Solved: Photo transfer still slow on iPhone 17 Pro Max

Forums › Apple iOS and devices › Solved: Photo transfer still slow on iPhone 17 Pro Max

Batman

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#325611 22-Sep-2026 14:24

not sure if anyone still use hard drives to backup their photos instead of paying for iCloud

wife's 512GB phone is full and after 6 hours of copying photos I've managed to transfer half of them

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#3530107 22-Sep-2026 14:26

Hmm i just realised it could be the hdd limiting the speed as opposed to the phone is still on usb 2 speeds ...

RunningMan

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#3530108 22-Sep-2026 14:27

Perhaps a little more info as to how you are doing this?

Are you looking for help, or just commenting?

wellygary

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#3530111 22-Sep-2026 14:40

Batman:

Hmm i just realised it could be the hdd limiting the speed as opposed to the phone is still on usb 2 speeds ...

A 7200RPM HDD should write ~100MB/s or 6GB / min, so it should be done in an hour or two..

The 17 Pro has a USB3 connection, so its not likely that is the choke point, but at USB2 ( 480Mbs) its a ~5 hr transfer for 500GB

As above, what is the PC you are connecting the phone to?, and is the HDD internal to that machine or external?

Also is this a direct copy from the phone?, or an apple backup of some sort?

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#3530114 22-Sep-2026 14:57

13900K PC fresh install via thunderbolt port and apple supplied usbc cable to 16TB fresh hdd not sure of the rpm

i just plug the phone into the cable

Edit: i have gotten something like 48Gbps on this setup from ssd to ssd so it's not the port or cable

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#3530116 22-Sep-2026 14:58

RunningMan:

Perhaps a little more info as to how you are doing this?

Are you looking for help, or just commenting?

some help would be good but this annual rant and usually there is no help

i really thought I'd solved the problem by buying a phone with usb3 speeds for the wife

wellygary

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#3530118 22-Sep-2026 15:02

Batman:

13900K PC fresh install via thunderbolt port and apple supplied usbc cable to 16TB fresh hdd not sure of the rpm

i just plug the phone into the cable

Edit: i have gotten something like 48Gbps on this setup from ssd to ssd so it's not the port or cable

And Drag and Drop with File Explorer? - this could be your bottleneck File Explorer is not known for being quick......

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Batman

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#3530119 22-Sep-2026 15:03

wellygary:

And Drag and Drop with File Explorer? - this could be your bottleneck File Explorer is not known for being quick......

yes

Is there another way?

wellygary

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#3530122 22-Sep-2026 15:08

Something like Fastcopy is probably going to be faster on a big batch of files like you have....

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2786242/ditch-windows-explorer-these-programs-are-better-for-fast-file-transfers.html

Asteros

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#3530128 22-Sep-2026 15:20

Batman:

13900K PC fresh install via thunderbolt port and apple supplied usbc cable to 16TB fresh hdd not sure of the rpm

i just plug the phone into the cable

Edit: i have gotten something like 48Gbps on this setup from ssd to ssd so it's not the port or cable

The Apple cable supplied for the 17 Pro is only USB 2 from memory. If you search for articles you'll find confirmation.

You'll have to use a "fast" USB C 3 or 3.1? or faster cable. Have a look at the various shops for one, shouldn't be too expensive.

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#3530146 22-Sep-2026 15:30

Asteros:

The Apple cable supplied for the 17 Pro is only USB 2 from memory. If you search for articles you'll find confirmation.

You'll have to use a "fast" USB C 3 or 3.1? or faster cable. Have a look at the various shops for one, shouldn't be too expensive.

it's possible

i have no idea what cable is what speed.

It's the usbc charge cable from apple that costs 50 bucks

maybe i need to buy their $270 cable just to move photos?

https://www.apple.com/nz/shop/product/mw5h3za/a/thunderbolt-4-usb%E2%80%91c-pro-cable-3-m?cid=aos-nz-seo-pla-accessories

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#3530151 22-Sep-2026 15:35

Confirming you need to buy a USB 3 cable, one supplied is USB 2:

https://au.pcmag.com/mobile-phones/113005/apples-iphone-air-iphone-17-stick-with-slower-usb-2

A random USB 3.1 cable on PB Tech. There are lots to choose from....

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/ADPUNI1081/Unitek-C14082ABK-USB-31-Gen2-USB-C-Cable---1m---Sp

Definitely not $270.

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mattwnz

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#3530154 22-Sep-2026 15:38

Why not use Dropbox to copy the photos to the PCs hard drive overtime as you take photos? Doing it your way also risks you losing photos if the phone just dies or you lose it.

Asteros

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#3530159 22-Sep-2026 15:46

Asteros:

Confirming you need to buy a USB 3 cable, one supplied is USB 2:

https://au.pcmag.com/mobile-phones/113005/apples-iphone-air-iphone-17-stick-with-slower-usb-2

A random USB 3.1 cable on PB Tech. There are lots to choose from....

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/ADPUNI1081/Unitek-C14082ABK-USB-31-Gen2-USB-C-Cable---1m---Sp

Definitely not $270.

Clarifying you need to buy a cable which specifies a speed of 10 Gbps or faster. Look for the specification USB C 3.1 Gen 2, also known as USB 3.2 Gen 2×1.

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#3530163 22-Sep-2026 15:54

mattwnz:

Why not use Dropbox to copy the photos to the PCs hard drive overtime as you take photos? Doing it your way also risks you losing photos if the phone just dies or you lose it.

I certainly do them as I go. I use Acdsee as my image software on my laptop, and that gives me a great feature with Mobile Sync app on my iPhone I can transfer reasonably quickly and wirelessly as long as they are both on same wifi network.

I also regularly back up to an external hard drive using GoodSync, which also lets me sync with OneDrive- so I always have up to 4 copies of my pics and videos.

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#3530167 22-Sep-2026 16:02

Asteros:

Confirming you need to buy a USB 3 cable, one supplied is USB 2:

https://au.pcmag.com/mobile-phones/113005/apples-iphone-air-iphone-17-stick-with-slower-usb-2

A random USB 3.1 cable on PB Tech. There are lots to choose from....

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/ADPUNI1081/Unitek-C14082ABK-USB-31-Gen2-USB-C-Cable---1m---Sp

Definitely not $270.

I've tried some random cable from PB Tech before, the plug completely disintegrates from the cable, almost like they skimped on the glue ... but i'm happy to try

currently using the cable that came with my Galaxy S24 ultra and things seem to be moving slightly faster ... but difficult to quantify how much faster. definitely not double the speed.

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