On the iPhone 15 Pro (Max), ProCamera enables you to record videos to an external USB-C storage device. It supports all available video codecs for external recording: ProRes, HEVC, H. 264 (the native Camera app only supports ProRes video recordings to be saved to an external drive).
In ProCamera, once your external USB-C drive is connected and meets the technical requirements, all videos, regardless of their settings, will be directly recorded to the external drive.
To record videos directly onto an external USB-C drive with ProCamera on your iPhone 15 Pro (Max), simply connect the external storage device. Once ProCamera recognizes the external storage device, all videos recorded will automatically save to it.
When the drive is correctly connected and ready for use, an indicator will appear on the Capture Screen.
To switch back to recording on the iPhone's internal storage, disconnect the external storage devices. Ensure that all file transfers or recording to the external storage device are complete. Do not remove the device while it's actively being used.
External storage device requirements for recording videos:
- The external storage device must be formatted in APFS or exFAT format. Devices with password encryption are not supported.
- Use a USB 3.0 cable capable of at least 10 Gbps for optimal performance. The app will notify you if the cable is not supported for video recordings.
- The external storage device must support a sufficiently high write speed to save the video during recording. The app will notify you if the external storage device is not supported for video recordings.
- To record 4K at 60 fps ProRes videos on the iPhone 15 Pro (Max), the external device must support at least 220MB/s speed and a maximum power draw of 4.5W.
A universal USB-C card reader with a high-speed SD card is also a viable option.
Saving Photos Directly to External Drives
Currently, ProCamera only supports video recording to external USB-C drives. There is no option to save photos directly to an external drive when it's connected. Photos will default to saving on the iPhone's internal memory. However, you may transfer photo files from the internal memory to an external drive using the native Files app.
External drives power supply
If your iPhone fails to recognize a connected external storage device, particularly a hard drive, the most likely issue is insufficient power. Many external drives require an external power source when used with an iPhone. If your external hard drive doesn't have its own power supply and your iPhone has a USB-C connector, using a powered USB hub can help establish a successful connection.
Using an external storage device with older iPhone models
Please note that direct video recording to external USB-C drives is only supported on the iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max. On older iPhones, external drives can only serve as an indirect storage location, meaning after capture you can share files from ProCamera to the external drive via the "Save to Files" option.
4K ProRes at 60fps requires an external drive
Recording 4K ProRes videos at 60fps (frames per second) is exclusively possible when a supported external USB-C drive is connected. It is not feasible to record 4K at 60 fps ProRes videos directly to the iPhone's internal storage.
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