I added an SD card and USB-A port to my iPhone for $10

At this level, the iPhone and iPad are principally tiny, highly effective computer systems we feature round on daily basis in our pocket, and when Apple lastly made the bounce from Lightning to USB-C (thanks European Union) a number of years in the past, each gadgets all of a sudden grew to become appropriate with a variety of equipment, making them much more PC and Mac-like.

Nonetheless, the iPhone and iPad solely function one single USB-C port, which may typically really feel limiting, particularly when you use your iPad extra like a conventional laptop computer. For instance, what if you wish to cost your iPhone whereas additionally dumping pictures from an SD card you employ in your DSLR? Nicely, you may’t try this. On the iPad facet, perhaps you are wanting to make use of a wired mouse and keyboard with Apple’s pill. Because the iPhone and iPad do not function a USB-A port, you may’t make that occur both.

With that in thoughts, when you’re on the lookout for a technique to plug older equipment into your iPhone or iPad, I’ve discovered a really reasonably priced and easy accent that will get the job completed and works nice.

Use a easy USB dongle

There are numerous choices, however even probably the most primary dongle most likely works nice

If you happen to’re a MacBook person, you are most likely very conversant in residing the “dongle life.” Whereas Apple’s laptops are nice, relying on what mannequin you go for, the port choice could be very limiting, particularly if in case you have a bunch of older USB-A equipment you continue to use. Due to this, lots of people use some type of USB-C dock that options USB-A ports, further USB-C ports, Thunderbolt ports, and in some circumstances, even an SD card slot. In my case, I’ve used CalDigit’s TS3 Plus Thunderbolt dock for a number of years now.

Whereas the TS3 Plus is a bit cumbersome and goes nicely past what most individuals most likely want, it might technically increase your iPhone’s or iPad’s port choice, although it requires its personal energy supply and is not the type of accent anybody would ever wish to carry round with them on the go. What’s extra appropriate for an iPhone or iPad is a compact, easy USB-C or Lightning dongle, with no matter port choice makes probably the most sense for you (there are even magnetic MagSafe dongles on the market now).

Some docks function USB-C ports and a microSD card slot, whereas others would possibly solely supply further USB-A ports. What works greatest for you’ll in the end come all the way down to what sort of equipment you propose to make use of with the iPhone or iPad.

What dongle do I exploit?

This $10 accent will get the job completed completely.

In terms of how I exploit a dongle like this with my iPad or iPhone, it is fairly easy. Generally after I’m taking pictures pictures with my Olympus OD-M E-M1 Mark III DSLR, I wish to instantly edit and submit them on social media. Reasonably than carry my trusty MacBook Professional, I make these fast edits within the Lightroom CC app on my iPhone or iPad. This technique is especially vital if I wish to hold my gear-filled backpack a little bit lighter than regular, one thing I have been pondering so much about as CES 2026 attracts nearer.

With that in thoughts, to get pictures off my DSLR’s microSD card, I first pop it out of its SD card adapter. Subsequent, I slide it into this USB-C SD Card Reader from an organization I’ve by no means heard of earlier than known as, Aidoubara (Amazon is fantastic typically). I then drop the pictures into Lightroom CC on my iPad or iPhone for modifying by deciding on the Lightroom tab, tapping the Add Photographs icon on the backside, and deciding on Related Digicam/Card. The pictures immediately present up, and I will make fast edits to them and save them to my iPhone’s Photograph app library for posting throughout platforms like Instagram, X, Threads, and Bluesky.

The adapter additionally incorporates a USB-A port and a microSD slot, although I do not discover I want to make use of these ports fairly often. Whether or not you discover them helpful will come all the way down to how you propose to make use of the USB-C SD Card Reader for iPhone.