Ibridge : test of this object created to transfer files from Apple products ?

IBridge is an object created by Leef, an American company founded in 2010. This oddly shaped device connects to a computer and is used to transfer files with an iPhone, iPad or iPod. Equipped with a USB plug as well as an Apple plug, it is in fact a USB key that allows you to copy photos, videos, music and any document from your iPhone, iPad or iPod to a computer and vice versa.

Here is our opinion on this product.

What the iBridge is used for ?

This special Apple USB flash drive with its original design allows you to copy various files in both directions. You can send these from the iPhone to the iBridge or from the iBridge to your phone. It also allows you to play its content from your computer, your Apple device, or your iBridge.

Its cache is easy to position, you just have to force it very slightly until you hear a “click”. However, there is a missing link between the USB key and its cover to avoid losing the latter. Once the items have been copied to the iBridge, simply unplug it and use it like a regular USB stick on your computer, where the iBridge will appear as a USB stick. Besides, if you need to, nothing prevents you from using the iBridge simply to record and store what you want, not necessarily for transferring.

Finally, a third feature allows you to take pictures that will be directly saved on the iBridge. This feature can be interesting when the memory of your iPhone is saturated, if you run out of battery, or simply to take pictures that will be directly readable on a computer without having to make any transfer.

Be sure to use the cache provided with the iBridge. This one will indeed allow you to protect the two plugs, so it is important to use it. Because if the USB plug is quite solid, the Apple model plug is much smaller and obviously more fragile.

This device is faster than a USB key. As an example, for about 1.5 GB of data, the loading time on iBridge is about ten minutes. To delete them (more than 500 photos), it takes just over two minutes.

How to use the device ?

To start, there is no need to turn off your device. Simply plug in the iBridge. The first time you use it, a message will appear on your screen, telling you that the software is not installed in your device. This one will propose you to redirect you on the AppStore in order to remedy it.

The software is free and the installation is fast. Then, some images on your screen will present you the product. To get started, it’s very easy and totally intuitive.

The Leef company has, moreover, planned to insert initially sample files in this USB key in order to help you to understand the functioning and to guide you in your first takes in hands.

Our opinion on the iBridge ?

In concrete terms, owning one is useful because the iBridge is a good complement to the transfer possibilities provided by Apple software such as iTunes and iPhoto. It is easier to use and does not require to be in front of a computer to make a transfer, the Apple device is enough.

Moreover, if the memory of your iPhone, iPad or iPod is saturated, it is possible to transfer photos or videos to the iBridge in order to delete them from your device. It’s always when you need it that you end up with a saturated phone and can’t continue to take photos, for your vacation memories for example.

IBridge also has a function that automatically copies all new photos taken since the last time it was plugged in. The advantage is that no action is required from the user. However, with this possibility, iBridge copies all your photos when you first connect it to your iPhone.

Thus, they will be copied to the Photos folder. If you take photos afterwards, when you reconnect iBridge, only the photos taken last will be copied.

Finally, it is important to know that the iBridge can also be used to order paper prints on automatic machines or from a photographer who may not be equipped to read the images on an iPhone, thanks to its USB plug.

Its weak point is probably, like most tools compatible with Apple products, its price. As an example, in 2016, the iBridge 3, with a capacity of 128 GB, was sold at the Fnac for about a hundred euros. It should also be noted that as the connection is established by WiFi, it is not possible to access the Internet with your phone or tablet while the device is connected, which can sometimes cause problems.

Impossible for example to consult social networks while listening to music. The iBridge is not to be considered as a miracle storage tool either, as it is usually the applications that take up the most space, not the files.

The iBridge is therefore a practical object, to be taken everywhere with you, on vacation or on a walk, so that you are never trapped by memory or battery problems.