April 1, 2023

How to use SD and microSD memory cards with iPhone

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While your iPhone doesnt have a built-in microSD card reader, including a plug-in memory card reader is simple. And it requires no extra software. The very same chooses iPads with a Lightning port.
Heres what you need to do.

Removable sd card are still beneficial

How to read SD/microSD sd card with your iPhone
Action 1 involves buying an SD and microSD card reader with a Lightning port. Sorry, theres no preventing making a purchase– the finest software application worldwide wont let an iPhone read a memory card without brand-new hardware.
Its made by Belcompany and consists of both a full-size SD card slot and miniSD card one. Theres likewise a Lightning port so the iPhone can charge while using the adapter.

This Lightning to SD/microSD card reader for iPhone is rather affordable.Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Copying a 1GB test file from a microSD card in the Belcompany reader to an iPhone 13 took 37 seconds. Moving that very same 1 GB file from iPhone to the external memory card took nearly 5 minutes.
This Lightning-enabled card reader is just one example. Take a look around on Amazon or AliExpress for “iphone sd card reader” and youll see a wide variety of choices.
And theres a somewhat alternative hardware choice. The Cult of Mac guide on how to utilize a flash drive with iPhone or iPad utilizes a USB-A adapter from Apple. This same adapter can be utilized with SD/microSD memory card readers created to plug into a USB-A port.

Consider utilizing a backup application like OWCs Copy That to make a backup of all the images on your iPhone or iPad to an SD card.
Adding a reader is relatively cheap and easy.

Even in the days of Wi-Fi, it can still make sense to provide your iPhone the ability to check out from and write to SD and microSD cards. They are still in common use. So much so that Apple brought the SD card reader back to the MacBook Pro in 2021.
The cards get used in cams of numerous kinds: drone cams, dash webcams … just routine cameras. And numerous Androids have microSD card slots, making the cards an option for exchanging files in between devices.

No additional software application required

The SD card will appear in Files like any other drive. From there you can access everything saved on it. Or move files around, play videos, whatever you require.
SD or microSD cards show up in Apples Files application like any other drive.Photo: Ed Hardy/Cult of Mac
Simply know that some Lightning-enabled SCD/microSD card readers are designed to utilize their own applications, not Files. When searching for a reader, beware.

Definitely no extra software is required to use the current crop of iPhone SD card readers. The iOS Files application is all you need.
Insert the sd card into the reader, plug in the reader into the Lightning port on your iPhone, open the Files app and the SD card will appear. Thats really all it takes.

While your iPhone does not have an integrated microSD card reader, adding a plug-in memory card reader is simple. Even in the days of Wi-Fi, it can still make sense to give your iPhone the capability to read from and write to SD and microSD cards. Much so that Apple brought the SD card reader back to the MacBook Pro in 2021.
Its made by Belcompany and includes both a full-size SD card slot and miniSD card one. Copying a 1GB test file from a microSD card in the Belcompany reader to an iPhone 13 took 37 seconds.