Sharing
The Sharing tab is the heart of Everdisk. It is where you turn your iPhone or iPad into a wireless drive, choose exactly what you want to share, and get the addresses other devices use to connect. This is the first tab you see when you open the app.
Start and stop sharing
In the middle of the Sharing screen is a large round button.
- Tap Start to bring all of your enabled servers online at once. The button shows Starting…, then Stop once sharing is live.
- Tap Stop to take everything offline again. Connected devices are disconnected.
While sharing is running, your chosen files, photos and music are available to any device on the same network that connects using one of the four methods below.
Sharing runs only while the app is open. See Keep the app open near the end of this page for why, and how to keep large transfers going.
Choose what to share
Before you start, tap the What to Share header to open three groups. You can share any mix of them, and you must choose at least one thing before sharing can start.
Files and Folders
- Your app’s own Documents folder is shared by default. You can stop sharing it if you prefer.
- Tap Add Folder to share a folder from anywhere on your device, or Add File to share individual files.
- Each shared item has an Info button and a Stop Sharing button.
Photos and Videos
- Turn on Allow access to all Photos Library to share your whole photo and video library, or
- Tap Add Photos to hand-pick only the photos and videos you want to share.
Music
- Turn on Allow access to all Music Library to share your whole music library, or
- Tap Add Tracks to share only selected songs.
- Tracks that are protected (DRM) or stored only in the cloud can’t be shared.
If you try to start with nothing selected, Everdisk shows a Nothing to Share note. If you change what is shared while sharing is running, Stop and Start again to apply the change.
The four servers
Everdisk shares the same content four ways at once. Each one is designed for a different kind of device, and each can be turned on or off in Settings → Sharing → Connections. By default all four are on.
- TV & Media Center (DLNA) - for smart TVs and media players. They discover your device by itself and show your photos, videos and music, with preview thumbnails.
- Browser (HTTP) - for any phone, tablet or computer. The other person opens a link in a web browser to browse and download your files. Nothing to install.
- Computer (WebDAV) - for a Mac, Windows PC or Linux machine. Your device appears as a normal network drive so you can drag files in both directions.
- Other Apps & Devices (FTP) - for file apps and power users that speak FTP.
For step-by-step connection instructions for each type, see Connect Your Devices.
How to Connect and connection addresses
After you tap Start, the How to Connect section shows a card for each active server with the exact address to type on the other device. Each address is easy to copy - tap it to copy, use the Share button to send it, or tap the info (ⓘ) button for detailed, per-protocol instructions.
- The DLNA card shows a device-description address that ends in
/device-desc.xmlfor players that ask for one. - When your device is plugged into a Mac with a cable, an extra address appears with a Cable Connection badge that uses your device’s
.localname.
You can also open the address as a QR code so another device’s camera can jump straight to it.
Who is connected
The Who is Connected section lists the devices currently connected to you in real time. Tap the more-actions button next to any device to Block this device if you don’t recognize it. Blocked devices are managed in Access & Privacy.
Your device name and avatar
Every device has a friendly name (like “Speedy-Hare”) and a colored avatar. This is the name a TV, computer or other app shows for your device on the network, so it is easy to pick out. You can regenerate the name and avatar for free, or set a custom name, icon or photo avatar with Premium. See Settings.
Sharing over Wi-Fi or a USB cable
Sharing can run in two situations:
- Over Wi-Fi - your device and the other devices are on the same Wi-Fi network.
- Over a USB cable - your device is plugged into a Mac with a cable, even when there is no Wi-Fi at all. This is faster than Wi-Fi and keeps working on a plane, in a hotel, or on a locked network.
If neither Wi-Fi nor a cable is available, the Start button is disabled and a No Wi-Fi Connection note appears. If the connection drops while sharing, Everdisk stops sharing automatically and lets you know. Tap the info button on any of these notes for a full explanation.
Keep the app open
Because your iPhone or iPad is acting as the server, sharing works only while Everdisk is open on screen. If you close the app or lock the device for a long time, the system can pause the app and sharing stops.
For large transfers:
- Keep Everdisk open and in the foreground.
- Plug your device into power.
- Set Auto-Lock to Never in the iOS Settings app while you transfer.
You can turn on Notify before disconnecting (in Settings → Sharing) so Everdisk reminds you to reopen the app before the system suspends it. Tap the info button on the Keep the app open banner for more detail.
Next steps
- Connect Your Devices - connect a TV, computer, browser, phone, or USB cable.
- Access & Privacy - add a password and control editing.
- Settings - turn servers on or off and tune quality.