iPhone 6 Plus and Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader - Missed Opportunity?

dwalbert thanks for starting this discussion! So frustrating... my attempt is I am trying to use my iPhone 6 to check my trail camera and GoPro videos and pictures. It worked before (iPhone 4s) and now nothing. As I watch my friends view, save and share using their Samsung Galaxy phones I sit with a $500 phone, $29 accessory and an error message stating "This accessory is not supported by this iPhone!!"

I will also submit my frustration to Feedback

As a Mac user of 30 years forced to Android when ATT wasn't in my area, I now have a choice. I upgraded to the iphone when it came available, but having learned the android interface, took the iphone back, finding many features I liked weren't available. It's gotten closer with iOS 8, but not there yet. For me. Before flaming me, I am a member of this forum because of my Mac loyalties and commitment. I am one of very few iPhone users who have ever actually used android, and feel my opinion is, while mine, not that of a Fanboy.

I would highly recommend the Nexus 6.

The battery is bigger, for one, so should at least match the 6+ in that regard. With the new efficiency features of Android 5 it might be better.

It is essentially the same size as the 6+. Height is 1mm more, width is 5mm greater. For a screen that is .5" larger. The thickness is significantly greater, but I understand that the back is curved and not as big a negative as one might think.

Storage is limited to 64gb, but transferring files via USB would be a snap.

Another possibility is the Droid Turbo. 3900mA battery!!!! 5.2 on the screen but significantly smaller than the 6+. However it's maxed at 32gb, and limited to Verizon. Word is that it will be released under a different name on other carriers however.

Hope this helps, and again, I offer it in as advice from someone that considered moving to the 6+, and will as iOS evolves continue to keep an open mind....

gmermel wrote:

I am one of very few iPhone users who have ever actually used android, and feel my opinion is, while mine, not that of a Fanboy.

There are actually lots of people who use both iPhones and Android phones. It just doesn't seem that way because the people who use both don''t spend huge amounts of time defending one over the other. They use the tool that fits the job and just get it done. I had a Droid Maxx for a while. Very nice phone. Stellar battery life.

My bad. I should have been more specific. I live in a family of iPhone users, all of whom haven't tried out android, but are convinced of iOS' superiority. I'm really not trying to get in to that better/worse stuff and agree with you, everyone should use what suits them best......

gmermel wrote:

My bad. I should have been more specific. I live in a family of iPhone users, all of whom haven't tried out android, but are convinced of iOS' superiority. I'm really not trying to get in to that better/worse stuff and agree with you, everyone should use what suits them best......

Nor am I. Just wanted you to know you're not alone. 😉

Again, not meaning to get in to which is "best". What features require each of you to stick with the iPhone? It may be that android could meet them and allow you to go with just the one device. The problem described in this thread is one of several where android doesn't have the limitations baked in to iOS.....

Unexpectedly, the Turbo was announced today with 64gb storage on board. Add the massive battery and the only downside is its 5.2" screen (did I really call that size a downside? Times sure have changed). And the Nexus 6 should be available to pre-order tomorrow w/ the same specs save for the bigger, 6" screen and a smaller, but still large, capacity battery.

I can't decide between these 2. I'm going to get the Nexus and evaluate it for size and battery life. If it doesn't work for me, I'll return it for the Turbo (and pay the $35 restock). Folks feeling limited by OS might consider the same strategy; get an android, and if you can't make it work for your needs, return it for the 6+ during the 14 day return period.

@gmermel,

The fact is that many individuals have a huge investment in iOS devices and software. We shouldn't need to switch platforms simply because of some senseless limitation that Apple imposes on its hardware. Yes, Windows and Droid have all that flexibility, but it comes at a price. After 20+ years of frustration with Windows I jumped ship to Apple about 6 years ago and for the most part don't miss it at all and run Parallels for the few graphic/ CAD programs I need that are Windows only. My time on computers goes all the way back to punched cards and mainframes so I've seen it all...and frankly BOTH platforms stink in their own ways. This happens to be one of the ones that is rotten for Apple. But it's almost like everything that is bad on other platforms is good on Apple, and everything that's bad on Apple is good on the others. You just can't win!

Sorry, I missed this one. The app is literally called "FileBrowser" by Stratospherix. It's quite slick and *almost* like having finder on iOS. It's the next best thing that I've found to NOT having the SD card reader access directly to the phone. I still shake my head in bewilderment at that lunacy.

As Nevada said, both OS have advantages and drawbacks. I find OS to be much more limiting. This current thread is an example of that, and there are many others. That's why it's usually the "geeks" that are adamant about android's superiority. But you do have to work at it to take advantage of the openness, and that learning curve is steep enough to make it a rule-out for many.

My kids stayed with the iphone because media was important. I stayed with android because battery, direct dial/contacts, and folders (at the time) were my key functions.

Crossing over is always an issue. I can say that you might give android a try. Doubletwist (itunes-android converter) was a mess when I tried it a few years ago, so the kids accepted the battery limitation. Now, that program is nearly seamless and one son has migrated to android without a problem. ,The interface is identical to itunes and imports were essentially automatic for 90% of the library. Not sure why, but I suspect it has to do with the licensing limitations, and that might disqualify the app for a lot of folks. He sees the move to android being no big deal, to the point of asking me why I pushed so hard to get him to try it (my answer was that I never told him android was "better', but that the 2 day battery specifically on the Maxx series was the reason I'd been pushing him so hard).

I cannot say that video editors have progressed to where they would suit you, but here's one to look at:

Kinemaster

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nexstreaming.app.kinemasterfre e&hl=en

Update on Toshiba Flashair SD Card.

I said I'd come back and report on this. Initial test was very disappointing because the Toshiba app did not work on iOS 8 however it's been updated and Ive just had a play on 8.1 and it's fine. It seems to work well, download speeds were good, a few seconds per photo, so whilst it's perhaps not as fast as downloading from the SD reader, iit's perfectly acceptable.

Given the low price of these cards it's definitely a viable alternative and should Apple relent, at least you still have a SD card that can be used.

Hopefully this is of use to some of the other folks in this thread. Good luck.

Thanks for the heads up on this @Tumbleweed666...that's good to know. May be a viable alternative, although I wonder about the affect on battery life it the wireless turns on whenever your phone turns on. This will affect both the camera and the phone, no?