Photo & Video

PulseDrive

Copy photos and videos from an iPhone or iPad to a USB-C flash drive.

$1.99

Version 2.2 · Updated October 26, 2026

Available on iPhone & iPad

iPhone
iPad

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About PulseDrive

Back up photos to USB-C drives

Back up before you delete. Keep private files behind a lock.

PulseDrive combines verified photo and video backups, an encrypted file Vault, and ordinary on-device file organization for iPhone and iPad.

Back up your way

Copy media to a writable folder you choose through Files, including a compatible external drive. Start with your library, recent items, large videos, favorites, screenshots, an album, a date range, or your own selection. Back Up What’s New skips unchanged items already verified on that destination.

Check the copy

Choose Basic, Size Match, or Checksum verification. Review a completion receipt with verified items and anything needing attention. A portable manifest travels with each backup so you can import history when reconnecting its destination.

Pause, resume, and restore

Pause safely and resume unfinished work. Follow supported backup progress with a Live Activity. Browse backup files and restore selected photos or videos to Photos. Keep PulseDrive open to finish large transfers; iOS may pause work when background time expires.

A private encrypted vault

Create a separate, password-protected home for personal photos, videos, documents, and other files. Use supported Face ID or Touch ID unlock, organize collections, and configure recovery options. Create encrypted Vault backups and explicitly restore them with the required password or recovery method. Vault files and encryption keys remain separate from ordinary Drive files.

Quick save and my drive

Use Share → PulseDrive from another app to queue a file, then unlock Vault to encrypt the waiting import. My Drive provides ordinary on-device folders, search, sorting, favorites, file previews, and sending or saving a copy. Imports copy selected originals rather than deleting them.

Review before removing

Safe Delete checks file presence and size for its initial list, then reads selected backups again, including stored checksums, before asking Photos to remove anything. Favorites and recent items are protected by default. Nothing is deleted automatically; Photos controls final confirmation and Recently Deleted retention.

Optional weekly encouragement

Explore 110 Scripture references and original reflections in ten themes. Optional weekly reminders start off and let you choose a day and time. NIV passage reading opens an external Bible source; original encouragement is clearly distinguished from Bible quotations.

Your choices

No PulseDrive account or subscription is required. Optional first-party usage analytics start off, with editable privacy choices in Settings and separate returning-use permission. Analytics exclude file contents, filenames, credentials, messages, and precise locations. Use light or dark appearance and layouts that adapt to iPhone and iPad.

A destination you select in iCloud Drive or another cloud-backed provider may sync through that provider. Originals stored only in iCloud Photos may need to download before copying. Keep independent backups of important files.

Highlights

What PulseDrive does best.

01
Choose a USB-C destination folder through Files
02
Copy selected photos and videos into organized folders
03
Skip media that PulseDrive copied before

How it works

Step by step.

Connect a USB-C flash drive and choose its destination folder through Files.
Select the photos and videos you want to copy.
Let PulseDrive organize the copies and skip items it already handled.

Privacy at a glance

What happens to your data.

PulseDrive copies selected Apple Photos items to a storage destination you choose and keeps transfer management information locally. It does not require a PulseDrive account or use a developer-operated cloud or analytics service for this workflow.

Read the full privacy policy

What’s new Version 2.2

Updated October 26, 2026

Added a private encrypted file Vault with recovery options, encrypted Vault backups, and Quick Save imports from other apps.
Added My Drive for on-device files and folders, search, favorites, previews, and sending or saving copies.
Refined Home, drive names and artwork, backup receipts, and quick actions for Back Up New Photos, Open Vault, and Check My Backup.
Added an optional collection of 110 Scripture references and original reflections, with weekly encouragement reminders off by default.
Improved same-name file handling, edited-photo detection, backup proof checks, large-library scanning, pause messages, and Share extension reliability.
Added optional usage-sharing controls. Collection starts off; returning-use measurement remains a separate choice.

FAQ

Common questions

Why is a backup waiting, failing, or unable to find the destination?

Confirm Photos and Files access, that iCloud-only originals are downloaded, the iPhone or iPad has enough power, and the destination is connected, writable, and has free space. Re-select a destination whose saved access expired. Some drive formats and provider behaviors can prevent reliable writes.

How do manifests and verification help?

PulseDrive records local transfer status and writes destination manifests with filenames, paths, sizes, and checksums so completed copies can be checked. A successful transfer is not a permanent guarantee against later drive failure. Open representative files and maintain another independent copy of important photos.

What does Safe Delete remove?

Safe Delete is limited to items you explicitly select after the app verifies the intended destination copies, then Apple Photos presents its deletion confirmation. Deletions normally go to Recently Deleted and can propagate through iCloud Photos. iCloud Photos synchronization alone is not an independent backup.

Who handles App Store billing or refund requests?

Apple processes App Store purchases and eligible refund requests and does not provide PulseDrive with your full payment-card details. Use Apple’s Report a Problem service or Apple Support for a billing or refund request. Contact PulseDrive support for an app-function problem.

What does Clear Backup History remove?

Settings > Advanced Mode > Clear Backup History removes local receipts and duplicate-skip history. It never deletes destination files or manifests. Delete destination copies separately. Uninstalling clears local app history and settings but not backups on an external drive, Files provider, iCloud Drive, Photos, or exported manifests.

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