treefrog75

Q: How do I transfer photos from an iphone 4S to my PC?

Hi there,

 

My wife took a bunch of photos on her work iPhone 4S that I am struggling to transfer to my PC. Here are the things I have tried and failed:

 

  • using iTunes - iTunes apparently backed up the iPhone onto my hard drive, but I can't figure out where this is; there is no "Photo" option under the iPhone subheading in the list on the left hand side of the iTunes window; clicking the photos tab on the iPhone window in iTunes invites me to sync photos from itunes to the phone, but not from the phone to iTunes (there's my suggestion for the next iTunes upgrade!)
  • Using Windows Explorer - this method was recommended on numerous places I looked, but for me the iPhone never appears as an external drive on my PC... one place I looked at suggested that it may be necessary to turn off the passcode on the iPhone - apparently this is impossible because my wife's work IT people forbid it (I can see why, but where's the trust people?)
  • Using third party software... OK, I havent tried this... for three reasons:

 

  1. Are you out of your mind? I need third-party software for an iPhone to do what every digital camera and mobile phone I have ever owned has let me do on a plug-and-play basis - where's the seamless design rationale behind that?;
  2. I'd prefer not to pay for software to do what every digital camera and mobile phone I have ever owned has let me do for free; and
  3. Are you out of your mind?

 

I'm obviously making this more difficult than it needs to be - I'm sure there is some simple 6 second solution to resolve this that I've not thought of, because all the other file types - music etc I can move from device to device via iTunes with no problem. It just seems to be photos I'm struggling with. Is there an iTunes setting I'm missing? Maybe I need to look harder to where all this stuff backs-up (any info on that would be great), but in my experience these kind of back-ups rarely happenas a file-for-file mirror, but usually as some impenetrable consolidated fle that I lack the expertise to unzip.

 

For the moment we are emailing these files off the phone, but please don't expect me to believe that this is Apple's master plan for ease of use!!

 

I hope that this provides all the relevant info to solve the problem. I am completely aware that there is probably some really easy solution to this; I'm new to iPhones, so don't spare my blushes by holding back on the obvious!

 

Cheers.

iPhone 4S, Windows 7

Posted on Sep 22, 2012 4:00 AM

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Q: How do I transfer photos from an iphone 4S to my PC?

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  • by joy6,

    joy6 joy6 Oct 30, 2013 8:45 PM in response to treefrog75
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 30, 2013 8:45 PM in response to treefrog75

    One thing I haven't seen here is that after plugging in the USB and finding that your pictures aren't recognized, you have to open up the camera application on the phone itself. If the pop-up doesn't show up asking if your phone should trust your computer, hit the camera roll. That made it pop up on mine. Once I did that, the pictures showed up in Explorer and also were able to be downloaded onto Windows Picture Gallery.

  • by wis5,

    wis5 wis5 Nov 17, 2013 1:54 PM in response to treefrog75
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 17, 2013 1:54 PM in response to treefrog75

    I was having this problem, all I did was go into my phone and something came up asking if I could trust the computer.  I simply selected yes, and then my computer found the photos immediatly.

  • by Ricardo Reis,

    Ricardo Reis Ricardo Reis Nov 21, 2013 10:08 AM in response to treefrog75
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Nov 21, 2013 10:08 AM in response to treefrog75

    Hi experts,

     

    Everybody is assuming iTunes is in the game. I have an iPhone 4S and I'm running Windows7 64. I don't have iTunes installed, neither I have the desire to have it. It manages to accomplish the same effect of Windows drag-and-drop in a very obscure, complicated and time-consuming way whose purpose appears solely to promote using iTunes for the sake of the business opportunities.

     

    Having said this, I plug my iPhone to my computer and I see it on "Computer", under "Portable Devices". I can now open it, getting "Internal Storage" with a Windows-disk-like indication of the space taken/left. I open this and I get DCIM, which is an... empty folder!

     

    It also appears in Control Panel > Devices, with no indication whatsoever regarding driver update needs or any other.

     

    Question: do I need all that disk-space-sacrificing iTunes installed in order to be able to see my pictures in that folder? Is there any alternative? I only want to copy files to my laptop.

     

    I'm running an HP Elitebook 8470p. i am using an Apple Magic Mouse with it, working beautifully. iPhone should be easier.

  • by RajaRani,

    RajaRani RajaRani Nov 21, 2013 7:19 PM in response to Ricardo Reis
    Level 4 (1,455 points)
    iPhone
    Nov 21, 2013 7:19 PM in response to Ricardo Reis

    Ans.: No

     

    Read http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1500 or my Post above. Hope these help.

  • by SuperKenFL,

    SuperKenFL SuperKenFL Dec 11, 2013 10:08 PM in response to Ricardo Reis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 11, 2013 10:08 PM in response to Ricardo Reis

    Ricardo,

     

    I can't remember if I had this problem before I installed iTunes, but just a quick question:  Is your phone locked when you connect it?  Have you connected the iPhone when it is "unlocked"?

  • by mattis2,

    mattis2 mattis2 Dec 12, 2013 9:09 AM in response to SuperKenFL
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Dec 12, 2013 9:09 AM in response to SuperKenFL

    I'm afraid that you have to have iTunes installed even if you don't use iTune to transfer pictures. It's the same situation if you are using some of the third party software to transfer files. When connecting to the computer, the iPhone comes up as any device. However, it's only possible to transfer pictures from the phone, not music or other documents. iTunes is not a benefit for the customers, only for Apple that is preventing us from using the phone the way we want to.

    A strange marketing policy. It's my phone! Apple, stay away from it!

     

    I'm using this transfer option a lot, as I'm a hobby musician and therefore is transferring some of our own recordings to and from the phone. That's a hassle. So now they have introduced a hopeless iOS7, they have changed the plug leaving me out in the dark with 15 chargers and devices meant for 4S, and the useless iTunes. Next time it will be an Android.

  • by Chris CA,

    Chris CA Chris CA Dec 12, 2013 9:14 AM in response to mattis2
    Level 9 (79,603 points)
    iPhone
    Dec 12, 2013 9:14 AM in response to mattis2

    mattis2 wrote:

     

    I'm afraid that you have to have iTunes installed even if you don't use iTune to transfer pictures.

    No you don't.

    And you don't use iTunes to transfer phoitos from the iPhone to the computer (this thread).

  • by mattis2,

    mattis2 mattis2 Dec 12, 2013 12:12 PM in response to Chris CA
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Dec 12, 2013 12:12 PM in response to Chris CA

    Good! You are right regarding the transfer of photo taken with the phone to the computer. However, I had some problems with iTunes, and uninstalled it. Then the iPhone icon did not show up on my dekstop (might be of other reasons than the missing iTunes), and third party software for transferring did not work.

  • by rockitoldschool,

    rockitoldschool rockitoldschool Dec 13, 2013 7:47 AM in response to DOK-Bos
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 13, 2013 7:47 AM in response to DOK-Bos

    I had the same problem with my iPhone 4S. All of a sudden Autoplay wasn't working when I plugged my phone in and for the life of me I couldn't figure out how to tranfer my pictures to my PC. I followed DOK's advice and went into control panel and found that exclamation point. I troubleshooted and found out I needed to update my driver. Problem solved.

  • by Ricardo Reis,

    Ricardo Reis Ricardo Reis Feb 2, 2014 12:37 PM in response to SuperKenFL
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 2, 2014 12:37 PM in response to SuperKenFL

    Hi Ken,

     

    I see the point of having a "Super" on your signature. Despite all other contributions -- which I thank -- indeed there's no need whatsoever to install or use iTunes. It was simply a matter of unlocking the screen prior to plugging the iPhone.

    I must use the screen lock due to company policy (I'm @hp), and this little detail was forcing me to email big pictures from the iPhone to another email, just in order to have them transfered.

     

    Thank you, Super.

     

    Kind regards,

     

    Ricardo

     

    PS: does FL stand for Florida? Lucky you. Here in Cambridge, UK it's all bad roads and worse weather.

  • by anthonyfromneath,

    anthonyfromneath anthonyfromneath Jul 6, 2015 12:38 AM in response to joy6
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 6, 2015 12:38 AM in response to joy6

    Brilliant, now it works thanks very much.

  • by M4ddie,

    M4ddie M4ddie Aug 28, 2015 3:45 PM in response to Ricardo Reis
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 28, 2015 3:45 PM in response to Ricardo Reis

    Thank you, this helped me too. No-one else specified that the phone had to be unlocked when you plugged it in. I tried everything that people said but still could not connect, then read your post, followed your advice and BAM, I'm in.

    Thanks again

    M4ddie

  • by Chris7thson,

    Chris7thson Chris7thson Oct 27, 2015 12:11 AM in response to treefrog75
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 27, 2015 12:11 AM in response to treefrog75

    HI, treefrog75. You can try to transfer photos from iPhone 4s to PC by following ways:

    1.Use cloud drive like Dropbox, One Drive. Upload your photos from iPhone to cloud and download on your computer.

    2.Use iTunes. Open iTunes > Connect your iPhone > Select your phone's icon in the Devices list on the left. Click the Photos tab. If you want to sync all your photos, enable the option for "All photos, albums, events, and faces."

    Read more from official support: Import photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch to your Mac or Windows PC - Apple Support

    Hope this helps.

  • by Chris CA,

    Chris CA Chris CA Oct 27, 2015 1:27 AM in response to Chris7thson
    Level 9 (79,603 points)
    iPhone
    Oct 27, 2015 1:27 AM in response to Chris7thson

    Chris7thson wrote:

    HI, treefrog75. You can try to transfer photos from iPhone 4s to PC by following ways:

    1.Use cloud drive like Dropbox, One Drive. Upload your photos from iPhone to cloud and download on your computer.

    2.Use iTunes.

    AS noted 3 years ago in this same threa, you don't (and can't) use iTunes to transfer photos from iPhone to computer.

  • by mattis2,

    mattis2 mattis2 Oct 27, 2015 3:30 AM in response to Chris CA
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Oct 27, 2015 3:30 AM in response to Chris CA

    Transferring files, photos, music or whatever, between your phone and your computer has always been pretty messy, as Apples obviously does not like it. The best way is to download the program Syncios. It's cheap and very effective and intuitive, and you can forget iCloud (which is not a cloud, just another computer) and iTunes that usually is crashing when a new version is installed on my Windows machine. I use Syncios for my iPhone 4s, 5s and my iPad. However, iTunes has to be installed on your machine.

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