using 3GS as portable HD

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Level 1

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using 3GS as portable HD

one of the reasons i got an iphone 3GS was to use it as a portable hard drive.

how do i enable it to act as a usb-connected storage device, that's visible in the finder, where i can store files, etc., rather than just a glorified mp3 player that only shows up in itunes?

iphone 3GS, iPhone OS 3.0

Posted on Aug 4, 2009 6:37 AM

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Answer 1

Randy Fast

Level 4

1,432 points

Aug 4, 2009 6:42 AM in response to nielkmot

The iPhone does not support disk mode like iPods. There are apps in the app store that allow you to mount the iPhone as a wireless network drive and transfer some files. Check out Air Sharing, but there are a bunch of them.

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Answer 2

nielkmot Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 4, 2009 3:25 PM in response to Randy Fast

the point is that it has a usb connection and 32 gb of memory - how hard could it be emulate a flash drive? besides, which other "ipods" don't have disk mode? is this apple's less-than-subtle way of telling me that i should have bought something else instead?

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Answer 3

DCGOO

Level 3

769 points

Aug 4, 2009 3:37 PM in response to nielkmot

The point is, it is not SUPPOSED to work in that fashion. Disk operation has never been a feature of the iPhone. Apparently you misunderstood something.

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Answer 4

Aug 4, 2009 3:38 PM in response to nielkmot

Air Sharing is an app that will make your iPhone a WiFi drive instead of a USB drive; you can copy files to it by mapping the drive in Windows, or finding the driver with Bonjour on a Mac, or web browse to it. Note that when you sync your phone and it says "Backing up" in the beginning, any data in AirSharing will be part of that backup (good that it's backed up, bad that any changes will have to be backed up with it, so filling your phone up & then syncing will make for a long backup.

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Answer 5

roaminggnome

Level 10

106,401 points

Aug 4, 2009 4:02 PM in response to nielkmot

"s this apple's less-than-subtle way of telling me that i should have bought something else instead?"

If you were looking for a portable HD, then it is a more than subtle way to say that you did not do your research. This is NOT a feature of iphone.

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Answer 6

nielkmot Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 10, 2009 2:38 AM in response to roaminggnome

" If you were looking for a portable HD, then it is a more than subtle way to say that you did not do your research. This is NOT a feature of iphone."

no kidding, sherlock! (and you forgot to mention that i could have bought a portable HD for 1/10 of what an iphone costs or an ipod classic for about 1/2, because you obviously "do your homework".)

but if you didn't assume that everybody else in the world is a complete idiot, perhaps you might have realized the point of the question: the iphone is supposed to be an ipod PLUS, not an ipod MINUS. the hardware to emulate a usb flash drive is all there, but somebody at apple made a conscious decision not to include it in the iphone (or touch) feature set. the demand for it seems to be real, since there are third-party attempts to provide the functionality. by version 3.0, it might have surfaced from the "it would be nice" pile.

for the benefit of dimrods who don't do "subtle": think of this as a FEATURE REQUEST!

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Answer 7

Aug 10, 2009 3:10 AM in response to nielkmot

the reason it did not get implemented is because its more of a computer then an iPod.

regular ipods and USB sticks do not have a sophisticated CPU and can serve the memory as mass storage. however they (ipods) can not access the storage while in USB mode. when the ipod is conncted, the storage belongs to the computer and the ipod is just a "dumb case".

the iphone however can not handle this.
two reasons:
-the iphone has to be able to access all the files on the storage (in case a phone call comes in when connected)
-the iPhone's OS is on the same storage, so it would freez if connected as mass storage (the same reason why you can't go in firewire target mode while working with OS X)

therefor, apple did implement a custom file transfer protocol (apple AFC) which handles the file transfer with commands like "putfile" and "getfile".
this is why itunes is needed to load files on the iPhone, because itunes knows "how to talk to the iphone", since its not a regular mass storage.
this is also the reason, why the the transfer iphone<->mac is slower than ipod<->mac

there are tools which can handle the AFC protocol without itunes, iphuc is a terminal utility with which you can access the iPhones storage (only AFC user storage, not AFC2 root storage).

further, you can use as suggested apps like airsharing. they work however all over wifi, which is quite slow, compared to USB.

if you are more adventerus, you could go the "not-apple-aproved" route, by accessing the iphone SSH/SFTP via USB. this way all you need is a SFTP client on the computer.

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Answer 8

JoeZinVA

Level 2

431 points

Aug 10, 2009 5:12 AM in response to nielkmot

Unfortunately besides knowing of why Apple didn't add this is beyond anyone's comprehension. Other than the factor of you can't use the iPhone for .DOC/.XLS/etc reading. 🙂

However if you have a WIFI Router in your house (and if the office manager allows it a WIFI Router at work), you can download a WIFI compatible office software (.DOC/.XLS etc) and transfer the files to the iPhone that way. There are a few AirSharing applications. I know of one brand (QuickOffice) that allows you to edit .DOC and .XLS and presentation files.

If have a MobileMe login and you get authorization from the IT specialist to access your MobileMe login and install Firefox or Safari (Required browsers), you can go on your iDisk from me.com and transfer your Office documents through the computer and iPhone.
--------------------------
There may be a Cydia app out there that can enable USB document syncing. Other than that, it's WIFI or Me.com only.

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Answer 9

Aug 10, 2009 6:12 AM in response to nielkmot

as said before, the iPhone can not implement the Mass Storage Profile, simply because it is not technically possible.

neighter is there an app which can enable mass storage.
the only possible way this would be possible is, by writing an application that sits in the Bootloader (like BIOS, or EFI).
this is the same method apple used for the FireWire Target Mode.
the FTM is an EFI Feature that only works when the computer is not using the operating system.

you neighter can connect two laptops via USB and have one of them mount as mass storage, its exactly the same, 100%.

as said, there are possiblities how you can get a file transfer protocol via USB, but this is not "apple-aproved" nor a Mass Storage Protocol.

it is an SSH/SFTP Server on the iPhone, a network connection via USB, and an SFTP Client on the Computer.
the first two things will need a jailbr... iPhone.

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Answer 10

nielkmot Author

Level 1

0 points

Aug 10, 2009 7:33 AM in response to fabiopigi

"the only possible way this would be possible is, by writing an application that sits in the Bootloader (like BIOS, or EFI). this is the same method apple used for the FireWire Target Mode. the FTM is an EFI Feature that only works when the computer is not using the operating system."

thanks. for my purposes, firewire target mode would be just fine. in fact it would be almost perfect, because it does EXACTLY what a usb flash drive does. and it's totally simple to turn on and off.

as for incoming phonecalls (a good point), i'm not at all sure that i can receive them while itunes is doing a sync, either. (i can test that in a minute or two, since you've made me curious.) that's really what my voicemail is for, since, effectively, it's no different than if i had my iphone turned off. (i think i even remember turning a cell phone off once or twice in the last 10 years. maybe.)

it would be loads of fun to port ftm to the iphone!

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Answer 11

Aug 10, 2009 7:50 AM in response to nielkmot

It's not clear what you are trying to accomplish. If you need a portable usb drive, just use a portable usb drive (I'm sure you have a bunch of them, just like everyone else). If you want to view documents on the iphone, buy the appropriate app (which will use wifi, not usb). If you want to edit MS office documents, there are a couple of apps for that purpose. If you don't have a wifi network available, it's easy to set up an ad-hoc network from your macbook.

The iphone was specifically designed not to be used as a portable hard drive (presumably to help discourage "sharing" of music/movie files).

I believe phone calls will interrupt syncing with itunes.

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Answer 12

Aug 10, 2009 3:46 PM in response to nielkmot

well, you can forget about firewire target mode on the iPhone.
first of all, the bootloader is way to small to carry the code.
second, there is no firewire chip inside.

and yes, you can receive a phonecall/sms even when your are syncing.

as said, the closest you'l ever come to mass storage ...
-in terms of speed is the SSH-over-USB thing
-in terms of easy to use airsharing etc

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Answer 13

nielkmot Author

Level 1

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Aug 10, 2009 7:42 PM in response to Craig Baron

"It's not clear what you are trying to accomplish."

clarification is a healthy start towards understanding.

one of my objectives in upgrading to a "supergadget" like the iphone was to reduce the number of bits and pieces that i carry around in my travels doing computer support: the iphone allows me to replace a phone, a camera, a gps, an ipod, an organizer, a flashlight, and some others that i've probably forgotten about. it makes sense. but i could eliminate two more gadgets, my trusty usb flash drives, if my iphone, with its 32 gb of memory and its usb connector, would just "play ball".

usb flash drives (or ipods that emulate them) are wonderful, because usb ports are practically universal, and they just work, without all the usual pc/mac hassles or driver issues. they even work at the photo place down the street.

the simple fact is that apple added the usb drive functionality to the original ipod after it was introduced, and there's no real technical reason they can't add it to the iphone. (it's a whole lot simpler than what went into the gps or the accelerometer.)

even a third-party app that just emulated a virtual usb flash drive would be a blast, since i could fit a lot of files into 3 or 4 gigs (i already do). for my purposes it doesn't need to "jailbreak" the iphone (probably the real reason apple chose to leave it out).

all the elements for creating this functionality already exist in other apple products. since it seems not to exist already, i'm just putting forward a "feature request" for apple or third-party developers to provide it on the iphone.

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Answer 14

roaminggnome

Level 10

106,401 points

Aug 10, 2009 8:10 PM in response to nielkmot

You can put "forward a "feature request"" at:

http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

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Answer 15

Aug 10, 2009 8:12 PM in response to nielkmot

I understand your goal, but I don't think it's going to happen. Apple intensionally omitted that feature from the iphone (probably due to security and/or file sharing concerns) even though it had been provided on the ipods. Personally, I would not be very interested in plugging my iphone (with my data) into other computers. I also suspect that this function is not available to developers. I think we will have to continue carrying around all those data sticks.

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