ORIGINALS · USB OR WI-FI · VERIFIED
Exfil support
Exfil copies original photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad or Mac to a phone over your own Wi-Fi, or USB on a Mac, and checks every file with SHA-256. No account, no servers, and nothing to install on the phone.
Email jon@jonathanng.comPlease include the app version, your iPhone, iPad or Mac and its OS version, and what went wrong. For a connection issue, say which phone you’re using and how you connect (Wireless debugging, adb tcpip or USB). For a transfer issue, include the matching lines from the log. A screenshot helps; remove personal information before sending.
Common questions
How do I connect a phone?
On the phone, turn on Developer options, open Wireless debugging and choose Pair device with pairing code. In Exfil, enter the phone’s IP address, pairing port and six-digit code, then choose Pair. Close the pairing dialog on the phone, enter the separate port shown on the main Wireless debugging screen, and connect. Both devices must be on the same Wi-Fi.
What if the phone doesn’t have Wireless debugging?
Turn on USB debugging in Developer options, plug the phone into a computer with Platform Tools (adb) installed, tap Allow on the phone, and run adb tcpip 5555. Unplug it and enter the phone’s IP address in Exfil. Run the command again after each restart of the phone. This connection isn’t encrypted, so use a network you trust and turn it off in Exfil’s Settings when you’re done.
How do I use USB on a Mac?
Install Platform Tools (adb), start its server once from Terminal with adb start-server, plug in the phone and tap Allow on “Allow USB debugging?”. Then choose USB or Automatic as the transport. USB is much faster than Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi never needs adb.
Exfil can’t reach the phone.
Check that both devices are on the same Wi-Fi and that Exfil is allowed under Privacy & Security ▸ Local Network in Settings. If the phone’s IP address changed, pair again; if only the port changed, update the connection port. On a Mac, Help ▸ Can’t connect runs each check and says what to fix.
What does “In library” mean? Are my photos backed up?
In library means the file was verified with SHA-256, moved into its folder on the phone and scanned into the phone’s media library, so its gallery can see it. Cloud backup happens on the phone and Exfil can’t see it, so check there before deleting anything.
Where do files go on the phone?
Into DCIM/Exfil by default. You can choose another folder in Settings, as long as it’s inside DCIM so the phone’s gallery can see it. Exfil never overwrites an existing file.
Does Exfil delete anything?
Never your originals. Exfil lists what it put on the phone, and you can choose copies to delete from there. It checks each file’s SHA-256 first and refuses anything that has changed. Forgetting a finished transfer only removes it from the app; the file stays on the phone.
How does the purchase work?
Exfil is free for your first 50 transfers and 3 whole-folder adds, counted across your devices. The one-time Exfil Unlock removes both limits and adds a keep-screen-awake option on iPhone and iPad. There is no subscription, and it’s shared with your family through Family Sharing. Restore Purchases is in Settings. For billing issues or refunds, use Apple’s purchase support.
Where is my transfer history?
On your devices and, when you’re signed in to iCloud, in your own private iCloud, so your iPhone, iPad and Mac share one history. Turn it off in Settings ▸ iCloud. Your photos are never part of it.