iOS 18, iPadOS 18 Developer Beta Users Can Now Format External Drives Via Files App

iPhone and iPad users who are running the developer beta version of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 can now conveniently format external drives using the Files app. While Apple introduced a range of new features at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) 2024, this specific capability to format external drives has gone under the radar. This was reported by SSPDaily.

The latest updates for iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 offer native support for drive formatting, enabling users to format externally connected drives directly through the Files app. This enhancement builds upon the existing erase functionality introduced in iOS 17. Initially, users could only erase the drives connected to their Apple devices, but now they can format them as well, providing a more comprehensive disk utility feature within the Apple operating system.

To format a drive, users simply need to tap and hold on the volume of the external drive and select the Erase option. This action brings up a new menu screen with various format options. Apple offers three formats to choose from: ExFAT, MS-DOS (FAT), and APPS (Apple File System). Additionally, APFS provides further choices, including Case Sensitive or Encrypted format.

According to Apple, APFS is recommended for macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, while MS-DOS (FAT) is compatible with other devices such as PCs and cameras. Our team at Gadgets 360 confirmed the existence of this feature in the iOS 18 Developer Beta update for the iPhone.

Regarding compatibility, Apple has stated that devices from the iPhone XR and newer models, up to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, will receive the iOS 18 update. For iPad users, the compatible models include the iPad Pro (12.9-inch) or later, iPad Air (2019) or later, iPad (2019) or later, and iPad mini (2019).

In conclusion, the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 updates offer an additional and notable enhancement that allows users to format external drives directly through the Files app, improving the disk utility capabilities of Apple's operating system. READ