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Running out of phone storage? This flash drive plugs right into your phone and frees up space

Smartphones are increasingly offering more storage because we need it. Between all the social media apps, music, emails and photos, there’s a lot stored on these tiny devices. But if you’re anything like me, your photos and videos may take up the most room — so much so that you need to look for extra storage. Sure, you can store all of your things in the cloud, but if you want a physical device that’s easy to access and requires no logging in, you may want to try a flash drive.

These days, most people use digital storage to transfer files and store photos and documents. However, if you don’t want to remember another password, if you have sensitive information you’re worried about getting hacked or you just don’t want to pay for more storage — a flash drive or memory stick is the way to go. In fact, something like the SanDisk iXpand fits into most iPhones with a lightning port and over 13,000 Amazon shoppers say it’s the best flash drive for iPhone users. One Amazon reviewer called it a “life saver.”

Available in three storage sizes, starting at $29.98.

$30 at Amazon

“Didn’t have enough space on my phone and didn’t want to keep paying for useless iCloud storage,” the reviewer explained. “An Apple tech recommended I get this. No computer needed as it goes straight on your phone, no difficulty lengthy set up, just downloaded the app and everything started transferring right away.”

The SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive can back up your phone and makes it easy to transfer any files to your computer. It’s available in three storage sizes: 64GB, 125GB and 256GB. For reference, the iPhone 14 holds anywhere from 128GB to 512GB of storage space, depending on the model you choose.

Simply download the iXpand iOS app, plug the flash drive into your phone, and start your data transfer. If you want to transfer your photos, files and more digital content to your computer, swivel the lighting connector around and there’s a USB connector on the other side to plug into a PC or Mac computer. Of course, you can password-protect your files on the flash drive as well.

Credit: Amazon
Credit: Amazon

If you’re someone who shoots a lot of videos, you can even set it up to shoot videos on your phone and store them directly onto the iXpand Drive to free up space as you go.

Some other things to note is that the SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive works for iPhones (not Androids) due to its lightning connector. It should connect to all models from the iPhone 5 to the latest iPhone 14. The USB-C Port will connect to Mac or PC computers. The drive also has a convenient key ring attached to it, so you can keep it with you wherever you go.

“I have bought three different brands of iPhone USB flash drives and this fourth one, SanDisk, is the only one that really works the best,” wrote another Amazon reviewer. “Easy to transfer iPhone photos and videos to USB thumb drive or store directly from the camera to flash memory on the go. Gets my highest tech rating.”

This was super easy to use,” wrote another. “I didn’t even have to read the directions. Just make sure to download the app. I plugged it into my iPhone and was able to backup 11,000 photos in about 1 hour time. Uploading it into my computer was just as easy. Works exactly as intended and as a flash drive should.”

So whether you’re transferring large files, photos, videos or more, the SanDisk iXpand Flash Drive can give you the extra storage capacity to hold onto it all — bonus points for how easy it is to use.

Available in three storage sizes, starting at $29.98.

$30 at Amazon

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