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My iPad Pro (9.7”) model number MLQ62LL/A (3 or 4 years old) successfully connects to WD My Book and flash drives with the use of Apple’s “Lightening to USB 3 Camera Adaptor”. However, I can’t get the iPad to connect successfully to a WD My Passport or to a WD Elements using the same adaptor. Does anyone have a solution to this WD My Passport WD Elements problem?
iPad Pro, iOS 13
Is this My Passport drive one that has a spinning hard drive in it? If so, it would probably be that the iPad does not provide enough power to spin the drive and read/write it. You may be able to get it to work if you use the adapter that provides a port to connect a lightning cable to provide additional power by connecting to a power adapter.
Is this My Passport drive one that has a spinning hard drive in it? If so, it would probably be that the iPad does not provide enough power to spin the drive and read/write it. You may be able to get it to work if you use the adapter that provides a port to connect a lightning cable to provide additional power by connecting to a power adapter.
In addition to ensuring that you have adequate power to run the drive (by connecting the USB3 Camera Adapter to an external charger of at least 12W), you need to ensure that the WD drive is formatted with FAT32, exFAT or APFS+, with a single partition. Anything else will not be compatible with the iPad.
The My Passport lightly buzzes and sounds like something is gearing up to spin. I’m sure it’s a spinning hard drive. I Had been suspecting there’s not enough power in the iPad to power the drive, as you say. The Lightening to USB 3 Camera Adaptor I’m using does have a Lightening port right next to the USB 3 port and I have that connected to the usual iPad recharging adapter that comes with the iPad. This has not helped connecting the iPad to the WD My Passport, unfortunately. Thanks so much for your suggestions — They’ve confirmed what I’ve been thinking so far!
I’m wondering if I connect My Passport to a powered USB 3 multi-hub and use a cable with a USB 3 plug at each end (does such a thing exist?) and connect that from another hub port to the Lightening to USB 3 Camera Adaptor — maybe that might work? Are am I entering a realm of fantasy?
Thanks much again!
The external charger I’m using is the standard charger that comes with the iPad. It doesn’t say on the charger itself what the W it is (or maybe I can’t see it). Do you know?
My computer has gone down and I’m now without one for a while. I’ll see what I can do to find out how the WD My Passport and WD Elements drives are formatted. Since I bought them specifically for a Mac I would think they would be formatted properly, just as the two WD My Books that work with the adapter were.
Thanks for your help!
If you have an actual Apple power/charging adapter block, the wattage is listed on a sticker on the block in small print.
You may need a magnifying glass or use of the iPad's camera to read what is on the Apple power block’s sticker.
If your Apple power adapter is only a 10W adapter, it might not be quite enough wattage to make the drive spin up enough to operate.
If the problem with your external WD drive is due to inadequate power, then a powered USB hub may help. It’s worth reiterating that whilst your drive may be formatted correctly, for compatibility with iPad, it must not have multiple partitions.
Most readily available USB hubs will present physical USB Type-A connectors; USB-C connectors are less common on anything other than the newest computers and mobile devices. You would be well advised to ensure that both the hub and any connecting cable supports USB3.0/3.1 standards as USB2.0 is quite slow by comparison.
Yes, you can connect your iPad + Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter to the USB hub - and if the hub is powered, then you can forgo use of the auxiliary Lightning connector on the adapter for power.
As with anything iPad-related, increasing complexity of the connection tree also increases the possibility of compatibility issues.
As for the markings on your white iPad Charger, they are typically printed in very small typeface - and in a very low-contrast shade of light grey. On the white casing, you’ll need good light and good eyesight (or magnification) to read it.
Thanks! I used a printer’s loupe and the charger is 12W. Looks like I’ll need more W than that.
IPad connection to WD My Passport exterior drives
