User profile for user: drankinatty
drankinatty Author
User level: Level 1
23 points

iOS 18.79 Files app SMB connection fails

IOS 18.79 Files smb:/ connection fails


The error shown on the screen is:


"The operation can't be completed because an unexpected error occurred.

Try your operation again. If that fails, quit and relaunch the application and try again."


I have used the smb:/ connection successfully with every version of IOS 18 up until this attempt with 18.79. Nothing has changed on my network, and the boxes I connect to have not been updated since the 18.79 update on the iPhone (10XR).


Now when I attempt to connect, the connection fails, provides the message, and then when I try again, the connection shows in files as "Empty".


The journal entries on the remote host are the exact same for the failure to connect as the connection:


[2026/04/23 01:45:06.444744,  0] ../../source3/rpc_server/rpc_worker.c:1148(rpc_worker_main)
  rpcd_winreg version 4.23.6-git.466.1a6b75cb208SUSE-oS16.9-x86_64 started.
  Copyright Andrew Tridgell and the Samba Team 1992-2025
[2026/05/19 02:46:16.851342,  0] ../../source3/rpc_server/rpc_worker.c:1148(rpc_worker_main)
  rpcd_winreg version 4.23.6-git.466.1a6b75cb208SUSE-oS16.9-x86_64 started.
  Copyright Andrew Tridgell and the Samba Team 1992-2025


The 4/23 connection succeeded in all respects, the 5/19 connection fails.


This appears it may be a regression of the issue discussed in Files App SMB server connection fails and shows “Empty”. The exact same issue and behaviors I see now were discussed there.


A screenshot of what I see on the iPhone is:



I've never had an issue connecting before. Let me know if you need additional information and I'm happy to get it for you if it exists here.



[Edited by Moderator]

iPhone XR, iOS 18

Posted on May 19, 2026 1:35 AM

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14 replies
User profile for user: SravanKrA
SravanKrA
User level: Level 10
443,364 points

May 19, 2026 2:15 AM in response to drankinatty

To enable read-write access to a USB drive connected to your router via SMB on your iPhone running iOS 18, you can follow these steps:

  1. Check Router Settings:
    1. Access your router's administration interface via a web browser.
    2. Navigate to the USB or storage settings where the SMB share is configured.
    3. Ensure that the share permissions are set to allow read and write access for the user account you are using to connect.
  2. Verify SMB Share Permissions:
    1. Ensure the SMB share on your router is not set to read-only.
    2. Check the user permissions and make sure they include both read and write access.
  3. Update Router Firmware:
    1. Ensure your router's firmware is up to date. Sometimes firmware updates can fix compatibility issues with SMB sharing.
  4. Connect with Correct Credentials:
    1. Make sure you are using the correct username and password for the SMB share that has read-write permissions.
  5. iOS Device Settings:
    1. Go to Settings > Files on your iOS device.
    2. Under Browse > Connect to Server, enter the SMB address of your router.
    3. Enter the correct credentials when prompted and ensure you are logging in with an account that has read-write permissions.
  6. Check File System Compatibility: While FAT32 is generally supported, ensure the USB drive is not corrupted and is properly recognized by the router.


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User profile for user: drankinatty
drankinatty Author
User level: Level 1
23 points

May 23, 2026 4:32 PM in response to drankinatty

I have completed my inquiry with the samba folks and provided a level-10 debug output of the connection attempt made by IOS 18.79/Files smb:// connection against the server it connected to prior to 18.79. The level-10 debug is linked in the thread https://lists.samba.org/archive/samba/2026-May/252841.html if you care to review it. I didn't think there was a problem on the samba end, as nothing on the server has changed, but I did want to eliminate any possibility the problem wasn't IOS 18.7.9/Files. I've now done that.


There only reason that the Files smb:// connection does not complete is whatever changed between IOS 18.78 and 18.79. If there was a way to revert to 18.78, that could be conclusively shown.


Does anybody have any other idea how to fix this? Some hidden Files cache on the iPhone that can be deleted that may be causing issues with the new release? I rely on the smb connection in Files constantly for moving important information quickly between server and iPhone.


Is there anything else I can try to fix this, or are we just stuck until a fix is pushed by Apple?


If there is any further information I can provide that will help, just ask and I'm happy to provide it.

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User profile for user: Roramb
Roramb
User level: Level 1
8 points

May 28, 2026 3:25 AM in response to SravanKrA

I am having exactly the same issue since updating iPhone XS Max to 18.7.9; battery health 84%. The share is accessible to all other devices on the network, including devices running iOS 26.5, Sequoia, Win11, MX Linux 25, and Sonos.

Same issue regardless of host name/IP Adresss being used.

Providing general connection guides and pointing at possibly battery-related issues, when it is clearly a bug/regression, is not helping anyone.

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User profile for user: Alancito
Alancito
User level: Level 7
30,926 points

May 24, 2026 1:50 AM in response to drankinatty

drankinatty wrote: "...If there is any further information I can provide that will help, just ask and I'm happy to provide it."

drankinatty ~ Connectivity issues can be caused by a weak, aging battery. So the further information you can provide about your old iPhone XR is the Maximum Capacity % here:


Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging


õ¿õ¬

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User profile for user: SravanKrA
SravanKrA
User level: Level 10
443,364 points

May 19, 2026 2:16 AM in response to drankinatty

Connect to a computer or file server

Open the Files App. Tapp the Three Dots on the Top RH side, Tap Connect to Server. Enter a local hostname (Bonjour) or a network address, then tap Connect. Tip: After you connect to a computer or file server, it appears in the Recent Servers list on the Connect to Server screen. To connect to a recent server, tap its name.




Connect servers or external devices with Files on iPhone



The local hostname, or local network name, is displayed at the bottom of the Sharing settings window. It identifies your Mac to Bonjour-compatible services. The local hostname is your computer's name with .local added, and any spaces are replaced with hyphens.


Change your computer's name or local hostname on Mac

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User profile for user: drankinatty
drankinatty Author
User level: Level 1
23 points

May 19, 2026 2:18 PM in response to SravanKrA

Well, hold on a minute. Replacing the hostname with IP for the connection presumes name resolution on the network is not working. That is NOT the case here. Name resolution is working perfectly, the iphone finds the computer to make the smb:// connection as shown in the journal entries above, but then fails to connect. This did not occur before.


Is there a known issue with Files failing to use a hostname to connect via smb:// in 18.79 that would necessitate replacing the hostname with the IP? Otherwise, as long as name resolution is working, the smb:// connection should continue to work as it always has?

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User profile for user: drankinatty
drankinatty Author
User level: Level 1
23 points

Aug 1, 2026 3:36 PM in response to drankinatty

Just to bump this topic, it has now been two months stuck with broken Files smb:// connection ability from IOS 18.79. All of the bug fixes that went into 18.79 obviously had the side-effect of introducing a bug that broke this connection functionality. Is Apple not going to put out a fix? I can't move to 26.x with this model, so the current IOS 18.79 set of security fixes has broken Files connections to smb:// for several generations of iPhone. A fix is warranted.

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iOS 18.79 Files app SMB connection fails

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