1. Image Capture Says Please Unlock Iphone 8
2. Image Capture Says Please Unlock Iphone

After reading this article, you will learn all the workable ways on how to transfer photos from iPhone to external hard drive on Windows or Mac. Apply one of the methods to back up your iPhone photos to external hard drive within minutes.

1. If your iPhone's camera roll is getting a bit out of hand and taking up a lot of space, you'll need to mass delete some photos. The Sweet Setup reminds us that the quickest way to do that on a Mac.
2. Many iPhone users are bothered by these problems: when trying to import photos via Finder, Image Capture, or Mac Photos app, the application says please unlock your iPhone. But iPhone is already unlocked, 100 percentage sure.

Deleting photos from your iPhone or iPad via Image Capture. So if you want to use Image Capture on your Mac to quickly and easily delete photos or videos from your iOS device, you’ll want to follow these steps: 1) Plug your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad into your Mac with the USB sync cable. Nov 20, 2018 How to Solve: Image Capture (not working) 'Please unlock iPhone' error. Please let me know if this works for you.

Compared with the size of an iPhone storage, the capacity of an external hard drive is generally much larger. Common external hard drives from Seagate, Western Digital, and Toshiba range from 500GB to 2TB. In addition to the large storage capacity, external hard drives also have the advantages of an excellent read and write speed, high portability, long life, and more. Thus, it's reasonable that an external hard drive is the choice of many users when they want to back up their iPhone photos.

Then how to transfer photos from iPhone to external hard drives on Windows or Mac? Here are the answers:

How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive in 5 Ways

To transfer photos on your iPhone to an external hard drive on a Windows PC or Mac, you have five ways to choose from. After you learn the tips in detail, you will know which one fits your needs best. Whether you want to transfer photos from iPhone directly to an external hard drive or get photos from iPhone to the external storage device without using a USB cable, you can find the way you need from the paragraphs below.

Method 1. How to Back Up iPhone to External Hard Drive with EaseUS MobiMover

Do you want to transfer all photos from your iPhone to the external hard drive at once? Do you want to copy other files like videos, audio files, messages, books, and more together with the pictures from your iPhone to the external drive to make a backup? If you do, the iOS data transfer software - EaseUS MobiMover will help.

EaseUS MobiMover supports the data transfer between two iOS devices and between an iOS device and a computer (PC or Mac). Thus, it also allows you to transfer files between an iOS device and an external storage device like an external hard drive, USB flash drive, SD card, and more.

To transfer photos from iPhone to external hard drive on Windows or Mac:

Note: Before the transfer starts, go to 'More' > 'Settings' in EaseUS MobiMover to change the storage path according to your needs.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone to PC running Windows 7 or later. Run EaseUS MobiMover and click 'Phone to PC' on the screen. Then, click the 'Next' button to continue.

Step 2. Check the category/categories you want to transfer from your iPhone to PC running Windows 10/8/7. As you can see, you can copy other supported files together with photos from your iPhone to PC at once.

Step 3. Now, click the 'Transfer' button to transfer the photos from iPhone to your PC in one-click. If you've customized the storage path, find the files there. If not, you can check them on your desktop.

If the photos are lost on your iPhone someday in the future, you can use this tool to transfer photos back to your iOS device from the external hard drive.

Except for iOS data transfer, EaseUS MobiMover also allows you to download online videos to your computer or iPhone/iPad for offline watching. Isn't it great? Get it now and make it your good helper.

Method 2. How to Move All Photos from iPhone to an External Hard Drive on Windows or Mac with the Photos App

On Windows 8 and Windows 10, there is a built-in app on PC called Photos, which will help you manage the photos on the computer and import photos from a folder or a USB device to PC.

On Mac OS X 10.10.3 or later, there is also an app called Photos. It's the replacement of iPhoto in earlier versions. The Photos app enables you to transfer photos from iPhone to Mac using a USB cable. And thus, it will also allow you to transfer photos from iPhone to external hard drive on Mac.

To import photos from iPhone to an external drive on PC:

Step 1. Connect the external hard drive to your computer. Unlock your iPhone and connect your device to PC running Windows 10 or Windows 8. (Make sure the external storage device can be recognized by the computer.)

Step 2. When a prompt appears on your iPhone asking you for permission, click 'Allow'.

Step 3. On your PC, open the 'Photos' app and click 'Import' > 'From a USB device' to let Photos find the items on your iPhone.

Step 4. After finding all the photos and videos on your iOS device, there will be a window in Photos asking to select the items you want to import. Select the photos you want to transfer.

Step 5. Then click 'Import setting' > 'Change the import destination', choose a location on your external hard drive, and then click 'Done'.

Step 6. Click 'Import Selected' to start transferring photos from iPhone to the external hard drive.

To transfer photos from iPhone to external hard drive on Mac:

Step 1. Connect your iPhone and the external hard drive to the Mac.

Step 2. Run Photos for Mac, go to the 'Devices' section and select your iOS device.

Step 3. Click the 'Import to' option and choose to save the imported photos to the external drive.

Step 4. Click 'Import All New Photos' or select the photos you want to transfer to the Mac and then click 'Import [number] Selected'.

Method 3. How to Back Up iPhone Photos to External Hard Drive Using iCloud

The last way that is suitable for both Windows and Mac users is to use iCloud Photos. By enabling iCloud Photos on both your iPhone and the computer, you can transfer your iPhone photos to the computer, and then download the items to the external hard drive.

To upload photos from iPhone to an external hard drive via iCloud:

Step 1. Turn on iCloud Photos on iPhone: Go to 'Settings' > [your name] > 'iCloud' > 'Photos' and switch on 'iCloud Photos'.

Step 2. Turn on iCloud Photos on the computer.

• Download and install iCloud for Windows.
• Sign in with the Apple ID you use on the iOS device. (You need to make sure you are using the same Apple ID on the iPhone and PC.)
• Click the 'Options' button next to Photos and check the 'iCloud Photo Library' and the 'Download new photos and videos to my PC' options. Then click 'Change' under 'Download new photos and videos to my PC' to change the default location as your external hard drive.
• Click 'Done' > 'Apply'.

Step 3. After the syncing process, the photos on your iPhone will be transferred to the external hard drive successfully.

The three ways above are applicable for both Mac and PC users. Other than these solutions, there are two more tips available. One is for Windows users and the other for Mac users:

Method 4. How to Transfer Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive on Windows PC via File Explorer

Using File Explorer in Windows 10 or Windows Explorer in Windows 8/7 is an exclusive solution for Windows users. With File Explorer, you can copy the photos to an external hard drive directly without any software installation. However, you can only transfer photos in the DCIM folder, which contains the photos taken by the iPhone camera only. Thus, the photos from other sources or albums won't be imported using File Explorer. If you attempt to transfer photos from all albums, try the other solutions instead.

Step 1. Unlock your iPhone and connect the iPhone and the external hard drive to your Windows PC using a USB cable. (Make sure the USB cable is a good one.)

Step 2. Then a prompt will pop up on your iPhone asking for your permission. Click 'Allow' to continue.

Step 3. Go to 'This PC' > 'Apple iPhone' > 'Internal Storage' > 'DCIM' > '100APPLE' and you will see all the photos in your iPhone Camera Roll.

Image Capture Says Please Unlock Iphone 8

Step 4. Copy the photos on your iPhone and paste them to the external hard drive. By doing so, you can back up photos from your iPhone to the external hard drive easily and quickly.

Method 5. How to Import Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive on Mac via Image Capture

Image Capture is a program on Mac that enables users to take pictures and upload photos to Mac from digital cameras, iOS devices, and other devices that have a camera. Therefore, you can move photos and videos to an external storage device from your iPhone/iPad with the help of Image Capture.

Step 1. Connect your devices to the computer.

Step 2. Unlock the iPhone and trust the computer.

Step 3. Open 'Image Capture' on your Mac and choose your iPhone from in the 'Devices' section.

Step 4. Click the 'Import To' pop-up menu, then choose to save the images to your external hard drive.

Step 5. Choose 'Import All' to transfer all the items or select the photos you want to transfer and click 'Import'.

Can You Transfer Photos from iPhone to External Hard Drive Directly Without a Computer

I know many of you want to transfer photos from iPhone to external hard drive directly without using a computer. But is it possible? The answer is 'No.'

However, there is a solution for you to transfer iPhone photos to an external storage device wirelessly, which is to use the iOS photo stick. The photo stick is generally a USB flash drive (not external hard drive) with a maximum capacity of 128GB. You can connect your iPhone with such a USB drive and transfer photos and videos to the storage device directly without a computer. But compared with a hard drive, the capacity the much smaller and thus is not an ultimate solution for data backup.

The Bottom Line

These are the proven ways to transfer photos from iPhone to external hard drive. And all of them can be applied to transfer photos from iPhone to computer. Carry out the one best suited to your need to apply.

How to unlock iPhone to import photos? Many iPhone users are bothered by these problems: when trying to import photos via Finder, Image Capture, or Mac Photos app, the application says please unlock your iPhone. But iPhone is already unlocked, 100 percentage sure.

If you have already tried to replug iPhone, update the device or update the mac system, reset system settings, and many other regular troubleshooting methods, but the problem still exists. Here are another five methods that are proved to be working.

Method 1. Tick Backup to This Mac instead of iCloud (Finder Settings)

Here is a success story from some users. They find that the backup setting in Finder is set to 'Back up your most important data on your iPhone to iCloud'. This could leads to Mac's false message that keeps asking you to unlock your iPhone, even if the device is already unlocked. Instead, you should changes the backup method to backup on the computer. Here is the simple tutorial:

Step 1. Unlock your iPhone and USB-connect it to a Mac.

Image Capture Says Please Unlock Iphone

Step 2. Open Finder, pair your iPhone to Finder, and click your device.

Step 3. Under General, Tick 'Backup up all of the data on your iPhone to this Mac'.

Method 2. Take a New Picture to Let Finder Know There is Something New

Some users find out a workaround to deal with this false unlock iPhone message issue:
Simply unlock your iPhone, and take a new picture.

And the reason behind this is, Mac Finders might mistakenly think there were no photos to import or sync.

To illustrate, as you have synced iPhone with Mac previously, so that all those photos were synced to the Mac, and when you plug in iPhone this time, either Finder or the Mac Photos app detect that there is nothing new to sync in terms of photos.

Consequently, it uses a rather misleading message to ask you to unlock iPhone. On Pre-Catalina macOS, the situation might use another message, such as 'No Photos' on the App screen.

So, after you taking a new photo, either Finder or the Photos app realizes that you do have photos in the camera roll to sync. The Unlock message would be gone then.

Method 3. Turn off iCloud Photo Library on Your iPhone

Even though you thought you never enabled iCloud photo library, there could be chances that the option is already toggled on: the iOS upgrade might automatically turn on iCloud syncing, without you noticing it.

Check it here: iPhone settings > Tap your name on the top > iCloud, and tap into the photos section.

A little more explanation: iTunes syncing and iCloud syncing are by large mutual-exclusive. That means when you enable iCloud photo syncing, you cannot use iTunes photo syncing.

Method 4. Delete the Corrupted Lockdown Folder Files

Another possible culprit is related to the lockdown folder.

Previously, when your iPhone works properly on Mac, you knew how the whole process goes: you unlock your iPhone, and Mac says you should trust this computer on iPhone. You tap that Trust option, and then you shall be able to access iPhone content from Mac.

Each time you tap trust this Mac, the authorization will create files in the lockdown folder. When it is corrupted somehow, you might see Finder asks you to unlock your iPhone, even though it's already locked.

So what you can do now is to delete that corrupted lockdown folder. And you won't need to worry about the deletion, because next time when you plug in your iPhone and trust the computer, it will recreate new files for the lockdown folder.

Make sure to unplug your iPhone, and follow these steps:

Step 1. Go to /private/var/db/lockdown/ on Mac.

Note: you cannot directly find it in Finder. Press shift+ Command + G to call out the go-to option, then copy and paste the path.

Step 2. Delete the lockdown folder.

Step 3. Unlock your iPhone and plug it to Mac.

Method 5. Update or Reinstall the Apple Mobile Device Driver

This method is a regular step to troubleshoot iTunes not recognizing iPhone error, and it also helps if you are using Finder on macOS Catalina. Below are detailed steps:

For Windows users:

Step 1. Unlock your iPhone screen, unplug and replug it to the computer. Make sure iTunes is not running.

Step 2. Open the Device Manager window (right-click the Windows button, or searcd Device Manager in Start menu).

Step 3. Right click your device and hit update driver.

If you still cannot solve the problem, go further reading this article with more solutions to iPhone connection error.

For Mac users:

Step 1. Unlock your iPhone/iPad screen, and USB-connect it to the computer.

Step 2. Press down the Option Key and hit the Apple menu. You shall see System Information (or System Report on some macOS version).

Step 3. In the newly opened window, scroll down and go to USB.

Step 4. If you see iPhone is listed in this section, go install the lasted updates of macOS.

Update or download the Apple Mobile Device driver shall solve the connection error. However, if Finder still says you need to unlock your iPhone to import photos and other content, try methods 1 to 4 above.