Store your precious data from your iPhone easily with a flash drive that can backup your photos and videos to your PC or laptop.

Wouldn't it be great if you could use a flash drive with your iPhone? You'd be able to access all your documents and photos on-demand without worrying about internet connectivity and excessive data charges.

It is possible to use USB storage on an iPhone, despite some restrictions imposed by Apple's iOS operating system. Flash drives provide a great way to back up your photos and videos or transfer files from your iPhone to another phone, tablet, or computer.

Here are the best flash drives for iPhones available today.

The SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Luxe is unquestionably the best thumb drive for the iPhone. It has Lightning and USB-C connectors, so you can easily transfer files between your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other USB-C devices, such as Android phones.

The iXpand Flash Drive Luxe has the most feature-rich app; it's capable of backing up all your photos every time you connect the flash drive. It even has an in-app camera that can save your photos and videos directly onto the drive, rather than into your iPhone's Camera Roll. You can also protect the files with a password to keep your data private.

SanDisk has also come up with one of the most intelligent designs you'll find. The drive has a convenient swivel mechanism that provides easy access to the connectors while keeping them safe and dustproof. It doubles as a keyring, making it easy to carry the drive around.

PNY is one of the top brands for reliable and high-quality GPUs and storage solutions. Its DUO LINK iOS USB 3.0 OTG Flash Drive offers an easy way to backup contacts, photos, videos, and other files from your iPhone. It has a USB-A connector on the other end, allowing you to transfer files to your Mac or PC for permanent storage.

The flash drive comes in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities, with all options allowing you to capture and download files directly to the drive to free up space on your iPhone. You can choose which files to move to the drive in the DUO LINK 4 app or enable automatic backup to transfer new photos and videos each time you plug in the drive.

The design of the DUO LINK iOS USB 3.0 OTG Flash Drive gives you the ability to charge your iPhone when you plug the USB-A end into a power source like a laptop or power bank. It also has a handy clip that keeps the drive nice and compact.

The Vansuny 3-In-1 Flash Drive is an affordable way to back up your iPhone's photos and videos. It's a multi-device USB flash drive compatible with iPhones and other devices with USB and USB-C connectivity, including iPads, Android phones, and laptops.

The Vansuny flash drive offers up to 128GB of additional storage for your iPhone, allowing you to preserve your most important memories and keep your private information safe with password protection. The multiple connectivity options let you sync and share files with your other devices.

It's plug-and-play on Android devices and Windows PCs, but you'll need to install the CooDisk app when using it with your iPhone. The app gives you plenty of options to manage your files, backup data, and capture photos and videos directly to the drive using the in-app camera.

The SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive Go is another iPhone memory stick from a reputable brand. It's recommended by Apple on its website, which means it's a highly vetted and reliable backup solution for your iPhone and other iOS devices. You can extend your iPhone's storage by up to 64GB, 128GB, or a whopping 256GB capacity.

This drive uses the same iXpand app as the iXpand Flash Drive Luxe, meaning you can also set it up to automatically back up your photos and videos when you connect it to your iPhone. It also allows you to shoot directly onto the drive and protect your files with a password. The USB-A connector is great for moving files from your iPhone to a PC, but unlike the iXpand Flash Drive Luxe, it doesn't have a cap to protect it when not in use.

One of the frustrating aspects of using external storage is all the different types of connectors you have to deal with. USB-A, micro-USB, USB-C, and Lightning connections are all commonplace. For iPhone users, the iDiskk 4-in-1 USB 3.0 Flash Drive is the solution.

Shaped like a cross, the iDiskk 4-in-1 flash drive offers all four connectors, so you'll always be able to access the flash drive with all of your devices. Impressively, it's one of the largest flash drives for the iPhone, offering capacity options up to 512GB.

The flash drive is compatible with all iPhone models and iPads with a Lightning connector. It also works with the recent iPads with USB-C and virtually any computer, phone, or tablet. The included app for the iPhone supports password protection, one-click backup for photos and videos, and file management. You can even stream videos directly in the drive without having to transfer them to your iPhone or laptop.

The STTARLUK USB Flash Drive is another one of the best flash drives for iPhones, offering a whopping 1TB of capacity for backing up your photos and videos. It's available in black, blue, and purple.

Like the iDiskk 4-in-1 flash drive, the STTARLUK device has come up with an ingenious design solution to give you as many connectivity options as possible. You can flick up the USB connector to reveal a micro-USB connector, and it comes bundled with a USB to USB-C connector for use with the most recent tablets and smartphones.

The USB connector is USB 3.0 compatible with read speeds of 80MB/s and write speeds of 40MB/s. Like most flash drives, the STTARLUK USB Flash Drive provides an app for use with your iPhone or iPad. The app supports contacts, photo, and video backups as well as data protection with passwords and Touch ID.

The IDiskk 2-In-1 USB Flash Drive is a simple and affordable iPhone photo stick available in 128GB, 256GB, and 512GB. It comes with both Lightning and USB-A connectors, allowing you to back up and transfer files to a computer easily. Also, the flash drive is Apple MFi certified, meaning it is fully compatible with all iOS devices.

The build quality of the flash is excellent. It's made from metal and has a convenient swivel design that protects the other connector when plugged in. It also has a keyring, allowing you to easily carry the drive around. The only downside is that one of the connectors remains exposed when not using the drive.

The bundled app for the IDiskk 2-In-1 USB Flash Drive is one of the most feature-rich. It provides plenty of features, from basic file management to contact backup and restore, video playback, and an in-app camera for shooting and recording directly in the app. It also supports data protection with either a password or Touch ID, so your data remains safe and secure.

In theory, it's possible to connect a regular USB drive to your iPhone using Apple's in-house Lightning to USB Adapter. It works with an array of USB peripherals, such as microphones and digital cameras.

But if you try to connect a regular USB drive to the port, there's a high chance you'll see a "This device is unsupported" message. This means that either the drive has not been certified as "Made for iPhone" (MFi) and there are compatibility issues, or the drive is trying to draw more power than the Lightning port can provide.

A flash drive made for an iPhone will have a regular USB connector on one end of the stick and a Lightning connector on the other.

The concept of using a flash drive with iOS is an interesting idea, and one that certain people will find incredibly useful. Remember, however, for quick file transfers, AirDrop between iOS devices and macOS is usually sufficient.

Before you decide which iPhone thumb drive you want, there are a few points you need to consider:

Elvis is a Buyer's Guides writer at MakeUseOf, covering everything related to PC, hardware, and gaming. He has a BS in Information Technology and over three years of professional writing experience.

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