer? Why all the dodging and
diverting? Why do you leave out the *relevant* "industry standard
protocol" and the *relevant* industry standard connection?

Current sco Others 4. nospam nil.

In article , Wolf K
wrote:

OK, so I can connect any iPad to my Windows PC's via USB ports, and I
will see the the iPad's files.

Right?

as usual, you snipped the numerous options i gave. now do you see why i
am not particularly interested in explaining things further?

I'm asking specifically about USB-to-USB port, just plug in the cable,
and go.

here it is again:
the reality is that there are numerous methods for transferring content
in either direction using industry standard protocols, including via
ftp, sftp, ftps, http, afp, smb, webdav, amazon s3, dropbox & other
cloud services as well as many other options, no kludges necessary. it
might require downloading an app, but that's about it.

Sure, I know about all those web-based methods, which is why I snipped
that bit. They aren't the issue.

apparently, you do not know about 'those web-based methods', given that
many of them predate the web, however, some may be accessible via the
web, for example, dropbox.

if by 'web-based' you mean cloud (i.e. you're using the wrong
terminology), then only dropbox and other cloud services would fall
into that category. ftp, sftp, ftps, http, afp, smb, webdav (despite
its name) do not.

and yes they *are* the issue, that being copying content to and from an
ipad (or iphone).

Once again: Can I just connect an iPad to my PC with a USB cable, see
the iPad as a storage device, and transfer files, both ways, no app
required? I can do that with most devices and cameras that I've tried.
The exceptions are generally older obsolete/obsolescent products.

the ipad is not 'a storage device'. it's a mobile computer.

try connecting two windows computers via usb and see how well that
works out for you.

also, 'no app required' is an artificial limitation *you* created.

everything requires an app. computers do not do very much without apps.

those who are actually interested in solutions will install the
necessary apps to do whatever it is they need to do in the event
they're not bundled with the computer.

it's clear you are not interested in solutions.

In article , Frank Slootweg
wrote:

i've even explained it to *you* a while back, regarding smb apps. or
have you somehow forgotten that?

1) This isn't about me, but - as I stated in the part you SNIPPED -
about Bob-S and Wolf K, 2) This isn't about SMB. 3) Me being interested
in SMB on iOS, unlikely, so PROVE me wrong.

it's about transferring files, and smb is one such method among many
others, which i listed already.

nospam wrote:
In article , Frank Slootweg
wrote:

i've even explained it to *you* a while back, regarding smb apps. or
have you somehow forgotten that?

1) This isn't about me, but - as I stated in the part you SNIPPED -
about Bob-S and Wolf K, 2) This isn't about SMB. 3) Me being interested
in SMB on iOS, unlikely, so PROVE me wrong.

it's about transferring files, and smb is one such method among many
others, which i listed already.

It's about transferring [1] files via the given type of connection,
which has nothing to do with SMB. The "many others [methods], which i
listed already" also do not use/address the given type of connection.

So yet another FAIL.

And "Thou shalt not snip relevant material/arguments!":

[RESTORE of SNIPPED RESTO]

[RESTORE of yet more pathetically SNIPPED and DODGED/DIVERTED arguments:]

but trollboi doesn't care. he simply
denies everything and goes off on another ignorant rant.

Never mind 'trollboi'! 'trollboi' isn't the only one asking. *Others*
like Bob-S and Wolf K are also asking. So backup your claims to *them*.
Or are you going to continue to be the endless weasel who claims all
sorts of things, but hardly ever delivers?

So are you going to backup your claims or can we expect more
weaseling, dodging, diverting, dishonest snipping of relevant material/
arguments, etc.?

"nospam" wrote in message
...
In article , Wolf K
wrote:

OK, so I can connect any iPad to my Windows PC's via USB ports, and I
will see the the iPad's files.

Right?

as usual, you snipped the numerous options i gave. now do you see why i
am not particularly interested in explaining things further?

I'm asking specifically about USB-to-USB port, just plug in the cable,
and go.

here it is again:
the reality is that there are numerous methods for transferring
content
in either direction using industry standard protocols, including via
ftp, sftp, ftps, http, afp, smb, webdav, amazon s3, dropbox & other
cloud services as well as many other options, no kludges necessary. it
might require downloading an app, but that's about it.

Sure, I know about all those web-based methods, which is why I snipped
that bit. They aren't the issue.

apparently, you do not know about 'those web-based methods', given that
many of them predate the web, however, some may be accessible via the
web, for example, dropbox.

No, Wolf has a very valid point. There may be very good reasons why it isn't
possible to connect the two devices by network (wifi) to be able to run
network protocols like ftp, SMB etc. One of them is lack of a wifi router if
you have your Apple device and Windows laptop away from home in the car etc.
No router means no network connection. Or you might have a router but no
internet connection, which rules out some things like dropbox but not other
like FTP and SMB. As a matter of interest, is a direct wifi client to wifi
client connection possible without a router?

But you have a USB cable with you. If the Apple device had been Android
instead, you'd have had innate, out of the box connectivity. With Apple it
seems (in my experience and Wolf's) you haven't. Is there an app that can be
installed on either Apple, Windows laptop or both that will give USB
connectivity so part of the Apple's storage appears as an extra Windows
drive? If there is, then it's a frustration that Apple haven't built tat
capability into the OS, but nothing that can't be solved by a bit of one-off
up-front preparation.

If you have network connectivity then a lot more is possible. I'm sure there
are SMB clients for Apple devices as there are for Android. Or you could
install an FTP server on Windows and an FTP client on Apple or Android. Or
there's cloud storage such as Dropbox. Less efficient because it's two
network transfers (Apple to Dropbox server, then Dropbox server to
Windows) - as far as I know Dropbox isn't clever enough to work out that
both devices are on the same LAN segment and route traffic directly without
going via the WAN - but then it's intended for client to server and the
replication to other clients, not for direct client-client like FTP is.
webdav, amazon s3, afp etc - not sure about those. FTP and SMB are probably
nice simple methods.

As an aside, it's a shame that so many device-to-device communications are
via a server somewhere else on the internet, when for the simplest case they
could be direct device-to-device without needing internet. I use Teamviewer
a lot to access my main "server" PC from my laptop upstairs or from my
phone, for things like setting a new TV programme to be recorded on the PC's
TV adaptor - ie where SMB file access isn't the solution. I have a painfully
slow internet connection (2 Mbps down, 0.2 Mbps up) and it's frustrating
that all Teamviewer's terminal emulation traffic has to go out onto the
internet from one device and then back down to the other, limited by that
dreaded 0.2 Mbps upload, instead of directly from phone to server within the
same LAN. The same applies to using Dropbox as a device-to-device transfer
method.

nospam "Dodge & Divert R Us" wrote:
In article , Wolf K
wrote:

OK, so I can connect any iPad to my Windows PC's via USB ports, and I
will see the the iPad's files.

Right?

as usual, you snipped the numerous options i gave. now do you see why i
am not particularly interested in explaining things further?

I'm asking specifically about USB-to-USB port, just plug in the cable,
and go.

here it is again:
the reality is that there are numerous methods for transferring content
in either direction using industry standard protocols, including via
ftp, sftp, ftps, http, afp, smb, webdav, amazon s3, dropbox & other
cloud services as well as many other options, no kludges necessary. it
might require downloading an app, but that's about it.

Sure, I know about all those web-based methods, which is why I snipped
that bit. They aren't the issue.

apparently, you do not know about 'those web-based methods', given that
many of them predate the web, however, some may be accessible via the
web, for example, dropbox.

if by 'web-based' you mean cloud (i.e. you're using the wrong
terminology), then only dropbox and other cloud services would fall
into that category. ftp, sftp, ftps, http, afp, smb, webdav (despite
its name) do not.

He of course means network-based. Being someone who can't tell
"bitmap" apart from "BMP", you are in no position to intentionally
misinterpret other people's 'mis'wording.

and yes they *are* the issue, that being copying content to and from an
ipad (or iphone).

Once again: Can I just connect an iPad to my PC with a USB cable, see
the iPad as a storage device, and transfer files, both ways, no app
required? I can do that with most devices and cameras that I've tried.
The exceptions are generally older obsolete/obsolescent products.

the ipad is not 'a storage device'. it's a mobile computer.

Which can NOT do what most other devices in it's class -
specifically Android devices - CAN do and DO do out of the box.

try connecting two windows computers via usb and see how well that
works out for you.

Well, BETTER than connecting an iOS device to a Windows computer via
USB.

also, 'no app required' is an artificial limitation *you* created.

Earth to nospam: 1) Wolf K is asking a question. 2) For Android you do
not need an extra app, so when you blabber about Apple's alleged
zillions of capabilities - EXCEPT the one which is asked for/about -
it's only logical to assume that no extra app is needed.

But heh, just take as many apps as you need, just finally put your
money where you mouth is and post the details of a solution which solves
Wolf K's scenario.

everything requires an app. computers do not do very much without apps.

An EXTRA app, braniac.

those who are actually interested in solutions will install the
necessary apps to do whatever it is they need to do in the event
they're not bundled with the computer.

But you again/still FAIL to deliver the specific names/URLs of such
"necessary apps". Why? Because you can't. Prove us wrong by actually
delivering on your claim. Hint: More footstamping does not count.

it's clear you are not interested in solutions.

It is clear that you cannot deliver on your claims and are just full
of it.

On 15 Aug 2018 04:05:19 GMT, Frank Slootweg wrote:

Never mind 'trollboi'! 'trollboi' isn't the only one asking. *Others*
like Bob-S and Wolf K are also asking. So backup your claims to *them*.
Or are you going to continue to be the endless weasel who claims all
sorts of things, but hardly ever delivers?

[This space is intentionally left blank for more of nospam's
footstamping.]

Hi Frank,

You and I go way back over the years - mostly contentiously - but on one
thing we agree is that nospam constantly fabricates imaginary functionality
and then brazenly insists he's told us about it many times and won't back
up anything he says because he says we won't listen to him.

My question is why.
Why are the Apple Apologists not normal people?

What on earth is the benefit of playing such childish make-believe games?
It's not something adults do.

Only the Apple Apologists do it all the freakin' time.

What on earth drives Apple Apologists to incessantly do such childish
things constantly and repeatedly with no end in sight?

HINT: Over the decades, *all* the never-ending threads on functionality are
(unilaterally) due to this phenomenon of Apple Apologists brazenly
fabricating wholly imaginary non-existent functionality - where technical
threads drag on forever simply because of the Apple Apologists' insistence
on a make-believe belief system.

What are common Apple Apologist psychological traits?
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/misc.phone.mobile.iphone/18ARDsEOPzM/veU8FwAjBQAJ

In article , NY
wrote:

OK, so I can connect any iPad to my Windows PC's via USB ports, and I
will see the the iPad's files.

Right?

as usual, you snipped the numerous options i gave. now do you see why i
am not particularly interested in explaining things further?

I'm asking specifically about USB-to-USB port, just plug in the cable,
and go.

here it is again:
the reality is that there are numerous methods for transferring
content
in either direction using industry standard protocols, including via
ftp, sftp, ftps, http, afp, smb, webdav, amazon s3, dropbox & other
cloud services as well as many other options, no kludges necessary. it
might require downloading an app, but that's about it.

Sure, I know about all those web-based methods, which is why I snipped
that bit. They aren't the issue.

apparently, you do not know about 'those web-based methods', given that
many of them predate the web, however, some may be accessible via the
web, for example, dropbox.

No, Wolf has a very valid point.

no he doesn't. he doesn't even understand what web-based even means.

There may be very good reasons why it isn't
possible to connect the two devices by network (wifi) to be able to run
network protocols like ftp, SMB etc. One of them is lack of a wifi router if
you have your Apple device and Windows laptop away from home in the car etc.
No router means no network connection. Or you might have a router but no
internet connection, which rules out some things like dropbox but not other
like FTP and SMB.

and in those situations, you wouldn't choose a protocol that requires
an internet connection. as you say, that rules out dropbox, but there
are many other options available.

ftp, smb, etc. can go direct between devices.

there are *many* solutions.

don't lock yourself into only one.

As a matter of interest, is a direct wifi client to wifi
client connection possible without a router?

absolutely. it's called wifi direct, or p2p wifi, which auto-configures
itself over bluetooth or nfc:
https://www.wi-fi.org/discover-wi-fi/wi-fi-direct

windows calls it near sha
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...10-share-thing
s-with-nearby-devices
To use it, both PCs‹the one you¹re sharing from and the one your
sharing to‹must have Bluetooth and must be running Windows 10
(version 1803).

apple calls it airdrop:
https://support.apple.com/library/co...are/images/en_
US/iOS/ios11-iphone7-airdrop-accept-prompt.jpg
https://support.apple.com/library/co...are/images/en_
US/macos/highsierra/macos-high-sierra-macbook-airdrop-receive-photo.jpg


But you have a USB cable with you. If the Apple device had been Android
instead, you'd have had innate, out of the box connectivity.

same for ios.

you said you wanted to transfer photos. connect the ipad via usb and
use whatever photo apps you normally use with other cameras. that can
even be set up to auto-copy when the ipad is connected.

you did say you had problems, but that's something you were doing, not
anything apple or microsoft did to prevent it.

in fact, microsoft even explains how:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/...10-import-phot
os-and-videos-from-phone-to-pc
To transfer photos and videos from your phone to PC, connect your
phone to the PC with a USB cable. Make sure the phone is on and
unlocked, and that you're using a working cable...
....
On iPhones: Make sure your phone is unlocked, and when you see the
Trust this device notification, select Accept.

iphones and ipads will work in the same manner.

With Apple it
seems (in my experience and Wolf's) you haven't.

that's a lack of experience and refusal to resolve whatever issues came
up.

Is there an app that can be
installed on either Apple, Windows laptop or both that will give USB
connectivity so part of the Apple's storage appears as an extra Windows
drive?

not as an extra windows drive, since that makes no sense and it's also
a security hole. it's also the old primitive way of doing things.

that doesn't mean files can't be transferred over usb. they can, just
in a different manner, including automatically.

If there is, then it's a frustration that Apple haven't built tat
capability into the OS, but nothing that can't be solved by a bit of one-off
up-front preparation.

apple can't include everything for every situation, nor can microsoft
or google. if a particular task requires an app, download it. no big
deal.

If you have network connectivity then a lot more is possible. I'm sure there
are SMB clients for Apple devices as there are for Android. Or you could
install an FTP server on Windows and an FTP client on Apple or Android. Or
there's cloud storage such as Dropbox. Less efficient because it's two
network transfers (Apple to Dropbox server, then Dropbox server to
Windows) - as far as I know Dropbox isn't clever enough to work out that
both devices are on the same LAN segment and route traffic directly without
going via the WAN

actually, dropbox does exactly that:

https://www.dropbox.com/help/syncing-uploads/lan-sync-overview
LAN sync is a Dropbox feature that speeds syncing dramatically when
the file exists on your Local Area Network (LAN).
....
...With LAN syncing, Dropbox will look for the new file on your Local
Area Network first, bypassing the need to download the file from
Dropbox servers, thus speeding up the syncing process considerably.

- but then it's intended for client to server and the
replication to other clients, not for direct client-client like FTP is.
webdav, amazon s3, afp etc - not sure about those. FTP and SMB are probably
nice simple methods.

they're all simple methods and in many cases, is just a tap to transfer
a file. smb1, however, is to be avoided.

on a synology nas, one click to enable/disable:
https://eteknix-eteknixltd.netdna-ss...ads/2017/02/Sy
nology-DSM-6.1-SS-04-File-Services-1.jpg
https://synoguide.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/webdav-control-panel.jpg

smb is native on macos and windows. afp is native to macos but exists
on other platforms. amazon s3 is specific to amazon, but it's a
protocol that has ios support.

As an aside, it's a shame that so many device-to-device communications are
via a server somewhere else on the internet, when for the simplest case they
could be direct device-to-device without needing internet. I use Teamviewer
a lot to access my main "server" PC from my laptop upstairs or from my
phone, for things like setting a new TV programme to be recorded on the PC's
TV adaptor - ie where SMB file access isn't the solution. I have a painfully
slow internet connection (2 Mbps down, 0.2 Mbps up) and it's frustrating
that all Teamviewer's terminal emulation traffic has to go out onto the
internet from one device and then back down to the other, limited by that
dreaded 0.2 Mbps upload, instead of directly from phone to server within the
same LAN. The same applies to using Dropbox as a device-to-device transfer
method.

use vnc or rdp directly to the device when on the same lan, which can
be done from a laptop as well as a phone or tablet.

teamviewer and its ilk are very convenient when *outside* the lan, as
it avoids having to configure the router to forward the necessary ports
when connecting from elsewhere, which is a security hole.

a good solution for outside access is to set up a vpn server and then
connect to it and access local devices.