HOW TO INCREASE IPHONE/IPAD STORAGE
Apple's iDevices famously -- make that infamously -- rely on fixed storage. If you need more space, well, too bad.
Or maybe not. There are a few tricks you can try, starting with this weird one that seems to magically free up some otherwise unavailable space -- anywhere from a few hundred megabytes to a few gigabytes. And if you're a Facebook user, deleting the app in favor of your mobile browser can net you 500-600MB. (Doing so improves battery life, too.)
But if you're seeking a really significant storage boost, your only option is to upgrade, right? You'll need an iPhone or iPad with more space.
Think outside the box
Not necessarily! External storage devices can give you virtually unlimited extra space for music, movies, photos, documents and other data. And many of them are surprisingly affordable.
These devices fall into two main categories: plug-in storage (think: flash drive for your iPhone or iPad) and wireless media hubs.
Plug-in storage
A phone-friendly flash drive will give you either a fixed amount of storage or a card reader that holds removable media (usually microSD).
For example, SanDisk's iXpand line offers anywhere from 32GB to 256GB, with a Lightning connector at one end and USB 3.0 at the other. It has a wraparound design so the bulk of the drive hugs the back of your phone or tablet, rather than sticking way out from the bottom.
The similarly designed Leef iAccess has no onboard storage; rather, it accommodates microSD cards, which could prove useful if you want to, say, view photos or videos captured on an external camera.
Drives like these aren't usually connected full-time; you access them as you need them. Suppose, for example, you're taking a long trip. You want to bring along your entire music library -- not just the handful of playlists that fit on your 16GB iPad Mini -- and enough movies to last you through two or more long flights.
In broad strokes, the plug-in drives work like this:
Step 1: Connect the drive to your PC, then fill it with any and all media/data you want to bring along.
Step 2: Install the companion app that goes with the drive.
Step 3: Run the app, then connect to the drive. Now you can stream your media, view your photos, access your documents, transfer files and so on.
Battery packs:
Manufacturers such as Mophie make iPhone cases that double up as battery packs. The Mophie Space Pack is a case that lets you protect your phone, charge it, and also doubles up as file storage space. It works just like the thumb drives mentioned above by letting you access files through your iPhone's Lightning port.
The problem is that these cases are bulky (16 mm thick, compared to the 6.9 mm iPhone 6), so your sleek iPhone will feel like a brick with the case on.
The Space Pack isn't cheap either, starting at $150
(Rs. 9,000) for 32GB and the 128GB variant costs $300
(Rs. 15,000). If the Space Pack is too bulkyfor you, you
can get the Mophie Spacestation. It's an external battery pack
that lets you store data as well. The price is the same
as the Space Pack. Unfortunately these aren't available
in India, but you can order them from Amazon.com or via a package
forwarding service.
The Space Pack isn't cheap either, starting at $150
(Rs. 9,000) for 32GB and the 128GB variant costs $300
(Rs. 15,000). If the Space Pack is too bulkyfor you, you
can get the Mophie Spacestation. It's an external battery pack
that lets you store data as well. The price is the same
as the Space Pack. Unfortunately these aren't available
in India, but you can order them from Amazon.com or via a package
forwarding service.
This way to expand the storage on your iOSdevice is rather limited, but its portability
makes it worth considering. There are some
thumb drives in the market that you can plug
into the iOS device to expand its storage. If
you're hoping that these drives will work just
like USB drives do on the PC, then you're going to be disappointed.
The thumb drive will occupy your iOS device's charging port and especially on
iPhones, it's hard to imagine people keepingthe drives plugged in for any length
of time. These drives areusually bulky and holding the iPhone becomes difficult
if you've got one of these plugged in. If you remain unfazed by these limitations,
then you can read our review of theStrontium Nitro i-Drive to decide if you want
one. SanDisk has a similar product in the market called iXpand Flash Drive,
which is much better than the Strontium Nitro.
iPhones, it's hard to imagine people keepingthe drives plugged in for any length
of time. These drives areusually bulky and holding the iPhone becomes difficult
if you've got one of these plugged in. If you remain unfazed by these limitations,
then you can read our review of theStrontium Nitro i-Drive to decide if you want
one. SanDisk has a similar product in the market called iXpand Flash Drive,
which is much better than the Strontium Nitro.
These devices will set you back by anything between Rs. 4,000 and 6,000 for 16GB
to 64GB of additional storage. We still feel it's better to just spend that extra Rs. 9,000
or so to get an iOS device with 64GB or 128GB internal storage. But if you have no
other choice, then thumb drives might be useful for watching films while travelling or
storing your vast library of songs or comics.
to 64GB of additional storage. We still feel it's better to just spend that extra Rs. 9,000
or so to get an iOS device with 64GB or 128GB internal storage. But if you have no
other choice, then thumb drives might be useful for watching films while travelling or
storing your vast library of songs or comics.
THESE ARE SOME WAYS TO INCREASE YOUR PHONES STORAGE.FOLLOW
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