My parents came over to our place last weekend and the entire family went for a weekend trip. As usual, we took plenty of photos on my DSLR. Now, after the holidays, I was faced with the simple task of transferring the files to our family WhatsApp group just so that each one of us has the photos directly on our mobile device rather than downloading it from cloud storage or a Facebook album. Had it been an Android, I would have transferred the files to the SD card via a data cable and then transferred them using WhatsApp. But for the month I was using my iPhone and a simple task became a struggle for me. Even the iTunes photo syncing didn’t work, as WhatsApp, or any other similar apps only take Camera Roll as a source of photos and adding any additional album using iTunes would not reflect.
Adding Photos to iOS Camera Roll
So finally I figured out a way that a user can transfer photos from PC directly to the Camera Roll and then share it using the various social apps installed on the iOS device. So let’s see some step by step instructions on how to easily transfer any photo directly to the iOS Camera Roll from Windows. Step 1: Download and install a free app called Drop2Roll from the App Store. The app is free but quite old, and hasn’t been updated for quite some time. However, I have tested it on iOS 8.1.1 and it solves the issue in question. Step 2: Connect the device and the computer from which you want to transfer the files to the same Wi-Fi network. If you don’t have a local Wi-Fi access point, you can check out our guide on how to host a personal hotspot using a laptop. Step 3: Once the computer and iPhone are connected to the same network, launch theDrop2Roll on the iPhone. The app will give you an FTP URL, which you can access using a computer. Step 4: Now open the Windows run box, type in the FTP address provided in the app and launch it. The FTP should open in Windows Explorer. Note: If the FTP folder opens in Internet Explorer, click on the View option and select View in Explorer. Step 5: After the FTP folder opens up in the Windows Explorer, copy all the photos you wish to transfer to your Camera Roll and you will be able to see all of them getting updated on the iOS app in real time. Step 6: Now all you need to do is tap the Import Now button on the app to import all the photos to the camera roll. The importing might take time depending upon the number of photos, but once done, the app will close automatically.
Conclusion
So that was how you can transfer photos from any computer to the iOS Camera Roll easily without involving iTunes. You can then share these photos through various apps installed on your device. The process is wireless and hence can be performed using any computer running on any platform. So try it out and let me know how much of your time was saved. The above article may contain affiliate links which help support Guiding Tech. However, it does not affect our editorial integrity. The content remains unbiased and authentic.
