How do I access iOS camera pictures on Ubuntu?

Ubuntu 18.04 / iOS 11.4

This version of Ubuntu has the latest libimobiledevice (at the time of release) so it supports iOS 11.4. There is a propblem with the Gnome integration, though. It shows the Documents folder (app folders). In addition to the tip below by @diego, here's a simple way to get to the pictures folder (this works if the iOS Documents show up for you but not the pictures):

  • Open the iDevices Documents folder in Nautilus.
  • Press CTRL+L to get the real address which will look like afc://YOURSERIAL:3/
  • Remove trailing colon and number and press ENTER (i.e. it should just read afc://YOURSERIAL)

You should now see your iDevices system folders, including DCIM.

Ubuntu 17.04 / iOS 10.3.3

As a workaround, you can mount your iOS device with ifuse.

sudo apt install ifuse

Now connect your device and make sure it is paired with your computer.

idevicepair validate

If you get a SUCCESS message, you are good, if not run idevicepair pair. Now you can use ifuse to mount your iOS images folder:

mkdir ~/pics && ifuse ~/pics

The images are now available in your $HOME folder under pics. Ready to be synced with Shotwell. To unmount the folder, use fusermount:

fusermount -u ~/pics && rmdir ~/pics

Note: in this example I create a pics folder and remove it afterwards. If you already have a folder named like this, choose a different name.


If you see the serial number of your iPhone as a result of

dmesg|grep SerialNumber:

then you can use the hotkey Ctrl-L in Files and point it to

afc://YOURSERIALNUMBER/DCIM

where the iPhone photos reside.

I did not have to create or mount any extra folders.

Tags:

Ios

Iphone