The base models of iOS devices like iPhone and iPad come with relatively low internal storage. While shelling out more money to buy models with more storage capacity is an option, we are providing below some other ways to expand or extend the storage capacity of your iPhone, in case you have opted for the base model.
Methods to Extend Storage Capacity of iPhone and iPad
All it takes is a few apps, pictures and games to run out of space on your 16 GB version of iPhone, leaving you with no space, even to install updates on your device.
Below are some of the options available, in case you are looking for ways to get the most out of your 16 GB iPhone and not planning yet to upgrade to a new iPhone with more storage.
- Wireless Hard Drives
- USB Thumb Drives
- Cloud Storage Services
- Wireless USB Drives
Extend iPhone Storage With Wireless Hard Drives
There are many wireless storage Drives available in the market like Western Digital and SeaGate Wireless hard drives that can easily connect to your iPhone via a WiFi Connection.
These Wireless Hard Drives broadcast their own Wi-Fi signals (just like your router), allowing you to connect your iPhone, iPad or a computer to the hard drive over a Wi-Fi network.
Setting up Wireless Hard Drives on your iPhone or iPad is easy.
1. From the Home scree of your iPhone tap Settings.
2. On the Settings screen, tap on the WiFi option (see image below)
3. On the WiFi screen, tap on Other Network option.
4. On the next screen, Enter the Network name and Password for your Wireless Hard Drive Network.
Once you join the network you will be able to save and retrieve files from the Wireless Hard Drive over a WiFi connection.
While Wireless Storage drives are a good option for within home or office use, they lack portability and are not ideal for carrying them around with your iPhone.
Expand iPhone Storage Using USB Drives
This is probably the simplest and low tech option to expand iPhone storage. All that you need to do is get hold of a USB drive that can connect to your iPhone or iPad through its lightning charging port.
While there are many USB thumb drives that can connect to your iPhone and iPad, one better known name is SanDisk iXPAND Flash Drive for iPhone and iPad.
The SanDisk USB drive is available in 16, 32, 64 and 128 GB options. This will allow you to carry tons of files, music, videos and movies with you.
However, as you can imagine this option of expanding iPhone storage has its own limitations.
1. The thumb drive will be occupying the iPhone’s charging port.
2. Keeping the device plugged into the iPhone will hinder its portability.
Cloud Storage Services
With internet connectivity becoming so easy these days, using a Cloud Storage service is one of the best ways to extend the storage capacity of your iPhone and iPad.
In addition to Apple’s iCloud Storage Service, you can choose from other reputed Cloud storage providers like Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive and Flickr. Most of these providers offer 1TB of storage for as little as $10/month.
When connectivity is not an issue, Cloud storage appears to be the best way to extend the storage capacity of your iPhone and iPad.
SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick
This is an exciting option that allows you to extend the storage capacity of your iPhone regardless of the internet connection.
SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick pretty much appears like a regular USB drive, except for the fact that it can connect to your iPhone without an internet connection.
Just like a router, the Sandisk Connect Wireless Stick broadcasts its SSID, allowing your iPhone and iPad to connect to it over a wireless network.
Here is how you can extend the storage capacity of your iPhone using SanDisk Connect Wirekess Stick.
1. First you need to Charge the SanDisk Connect Wireless Stick by connecting it to the USB port of a computer or a USB AC Adapter.
Note: It takes up to 2 hours for the USB Stick to become fully charged.
2. Download and install the “SanDisk Connect app” from the App store to your iPhone or iPad.
3. Turn on the Wireless Stick by pressing the side-mounted power button (See image below).
4. Next, just connect to “SanDisk Connect ######” Wi-Fi network on your iPhone by following these steps.
- From the home screen of your iPhone, tap on Settings
- Tap on Wi-Fi
- Select “SanDisk Connect #####” to connect to SanDisk Connect Stick
Note: ###### will be a unique identifier for your SanDisk Wireless Drive. When connected a check mark will appear next to the device/network name on your iPhone or iPad.
You can either continue to use the drive without using a password or you can create WPA password within the app by going to the “Settings” menu. You can even change the drive network name to something that is easy to identify on your iPhone.
On your iPhone you will be able to upload photos directly to the SanDisk Wireless USB Stick from within the Photos app to pre-created folder options like Music, Photos and Videos.
The flash drive’s built-in battery is rated to last up to 4.5 hours of use. A small LED on the drive indicates low battery by a red flashing light. You can check the app at any time to get an exact battery level reading.
