How to Transfer Photos from SD Card to Your iPhone or iPad

Do you have pictures from your last holiday on your DSLR, but you don’t know how to transfer those pictures from its SD Card to your Smartphone. First lets clear one thing out, we all know Apple Products give most priority to security. And it might cross your mind that as you cannot transfer other files and documents using a USB cable to your iPhone, you might also not be able to transfer pictures from your DSLR to your iPhone. But actually you can.

You can import photos and videos from an SD card, digital camera, or another supported accessory to your iOS device using one of these:

But before you start the transfer know that if you have an iPhone 5 or later, it needs iOS 9.2 or later to support the file transfer. If you have an iPod touch or iPhone 4s, it needs iOS 9.3. If you’re using a Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter, you need an iPad with iOS 9.3.

Import photos and videos to your iPhone from SD Card

To import from your SD card or digital camera, follow these steps:

Connect the adapter to your iOS device.
Connect your digital camera to the adapter by USB or insert an SD card.
Photos should automatically open to the Import tab. If it doesn’t, open Photos and tap Import.
Tap Import All to import your content, or tap specific items, then tap Import.
When the import is complete, you might be asked to Keep or Delete the media on the camera or SD card.

You can import content only to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. You can’t export content to an SD card or digital camera.

If you don’t see the import option

If you don’t see the Import tab, follow these steps:

Make sure that your digital camera is on and in the correct mode to export images.
Disconnect the adapter, wait 30 seconds, then reconnect it.
Unplug the digital camera or SD card, wait 30 seconds, then reconnect.
Restart your iOS device and turn your camera off and back on.
If one is available, test with a different digital camera or SD card. If you can import media with a different digital camera or SD card, there might be an issue with the data on the camera or SD card. Try to import the data to another device or computer, then use your digital camera to format—or reset—the SD card. Reformatting will erase all the images on the SD card. Check the manual for your digital camera for more help.

Wrapping Up!

Apple camera adapters can import multiple types of media files from your digital camera or SD card. If the format isn’t compatible with iOS, you won’t be able to view them on your device but can import them to your computer later. Moreover, Apple camera adapters can import only content that was captured by digital cameras. Also, you might not be able to import content that was renamed, edited, or copied to the digital camera or SD card.