How to Transfer Photos from SD Card to iPhone/iPad

After getting a new iPhone 13 or iPhone 12 device, how can you import photos from SD card to iPhone? The most common method is to connect SD card to iPhone via a special adapter or reader. Normally, you can export photos from an SD card, digital camera, or other supported accessories to your iPhone or iPad device with the help of Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader or Lightning to USB Camera Adapter. Or you can also transfer photos from SD card to iPhone with computer — copy the photos from SD card to computer, and then sync the photos from your computer to iPhone/iPad via iTunes. It may sound easy to move pictures and photos, but the real problem is that the old photos you synced to your iPhone/iPad will be erased during the iTunes-syncing process.

Besides, these methods can be a little bit complicated to complete, especially for Apple newbies. And there are many reasons why photos won’t import from SD card to iPhone or iPad. Thus, in this post, we will introduce another new way to transfer photos from SD card to iPhone/iPad. Keep reading and see if this article could give a hand.

How to Transfer Photos From SD Card to iPhone/iPad with Adapter

Apple adapter can be your good choice when you are inconvenient to use computer to export pictures form SD card to iPhone device. It allows you to import photos from SD card to iPhone anytime and anywhere. It can also help you if the iPad won’t import photos from SD card.

You can choose one of the following tool to import pictures from your SD card or digital camera:

• Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader
• Lightning to USB Camera Adapter
• Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter
• Apple USB-C to SD Card Reader

What you should do:

1. Connect your iPhone to SD Card Camera Reader
2. Insert the SD card to the SD Card Camera Reader
3. You will see photos automatically open to the Import tab then. If it doesn’t, open “Photos” and tap “Import”.
4. Tap Import All or specific items to import your content.
5. After the import process completes, you may be asked to Keep or Delete the media on the SD card. Please make your choice.

However, this method also has some limitations. Please read the following notes carefully to determine whether it works on your device.

How to Transfer Photos from SD Card to iPhone/iPad without Adapter

As you can see the prerequisite is that you should have an Apple adapter and reader to get SD card and iOS device connected. What if you didn’t buy such an adapter or if you fail to see the “import” tab when you start to transfer?

AnyTrans is what you are looking for. As an all-in-one iOS content manager, it can help you get pictures from SD card to iPhone with 100% Safe & Security. It will keep the moved pictures in good quality and won’t erase the existing photos or videos on your iOS device. Besides photos and videos, it can also transfer other data involving contacts, music, text messages, apps and other data from other mobile device or accessories. It supports the recent iPhone 13 and iPhone 12 series as well as iPad devices.

Now, free download AnyTrans and check what AnyTrans can do for you.

Step 1. Download AnyTrans and launch it on your computer and insert the SD card into the card reader on your computer. > Connect your iPhone/iPad to computer with a USB cable > Choose Device Manager > Click “+ Add Content to Device” button.

Step 2. Choose “My Photos” at the left panel and click on the “+ Add” button to add photos from the SD card.

Step 3. Choose the photos you want to transfer from the SD card. Then Click Open to transfer them to your iPhone/iPad.

Also Read: How to Transfer Photos from Flash Drive/USB to iPhone >

How to Transfer Photos from SD Card to iPhone/iPad with Computer

When it comes to importing photos to iPhone/iPad, iTunes is another convenient tool you can try. However, as we all know,  iTunes only supports one-way synchronization, which means that once you sync photos to your iPhone, the current media data on your iPhone may possibly be erased and replaced.

And if you have already turned on iCloud Photos on your new iPhone, to sync photos with iTunes, you have to turn the iCloud Photos off. Once you turned off iCloud photos, all your iCloud photos on your iPhone would be erased. You can also choose to download them all to your iPhone, which would take a lot of storage on your iPhone.

Step 1. Insert the SD card into the card reader on the computer > Connect your iPhone or iPad to the computer via USB cable > Launch iTunes on your computer.

Step 2. Click on the Device icon > Select Photos under Settings section > Check the box next to “Sync Photos”.

Step 3. Select the folder where you want to sync photos on your Mac/PC > Click Apply to transfer the SD card to iPhone.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, AnyTrans can help you move pictures from SD card to your iPhone 12/12 pro/12 pro max/12 mini and iPad with just a few clicks. Why Not Have a Free Try on AnyTrans? If you have any other questions on this guide or AnyTrans, please feel free to leave a comment or to contact us via email.