Getting photos from my phone

ICIT2LOL · Jun 19, 2023

I have a Google Pixel 6Pro phone and am having a heck of a job to get photos downloaded from it to my laptop without mucking around with this app and that permission etc etc So why cannot I just hook up the phone with a USB cable and open the phone to view what is inside it?

MisterEd · Jun 19, 2023

What happens if you try? Hint, the phone's screen must be unlocked.

Stigg · Jun 19, 2023

A USB cable is probably the simplest way, but if you want to do it wirelessly via Wi-Fi, then an FTP server app works great.
But you don't need a dedicated FTP server app as some third party Android file managers have that functionality built-in.

File Manager - XFolder works great. Apart from being a great file manager, if your phone and computer is on the same network, you just click Manage On PC and you can browse and copy all the files on your computer wirelessly. It also supports anonymous login.

By the way... As MisterEd said, your phone needs to be unlocked.

BrianInEngland · Jun 19, 2023

Stigg said:
A USB cable is probably the simplest way, but if you want to do it wirelessly via Wi-Fi, then an FTP server app works great.
But you don't need a dedicated FTP server app as some third party Android file managers have that functionality built-in.

File Manager - XFolder works great. Apart from being a great file manager, if your phone and computer is on the same network, you just click Manage On PC and you can browse and copy all the files on your computer wirelessly. It also supports anonymous login.

By the way... As MisterEd said, your phone needs to be unlocked.

Use OneDrive?

MisterEd · Jun 19, 2023

1. After you connect your phone to your PC with a USB cable look for it in File Explorer.

2. If you double-click on the Phone icon and don't see anything just unlock your phone's screen

3. You will then see the phone's storage. Double-click on the storage where your photos are stored.

4. Scroll down and look for the DCIM folder. Double-click on it.

5. Of interest are the Camera and Screenshots folders. The Camera folder contains your photos.
The Screenshots folder contains your screenshots.

6. Double-click on the Camera folder to view your photos. You can drag-and-drop them onto your desktop.

Try3 · Jun 19, 2023

ICIT2LOL said:
So why cannot I just hook up the phone with a USB cable and open the phone to view what is inside it?

Have you tried?
It works for Android phones but I know nothing about yours.
You might see something similar to the diagrams in MisterEd's post but they are actually for an Android phone's connection not a Google Pixel's connection.
Aren't there Google Pixel support articles & user forums that might explain how to do it?

Best of luck,
Denis

A Guy · Jun 19, 2023

I don't do a lot of pictures on my phone, but when I do, I just email them to myself, then open the email on my PC and download them to desktop

A Guy

glasskuter · Jun 19, 2023

I had a brain toot before it dawned on me you had a Pixel phone. I wrote a response that applied to iphones which I deleted. Using a cloud service is by far easier than mucking around with a cable. I never can find mine.

Edwin · Jun 19, 2023

A cable is probably the easiest. I do it every other month, or so, for transferring files to and from the phone.

Some Android phones need you grant tethering permission, though..., there will be a prompt every time you attach a cable, or, you can set the default, but, you have to enable Developer Options/USB Tethering...

James · Jun 19, 2023

glasskuter said:
I had a brain toot before it dawned on me you had a Pixel phone. I wrote a response that applied to iphones which I deleted. Using a cloud service is by far easier than mucking around with a cable. I never can find mine.

I use iPhone- could you suggest?

Try3 · Jun 19, 2023

Have you seen this?
Transfer files between your computer and Pixel phone - Google

It's almost the same as Android which is hardly surprising.

#5 for an Android be an entry showing in ThisPC instead of a windows of its own.
#6 is not normally needed for an Android since all storage drives will be set for quick releaseby default in Device manager these days.
#7 is always the same, even in the Isle of Wight.

Denis

TraderGary · Jun 19, 2023

glasskuter said:
I had a brain toot before it dawned on me you had a Pixel phone. I wrote a response that applied to iphones which I deleted. Using a cloud service is by far easier than mucking around with a cable. I never can find mine.

Agree. I run OneDrive on my Pixel 7 Pro. I have the OneDrive option set on my phone to upload all photos to cloud OneDrive as I take them. Then whenever I open my browser on either of my computers, there are all my photos, ready and waiting. No effort required. They're just always there!

Ghot · Jun 19, 2023

I haven't had the opportunity to do it yet (waiting for adapter USB-C to USB-A to arrive), but I intend to use the cable.
I "might" email to myself if I'm away from comp for extended period?

I don't like "cloud" services. No matter what we're told, we are storing our things on someone else's computer.
Once, uncompromisable safeguards are in place... then maybe. But I haven't seen those... yet.
To me, that seems like storing my money in someone else's bank account.

Come to think of it... I probably wouldn't have been an early adopter of bank accounts, either.

James · Jun 19, 2023

I use wireless charging, yet have the usb cable for iPhone. I agree with @Ghot as I avoid cloud storage where possible

glasskuter · Jun 19, 2023

James said:
I use iPhone- could you suggest?

There are multiple ways. Transfer files between your iPhone and your computer.

Probably the easiest and most straightforward is setting up icloud drive on your PC. Set up iCloud Drive on all your devices or uploading your photos to onedrive.

It takes a little doing, but I use the file server method through the files app on my phone and ipad to transfer files both directions from PC to ios over my wireless network. I have an extensive media collection on my PC so I also use this method to stream my movies and music from my PC to my ipad in another room.

Share files between PC and iPhone via Windows File Sharing – Software RT

James · Jun 19, 2023

glasskuter said:
There are multiple ways. Transfer files between your iPhone and your computer.

Probably the easiest and most straightforward is setting up icloud drive on your PC. Set up iCloud Drive on all your devices or uploading your photos to onedrive.

It takes a little doing, but I use the file server method through the files app on my phone and ipad to transfer files both directions from PC to ios over my wireless network. I have an extensive media collection on my PC so I also use this method to stream my movies and music from my PC to my ipad in another room.

Share files between PC and iPhone via Windows File Sharing – Software RT

Thank you.
I noticed this on the new Photos app.

I think I will set this up. I will update you on this in a bit!

James · Jun 19, 2023

The method if you use iPhone

This post is only related to the subject for iPhone users- but I have just set up icloud Photos in the new Photos app, on windows, and I am finding it good to use with good reliability and linkage. To set up, you download the icloud app on your PC from the MS store. It is used to sign in, and choose what you want to sync. I only chose photos. Then, in the Photos app you will find all of your iCloud photos from all of your Apple devices, and you can even upload photos from your PC to go to your iPads, iPhones, Apple TV or whatever.

I only have 5GB of cloud storage with iCloud, and with many images and a few documents I have used 1.6GB. I may upgrade to the 50GB of storage for just £0.79 / month, which is the iCloud+ package, adding other features too, like custom domain email. For under £10 per year, this is not a bad deal at all, considering I use a lot of apple tech.

San Martino · Jun 19, 2023

With an Android phone, the easiest is to download Phone Link from the MS Store for your PC & from The Play Store for your phone - no cables needed. Once it is installed on both devices, the setup is straightforward. The phone & the PC link via Bluetooth. Any photo on your phone in Gallery is accessible from your PC.

In addition, you can make phone calls with your phone from your PC & read, create & send texts from your PC

It was very buggy when it first came out, but it seems very stable now. I recently read that a Phone Link app from MS is now available for iPhone in the Walled Garden, but it is only able to make & answer calls, for now.

Phone Link

BrianInEngland · Jun 19, 2023

Phone

San Martino said:
With an Android phone, the easiest is to download Phone Link from the MS Store for your PC & from The Play Store for your phone - no cables needed. Once it is installed on both devices, the setup is straightforward. The phone & the PC link via Bluetooth. Any photo on your phone in Gallery is accessible from your PC.

In addition, you can make phone calls with your phone from your PC & read, create & send texts from your PC

It was very buggy when it first came out, but it seems very stable now. I recently read that a Phone Link app from MS is now available for iPhone in the Walled Garden, but it is only able to make & answer calls, for now.

Phone Link

Phone Link pictures are compressed so although it works it's not ideal for getting original pictures from the phone

James · Jun 19, 2023

San Martino said:
With an Android phone, the easiest is to download Phone Link from the MS Store for your PC & from The Play Store for your phone - no cables needed. Once it is installed on both devices, the setup is straightforward. The phone & the PC link via Bluetooth. Any photo on your phone in Gallery is accessible from your PC.

In addition, you can make phone calls with your phone from your PC & read, create & send texts from your PC

It was very buggy when it first came out, but it seems very stable now. I recently read that a Phone Link app from MS is now available for iPhone in the Walled Garden, but it is only able to make & answer calls, for now.

Phone Link

Phone link works - and does its job, but not without it being buggy. Microsoft should invent a more refined solution, like Apple have. Instead of having the app, just one place for your phone to be - and it feel separated, have a messaging application, a section in file explorer / photos for the photos, and an airdrop sort of thing integrated into the taskbar, perhaps.

Getting photos from my phone

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