iPad Storage: How to Back Up & Share iPad Photos & Videos Without A Computer


A student in one of my iPad workshops recently asked me this question.
How can I back up photos and videos on my iPad without using a computer?
Here are three storage solutions for backing up and sharing iPad or iPhone photos and videos.

iCloud
Perhaps the best way to back up and share photos and videos from your iPad without a computer is to use iCloud. Videos and photos you take with your iPad or iPhone can be automatically backed up using the Photo Sharing feature of Apple’s iCloud service. You get 5GB of iCloud storage for free. The best part is that these photos and videos don’t use any of that 5GB.

iCloud Photo Sharing FAQs
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5902

Shared Photo Streams FAQs
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5903

Once these items are on iCloud, you can share them with others or show them on an HDTV using Apple TV.

https://www.apple.com/icloud/icloud-photo-sharing.html

Note that My Photo Stream and Shared Photo Stream (Photo Sharing) are not the same. My Photo Stream stores up to 1000 photos for only 30 days. Shared Photo Streams are a more permanent storage solution. This article explains the difference.

Online Backup
You can also use other online storage (cloud) services to store your photos.
Dropbox is a popular service and offers 2GB of free storage when you sign up. You can turn on the automatic photo upload feature in the Dropbox mobile app to get up to 3GB of extra space.
Flickr easily bests Dropbox and most other online storage services with 1 terabyte of free storage. That’s over 500,000 typical digital photos. Learn more about Flickr photo storage.

Wireless Hard Drives
A number of companies make external wireless hard drives that allow you to move photos and videos to and from your iPad.
The Seagate Wireless Plus External Hard Drive gets good reviews:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/seagate-wireless-plus-external-hard-drive/
Kingston also makes a wireless hard drive:
http://www.kingston.com/us/wireless/wireless_drives
SanDisk also has a line of wireless drives, including a wireless flash drive.
http://www.sandisk.com/products/wireless/


About Andy Brovey

Dr. Andy Brovey, The Portable Prof, teaches about digital tools through his work, websites and social media. In 2007, Apple Inc. recognized his work and named him an Apple Distinguished Educator. He started this iPad Academy website shortly after the first iPad went on sale. On his Freelance Teaching site you'll find the resources you need to teach like a smart entrepreneur.