6 ms·

I built an app to backup Live Photos from iPhone to external hard drives

79 points by xmasterdev 1y ago

I noticed so many iPhone users are dealing with the same storage nightmare. Here's a common scenario that sounds familiar to a lot of people: The widespread problem: iPhone storage fills up crazy fast, not everyone has a Mac, many don't want to pay monthly for iCloud storage, and home NAS setups aren't realistic for most users. The manual approach of creating folders and selecting photos one by one is tedious, and keeping up with new photos becomes overwhelming So I built an app called BackiGo that addresses this exact pain point - it allows direct backup of Live Photos from iPhone to external hard drives, no Mac needed. What makes it useful: Backs up your Live Photos with all the motion intact Can restore Live Photos back to your iPhone camera roll Super easy to backup new photos You can browse and view all your saved Live Photos directly from the external drive without having to restore them first You can test it out with up to 500 photos & videos backup before deciding if it works for your needs

gerdemb 1y ago
Where is the link? How can iPhone backup directly to an external hard drive?
- Amorymeltzer 1y ago
  I believe it's this: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/backigo-live-photos-backup/id6746894565 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/backigo-live-photos-backup/id6...
  - xmasterdev 1y ago
    Yes, thanks for sharing！
  - xmasterdev 1y ago
    Website: https://backigo.app2046.com https://backigo.app2046.com
- criddell 1y ago
  Plug it in to the USB port on the phone. iPhone Pro can transfer at up to 20 Gbps but the non-pro models are much slower. The iPhone camera can also shoot directly to an attached SSD.
  - supportengineer 1y ago
    I have bad news for you, that's not a real iPhone
    - enzanki_ars 1y ago
      This is a real feature of iPhones since the iPhone 15 Pro model. https://support.apple.com/en-in/109041 https://support.apple.com/en-in/109041
  - discostrings 1y ago
    > iPhone Pro can transfer at up to 20 Gbps Citation/proof strongly needed on 20 Gbps
    - criddell 1y ago
      Right you are. I was going off my (bad) memory. It’s a 10 Gbps port.
1970-01-01 1y ago
How is this different from iMazing? https://imazing.com/backup-iphone-ipad#:~:text=Choose%20iPhone%20backup%20location https://imazing.com/backup-iphone-ipad#:~:text=Choose%20iPho...
- msh 1y ago
  It’s more like PhotoSync as it only does photos
- tempodox 1y ago
  I loved the idea until I saw that it's only available as a subscription.
  - deleted 1y ago
    [deleted]
  - xmasterdev 1y ago
    Lifetime option available.
keroro 1y ago
How much does it cost?
- recury 1y ago
  In-App Purchases BackiGo Pro Yearly (1 Year) $6.99 BackiGo Pro Monthly (1 Month) $0.99 BackiGo Pro Lifetime $14.99
  - xmasterdev 1y ago
    Thanks for sharing!
er0k 1y ago
I just use rsync, works great
- rsync 1y ago
  Would you explain how you are using rsync to backup photos on an iPhone ? I'm not aware of an iOS app named "rsync" and ... presumably you don't have a shell ... ?
  - slicktux 1y ago
    You can load the IPhone’s pictures on Linux using the folders namespace and then rsync from the loaded namespace to /local…
    - wood_spirit 1y ago
      I use a usb cable and a Linux laptop to copy to a couple of external hard drives (which I store separately). It’s all manual but not too orrenous although i ought backup more often. The biggest hassle is accessing the new heic format on pretty much everything. Could it all be made into a sd card image for a pi zero perhaps? Even with a web ui accessible over Wi-Fi? A basic cheap sync-cable-appliance that non-techies can easily use?
      - rsync 1y ago
        I think I heard that the latest 'rclone' now, finally, support iCloud ... but I think there is an issue there because you can't sync full quality / RAW photos to icloud, can you ?
        RockRobotRock 1y ago
        rclone has support for iCloud Drive, but it sounds like you are talking about iCloud Photos, which is a different service. This project lets you download from the latter: https://github.com/icloud-photos-downloader/icloud_photos_downloader https://github.com/icloud-photos-downloader/icloud_photos_do...
gaudat 1y ago
>home NAS setups aren't realistic for most users Citation needed. Get a Synology NAS and use their Photos app which backups Live photos on both iDevices and Androids. Buy it for life.
- pdxandi 1y ago
  I've been doing this for many years and am pretty happy with it. I can sync from my Android and my wife's iPhone. The Photos app is nice and smooth. Backups happen automatically in the background. It can even de-dupe and clean up old photos that have been backed up. All in all, quite pleased with it.
- HuwFulcher 1y ago
  You’re looking at £300ish for an entry level Synology and the storage. That isn’t a realistic expense for many users.
  - Jnr 1y ago
    Over time it saves money. I got a home server and a tiny remote backup server 8 years ago and it runs quite a few services saving me hundreds each month and costing in electricity and hardware (over time) about 15EUR/mo. The longer it runs, the cheaper it is. Most of the updates are automatic so no babysitting required.
- thenaturalist 1y ago
  Let's be real, that's already far less approachable to 90% of consumers I know. The simples hurdle just being knowledge. The existence of NAS is probably an unknown unkown to a large part of the population. Compare that to "there's an app for that" & plug USB. Drastically simpler. No skin in the game either way, but I can very much understand OPs reasoning and would reach the same conclusion.
- kzisme 1y ago
  Or checkout https://immich.app/ https://immich.app/ !
- michaelraiwet 1y ago
SwamyM 1y ago
I would love this if it allowed me to backup all photos taken with the iPhone to an external drive. Currently, Apple dumps all pictures (from the Camera, from iMessage, WhatsApp, etc.) into folder makes it difficult to backup just my pictures.
- xmasterdev 1y ago
  Absolutely, you can select specific albums to back up!
jlarocco 1y ago
I wouldn't use it personally, but I could see it being useful for my parents or family. ifuse and rsync works fine for me.
- xmasterdev 1y ago
  I understand completely. We recognize that not every user is a tech enthusiast, so providing excellent usability for non-technical users is really important to us.
mindwork 1y ago
Would immich work for this? You can run it locally in docker container
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
polymatter 1y ago
Thank you for including a non subscription “lifetime” payment option.
- xmasterdev 1y ago
  Hope you like it.
mfa1999 1y ago
Will it work with large (huge) photos libraries? Eg. 150k photos/videos - most of them in iCloud. Does it preserve album/folder structure?
- xmasterdev 1y ago
  Yes, it can handle very large photo and video libraries! Users have reported successfully backing up over 20k photos and videos without issues. I don't have 150k photos and videos for testing. Currently, direct backup of photos and videos stored only in iCloud is not supported. I will consider adding iCloud integration in a future update. The original album and photo information will be preserved. Photos and videos will be organized into backup folders by Device Model/Year/Month.
alain34 1y ago
[dead]
atmosx 1y ago
I am using PhotoSync to backup photos from iPhone to a self-hosted Photoprism via WebDAV (accessible from everywhere via tailscale).
mattfrommars 1y ago
Is this a native IOS app?
- xmasterdev 1y ago
  Yes
mattfrommars 1y ago
Btw, there is also LocalSend. Pretty nifty app
- coldtrait 1y ago
  Isn't that to transfer wirelessly to devices?
scriu 1y ago
Can you add a feature to upload to a ftp server?
- xmasterdev 1y ago
  I will consider it. The current version can backup to a smb file share, is that sufficient for your needs?
WhyNotHugo 1y ago
I wrote a guide on copying photos from an iPhone onto a Linux host: https://whynothugo.nl/journal/2024/12/22/exporting-photos-from-an-iphone/ https://whynothugo.nl/journal/2024/12/22/exporting-photos-fr...
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]

79 points by xmasterdev 1y ago

gerdemb 1y ago

Where is the link? How can iPhone backup directly to an external hard drive?

Amorymeltzer 1y ago
I believe it's this: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/backigo-live-photos-backup/id6746894565 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/backigo-live-photos-backup/id6...
- xmasterdev 1y ago
  Yes, thanks for sharing！
- xmasterdev 1y ago
  Website: https://backigo.app2046.com https://backigo.app2046.com
criddell 1y ago
Plug it in to the USB port on the phone. iPhone Pro can transfer at up to 20 Gbps but the non-pro models are much slower. The iPhone camera can also shoot directly to an attached SSD.
- supportengineer 1y ago
  I have bad news for you, that's not a real iPhone
  - enzanki_ars 1y ago
    This is a real feature of iPhones since the iPhone 15 Pro model. https://support.apple.com/en-in/109041 https://support.apple.com/en-in/109041
- discostrings 1y ago
  > iPhone Pro can transfer at up to 20 Gbps Citation/proof strongly needed on 20 Gbps
  - criddell 1y ago
    Right you are. I was going off my (bad) memory. It’s a 10 Gbps port.

1970-01-01 1y ago

How is this different from iMazing? https://imazing.com/backup-iphone-ipad#:~:text=Choose%20iPhone%20backup%20location https://imazing.com/backup-iphone-ipad#:~:text=Choose%20iPho...

msh 1y ago
It’s more like PhotoSync as it only does photos
tempodox 1y ago
I loved the idea until I saw that it's only available as a subscription.
- deleted 1y ago
  [deleted]
- xmasterdev 1y ago
  Lifetime option available.

keroro 1y ago

How much does it cost?

recury 1y ago
In-App Purchases BackiGo Pro Yearly (1 Year) $6.99 BackiGo Pro Monthly (1 Month) $0.99 BackiGo Pro Lifetime $14.99
- xmasterdev 1y ago
  Thanks for sharing!

er0k 1y ago

I just use rsync, works great

rsync 1y ago
Would you explain how you are using rsync to backup photos on an iPhone ? I'm not aware of an iOS app named "rsync" and ... presumably you don't have a shell ... ?
- slicktux 1y ago
  You can load the IPhone’s pictures on Linux using the folders namespace and then rsync from the loaded namespace to /local…
  - wood_spirit 1y ago
    I use a usb cable and a Linux laptop to copy to a couple of external hard drives (which I store separately). It’s all manual but not too orrenous although i ought backup more often. The biggest hassle is accessing the new heic format on pretty much everything. Could it all be made into a sd card image for a pi zero perhaps? Even with a web ui accessible over Wi-Fi? A basic cheap sync-cable-appliance that non-techies can easily use?
    - rsync 1y ago
      I think I heard that the latest 'rclone' now, finally, support iCloud ... but I think there is an issue there because you can't sync full quality / RAW photos to icloud, can you ?
      - RockRobotRock 1y ago
        rclone has support for iCloud Drive, but it sounds like you are talking about iCloud Photos, which is a different service. This project lets you download from the latter: https://github.com/icloud-photos-downloader/icloud_photos_downloader https://github.com/icloud-photos-downloader/icloud_photos_do...

gaudat 1y ago

>home NAS setups aren't realistic for most users Citation needed. Get a Synology NAS and use their Photos app which backups Live photos on both iDevices and Androids. Buy it for life.

pdxandi 1y ago
I've been doing this for many years and am pretty happy with it. I can sync from my Android and my wife's iPhone. The Photos app is nice and smooth. Backups happen automatically in the background. It can even de-dupe and clean up old photos that have been backed up. All in all, quite pleased with it.
HuwFulcher 1y ago
You’re looking at £300ish for an entry level Synology and the storage. That isn’t a realistic expense for many users.
- Jnr 1y ago
  Over time it saves money. I got a home server and a tiny remote backup server 8 years ago and it runs quite a few services saving me hundreds each month and costing in electricity and hardware (over time) about 15EUR/mo. The longer it runs, the cheaper it is. Most of the updates are automatic so no babysitting required.
thenaturalist 1y ago
Let's be real, that's already far less approachable to 90% of consumers I know. The simples hurdle just being knowledge. The existence of NAS is probably an unknown unkown to a large part of the population. Compare that to "there's an app for that" & plug USB. Drastically simpler. No skin in the game either way, but I can very much understand OPs reasoning and would reach the same conclusion.
kzisme 1y ago
Or checkout https://immich.app/ https://immich.app/ !
michaelraiwet 1y ago

SwamyM 1y ago

I would love this if it allowed me to backup all photos taken with the iPhone to an external drive. Currently, Apple dumps all pictures (from the Camera, from iMessage, WhatsApp, etc.) into folder makes it difficult to backup just my pictures.

xmasterdev 1y ago
Absolutely, you can select specific albums to back up!

jlarocco 1y ago

I wouldn't use it personally, but I could see it being useful for my parents or family. ifuse and rsync works fine for me.

xmasterdev 1y ago
I understand completely. We recognize that not every user is a tech enthusiast, so providing excellent usability for non-technical users is really important to us.

mindwork 1y ago

Would immich work for this? You can run it locally in docker container

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

polymatter 1y ago

Thank you for including a non subscription “lifetime” payment option.

xmasterdev 1y ago
Hope you like it.

mfa1999 1y ago

Will it work with large (huge) photos libraries? Eg. 150k photos/videos - most of them in iCloud. Does it preserve album/folder structure?

xmasterdev 1y ago
Yes, it can handle very large photo and video libraries! Users have reported successfully backing up over 20k photos and videos without issues. I don't have 150k photos and videos for testing. Currently, direct backup of photos and videos stored only in iCloud is not supported. I will consider adding iCloud integration in a future update. The original album and photo information will be preserved. Photos and videos will be organized into backup folders by Device Model/Year/Month.

alain34 1y ago

[dead]

atmosx 1y ago

I am using PhotoSync to backup photos from iPhone to a self-hosted Photoprism via WebDAV (accessible from everywhere via tailscale).

mattfrommars 1y ago

Is this a native IOS app?

xmasterdev 1y ago
Yes

mattfrommars 1y ago

Btw, there is also LocalSend. Pretty nifty app

coldtrait 1y ago
Isn't that to transfer wirelessly to devices?

scriu 1y ago

Can you add a feature to upload to a ftp server?

xmasterdev 1y ago
I will consider it. The current version can backup to a smb file share, is that sufficient for your needs?

WhyNotHugo 1y ago

I wrote a guide on copying photos from an iPhone onto a Linux host: https://whynothugo.nl/journal/2024/12/22/exporting-photos-from-an-iphone/ https://whynothugo.nl/journal/2024/12/22/exporting-photos-fr...

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]