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



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 14th 18, 06:29 PM posted to misc.phone.mobile.iphone,comp.mobile.ipad,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,comp.sys.mac.system,alt.comp.os.windows-10
Arlen Holder
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Posts: 466
Default Why doesn't Apple just let you manage your iOS file system natively on Windows?

On 14 Aug 2018 06:41:08 GMT, NY wrote:

By the way, going back to the instructions you have for enabling Windows
access over USB to part of Android's filesystem, are there any equivalent
instructions for allowing Windows to access files on an iOS device (eg
iPad).


While it's not the method you expected, look at these three screenshots to
see how you can get far more power than you ask for, if you want.

This is a screenshot of iOS 11.2.6 connected to Linux over USB where you
will note that there is access to three parts of the iOS file system:
a. read-only access to the iOS DCIM folder
b. read/write access to "some" of the better apps (mostly not Apple)
c. a mount point on Linux of most of the above & more
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=9181755linuxios_1.jpg

Note that the third mount point provides read & write access to the iOS
DCIM directory - so you can copy & delete your data easily:
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=9234281linuxios_2.jpg

In the older Linux, you had to manually mount to get this feature, but in
the newer Linux, it's all now completely automatic and native:
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=9819846linuxios_3.jpg

Note those screenshots were with Ubuntu 17.10 where Ubuntu 18.04 makes it
even easier, completely native, and more powerful.

As you know, I currently own all the major consumer operating systems
(except Mac, which I've used and hated), where I always simply expect them
each individually and all combined to work well together, and where only
the iOS devices are so restrictive as to be relegated almost to the "toy"
category (due to iOS' extreme lack of basic functionality in the real
world).

Apple simply states that the real word is "not supported", nor ever tested.

Nonetheless, I've found, from experience, that the *best* way to access iOS
on Windows for both *read and write* is to dual boot to Linux,
paradoxically - where the beauty of Linux is that it allows *simultaneous*
read and write access to the entire Windows system (even though Windows
isn't even booted!) and iOS file system.

Notice, there are only 2 devices but this method gives *simultaneous* read
& write access to all 3 file systems!
1. Windows (most recently tested on Windows 10)
2. iOS (most recently tested on iOS 11.2.6)
3. Linux (most recently tested on Ubuntu 18.04)

There's an entire July 3rd, 2018 thread with the detail & screenshots.
How to read/write access iOS file systems on Ubuntu/Windows over USB cable
https://groups.google.com/d/msg/misc.phone.mobile.iphone/IFC52JXBQ1c/siiB7o49CgAJ

My wife took loads of photos on her iPad and we can't find any way of
copying them onto a Windows device to archive them - apart from by attaching
photos to emails and sending them that way, which isn't practical for a
large number of photos.


You should *already* have all that - if that's all you really want.

If all you want is "read" only access of an iPad to Windows, and especially
if all you want is read-only access to the DCIM folder, that should be
trivial, even with iOS.

Just plugging in the iOS device to Windows should, at the very least, show
up insatntly like this - which I just did moments ago using my iPad for
you. http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=5944873storage00.jpg

Maybe she installed the iTunes abomination by mistake?

Out of the box, an Android device connected by USB to Windows shows up the
card and internal storage, allowing you to navigate to DCIM and then select
and copy files (photos). The iPad shows up but no folders are displayed.


I don't ever install the iTunes abomination so if that's installed, maybe
things work differently - but here's a sequence I've published in the past
which should work if all you want is "read only" USB access to the iOS DCIM
folder without installing *anything* on Windows.

When you plug in the iOS device into Windows' USB port, you get an "Allow
this device" query every time (you only get a query once with Linux, thank
God):
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=9396078storage01.jpg

Assuming you do not have the iTunes abomination installed in Windows, when
you plug in the iOS device the very first time, Windows will automatically
install the necessary drivers and then ask you to choose how you want the
iOS device "Internal Storage" to show up on Windows.
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=1075420storage02.jpg

Windows will then show the iOS device in your native Windows file explorer
as just another disc drive, just like Android & USB drives show up.
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=1874111storage03.jpg

You'll get a bar showing how much storage is available on that iOS device:
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=9652440storage04.jpg

And then you'll get read-only access to the DCIM directory:
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=5630845storage05.jpg

Under that DCIM directory are the idiotically named iOS folders and files
and screenshots where you can copy them at will to your Windows disks.
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=6394866storage06.jpg

In summary, as long as you do not have the iTunes abomination installed,
you should be able to have read-only access on Windows to all your iOS
camera pictures, videos, and screenshots simply by plugging the iOS device
into your Windows USB port.
http://www.bild.me/bild.php?file=8762004storage07.jpg

It's things like that which I *hate* about Apple - too bloody clever and
proprietary. There probably is a way, but it will be very obscure and
require you to do it "the Apple way", probably with special software
installed on Windows.


I have used the iTunes abomination in the past where I learned long ago to
stay away from it like you would powdered cyanide. Since I gain all my
cross platform functionality using the *native* operrating system software,
I don't test with the iTunes abomination installed.

So your results may be different if you installed the iTunes abomination.

But, without the iTunes abomination, I have no problem with *read-only*
access to *just* the iOS DCIM folder on Windows 10 over USB.

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.


Yuck. I pity anyone who uses the iTunes abomination, where, many years ago
(when nospam was still insisting QuickTime was a necessary component, if
that gives you an idea of how long ago it was) I too tried the damn
abomination where it was so restrictive in use model that I concluded it
was an abomination - and I've been calling it that ever since.

When I switched to SharePod freeware (before they went to the dark side), I
was soooooooooo happy to be rid of the iTunes abomination that you can't
imagine my joy of being able to do anything I wanted again.

Back to your question, it's my humble opinion that your wife "should" be
able to do what you're asking - without installing *anything* overtly on
Windows (Windows will automatically install the necessary drivers).
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  #2  
Old August 14th 18, 07:04 PM posted to misc.phone.mobile.iphone,comp.mobile.ipad,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,comp.sys.mac.system,alt.comp.os.windows-10
Arlen Holder
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Posts: 466
Default Why doesn't Apple just let you manage your iOS file system natively on Windows?

On 14 Aug 2018 17:29:54 GMT, Arlen Holder wrote:

When I switched to SharePod freeware (before they went to the dark side), I
was soooooooooo happy to be rid of the iTunes abomination that you can't
imagine my joy of being able to do anything I wanted again.


BTW, on avoiding the iTunes abomination even for iPods, if you can still
find the *older* 5MB versions of the sharepod freeware, save them forever!
(mine are all long ago saved *on* the iPods!)

I tested my old version of SharePod just last week when I plugged in a
friend's iPod and a few of mine where I was able to seamlessly slide any
MP3 file I wanted to across the handful of devices and Windows operating
system (and over the network if I wanted to).

All without any iTunes abomination "library" restrictions whatsoever.
It doesn't matter the id is of any of the iPods - they all work the same.

Absolutely nothing needs to be installed on Windows as the older SharePod
freeware is stored on the iPod (which basically acts as a USB disk).

The use model is so different from the Orwellian punishment meted out by
the iTunes abomination that you would be amazed that you have complete and
total freedom of your files on the iPods.

With absolutely nothing additional installed on Windows, you can plug in
any iPod and slide any MP3 file you want to any location you want any time
you want, sans restrictions.

NOTE: The version of SharePod freeware we used was version 2.x but you can
use up to version 3.9.6 based on our tests. (I read somewhere that Apple
paid the SharePod freeware developers a tremendous amount of money to
require iTunes in their post 3.9.6 product - which - if true - makes sense
to Apple because the SharePod developers had no need of the iTunes
abomination up until their version 4.x payware product came out - and that
made the payware product useless to me instantly ... however I haven't
looked that issue up in years (simply because the older SharePod works
fine)... so ... if anyone has more information on why SharePod added the
iTunes abomination as a requirement when SharePod worked just fine for many
years without the iTunes abomination - it would be interesting to hear what
actually happened).
  #3  
Old August 14th 18, 07:08 PM posted to misc.phone.mobile.iphone,comp.mobile.ipad,microsoft.public.windowsxp.general,comp.sys.mac.system,alt.comp.os.windows-10
nospam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 4,718
Default Why doesn't Apple just let you manage your iOS file system natively on Windows?

In article , Arlen Holder
wrote:

NOTE: The version of SharePod freeware we used was version 2.x but you can
use up to version 3.9.6 based on our tests.


you mean *your* tests.

(I read somewhere that Apple
paid the SharePod freeware developers a tremendous amount of money to
require iTunes in their post 3.9.6 product - which - if true -


it isn't true.

apple does not pay nor tell third party developers what to do.
 




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