slow usb-c transfer speeds, reliability and Files app bugs, iPad OS, iPad Pro 2018

I figured the same problem. Transferring speed is quite flawed! Also I don‘t know why there isn‘t a „Remaining Time“ indicator as on the MacBook. It doens‘t make sense, that it‘s that much slower...really should be improved with the next update.

Also: The „Files App“ needs improvements: (1) You should be able to check the size of a folder, otherwise it is hard to check the backup. (2) The remaining space on a disk is yet not visible; also very important for backups.

==> make a feature request!

Hello,

This is a known problem. With a new operating system bugs can appear without Apple's knowledge. I ask that you please submit a bug report so Apple can address them in future updates.

Apple Product Feedback

Hello,

I have the same issue.

I bought an ipad pro for backup photo (APS-C and gopro rush) to my external disk.

So, I have :

• usb card HUB https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B07ZK8V5J2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
• usb 3.0 disk : https://www.amazon.fr/Seagate-Expansion-Portable-Externe-STEA500400/dp/B007IREFE0/ref=sr_1_8?__mk_fr_FR=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&dchild=1&keywords=seagate+1.5+to+2.5&qid=1588272298&sr=8-8
• sd card : https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B07H9J1YXN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

look the beautiful hig speed transfer :)

73sec to copy a 1GB file... AMAZING :) :)

Gentle person,

sadly the situation has not improved till today - iPad OS 13.5, iPad Pro 11“ 2020 here. Transfer speeds from the iPad to external drives (of whatever type/connected directly or via powered hub/independent of the file system used on the external drive) are really slow.

Besides being slow on general compared to even old MacBooks with only USB 2, the transfer speed additional breakdown to be related to the number of files, the total size and wether directories are included. E.g. as Long as I copy just a few files (< 50, less than 1Gb, just files, no directory) transfer times are bearable, slow, but bearable.

unacceptable is that when copying e.g. photos, depending of the filesystem of the target disk, more or less files are damaged on the target drive (roughly between 0.x and 1.x percent).

Gentle readers, please file a performance and/or bug report via

https://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html

Thanks for your efforts!

”Files” is so bad that I use File Explorer (3rd party). But the usbc speeds is terrible... I just “migrated” to iPad. I have a 12.9 2020.

I already knew that the FS in iPad ***** so I bought the 1TB version and at night I copy “USING File explorer” to my NAS.

My 1TB external drive with extFAT sometimes is not recognized by iPad and when I inserted back on windows I have to “fix it”.

It’s *****. I think iPad PRO is pro if you edit 10 pictures or do 10 segments and save it on iCloud.

Just very very bad.

I am considering to by an real computer again an use iPad just for “doodling” or editing photos on Lightroom.

I’ll wait for the iPadOS 14 and see if the apple engineers learnt how to use “file handlers” and “C” pointers correctly. Hopefully they fix it.

In my opinion they should fire the team that “CODED” files; I think my Nintendo DS has a better and solid FS.

FS = Filesystem

File explorer PRO = https://apps.apple.com/us/app/fe-file-explorer-pro/id499470113

I had the same issue. There isn’t viable solution online, bu I managed to found out the solution.

First, unlike some posts’s ideas, we don’t have to stick to APFS, ExFAT can be used, but HAVE to be formatted on Windows, not Mac. If the flash drive is formatted by Mac, it will not works properly on iPadOS, I know it’s weird, but it’s true.

Second, the most important trick is NOT using the default allocation unit size while formatting the drive. I found 512k to be the optimized size. Yes, it loses some storage space, but the flash drive is finally usable.

Speculated reason: 

1. ExFAT is from Microsoft, and Apple did something wrong when implementing this format. 
2. The read/write mechanism on iPadOS is different from other OSs, we can see that by the fact that there isn’t an eject button on iPadOS. To insure safety without an eject button, performance is sacrificed. Therefore, iPadOS cannot handle small allocation unit size, or handles it ridiculously slow. Therefore, using a big allocation unit size is the solution.

I transferred 100 gigs in 18 minutes to and from my iPad Pro when connected to my MacBook Pro and a USB C to USB 3.0 cable. Averaging 90 to 100MB/ps. Most hubs dongles and thumb drives transfer at USB 2 speeds or worse. My tests are getting consistent results.

I experience similar challenges. Bought me an iPad pro with 512 storage to be able to do light traveling while executing bird photografy. On a good day I shoot aprox 1500 pics. 48 mb each. I therefore want to store my pics dayly to an external flash drive (Sandisk; 1TB) direcly from the XQD cardreader. After that i'd like to do some editing from the iPad with lighroom. Transfering files from card to sandisk is exremely slow! Both are connected to the apple hub that is devoped for the iPad pro (see attachment). Don't have a clue what is causing this extreme low speed, but ik takes up to half an hour to transfer only 150 raw images..

This means to me that it is not acceptalble to use it fot the purpose i bougt it. I will take up to 5 hours to offload my files from a good day..

Any suggestions how to improve this??

using hubs are really slow when transferring files when connected to the iPad Pro. If you connect the same hub to a MacBook Pro it will work as it should. Apple has done something to choke the potential speeds yet the internal iPad storage is quite fast. When using the latest version of performance test app you can see read and write speeds.

It's consistent. It's general, across all media and all file systems.

When using SSD's, I can read with a maximum speed of 50% (slow SSD's) to 33% (fast SSD's) compared to the same SSD connected to a MacBook Pro 13, 2018 (4 ports).

When using the same SSD's (I have several, behaviour is identical), I can reach a maximum speed of 5% (fast SSD's) to 10% (slow SSD's) compared to the same SSD connected to a MacBook Pro 13, 2018 (4 ports). Fast SSD disks approaching 500 MB/sec on MacBook Pro often tumble around 25 MB/sec on write - and worst of all - slowly falling to approx. 10-12 MB/sec. Even on single files of 1-2 GB in size.

These figures must have been known by Apple; at least if they bothered to test and look before release.

I suspect, that the culprit exists in the disk handler, where you can disconnect the drive without any warning at any time. No need to "unmount" any drives (not even the possiblitilty to perform this task and no way to activate that option either). The safety net required to - somewhat - prevent total write disasters on the target drives must be huge, and any write caching completely out of the question.

What good is it, that I can read up to 60MB/sec (USB 3 camera adapter) - instead of 95MB/sec on my MacBook - but only transfer imported material for subsequent Sync/Backup to an external SSD with somewhere between 10 and 25 MB/sec? Instead of Sync/Backup up to between 250 and 450 MB/sec from my MacBook Pro.

Regards

[Edited by Moderator]

I have similar problems with similar results, I use my iPad Pro 10.5 512GB (via Apples USB-3 dongles - SD or Camera)

Before iPad OS the notion, that an iPad (Pro or not) could replace a notebook was a farce, but with the current write speeds, it is still a joke.

I have decided, when I have to save weight during flights (I'm not flying first class, nor corporate jets, like "Tim Apple" probably can), I leave my iPad at home and only carry my MacBook Pro 13, 2018 (4 ports) and lot's of external media for a couple of generations of backups of my texts, audio, images and videos produced during travel.

No Apple iPad can even compete with my really old Surface Pro 4, when it comes to backups to external disks. The Windows 10 tablets has other limitations, but speed was never been one of them. When my iPad Pro 10.5 has gone to the eternal bit fields, that will be it, unless Apple really ups the ante significantly.

If carry-on weight allowance is sufficient, the iPad gets included to be used as a second "Sidecar" monitor during video editing via an Apple USB-C to Lightning cable. It helps... and from the MacBook I can create backups on the iPad too, when I'm in a tight spot (double or more speed, than from iPad Pro to an otherwise really fast SSD (but it's a steep price to pay for a few hundred megabytes of slow, spare storage).

Apple really needs to get their act together in my view!

Regards

It could be the cable you are using, the one that Apple ships with the ipad pro is usb 2 speeds supposedly mainly for charging. You would need to try one of these https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07213D35X/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A294P4X9EWVXLJ&psc=1

I just got an ipad pro Gen 3 512 gig and it took 40 minutes to get a 32 gig file off it to a spinning usb 3 hard drive. Going to try buying one and testing it out. Read more info on Mac Rumors about it here. https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/new-ipad-pro-11-usb-c-data-transfer-speeds.2152119/