Why doesn't my Apple SD card reader appear as a device in the Apple Files app?

I am using an iPad Air 2 (A1566) iOS 15.8.3. When I insert a Micro card in an adapter via the lightning port and open "Files", the device does not show up under "Locations". But as it does show on my iPhone and on my wife's iPad, the micro card can not be corrupted nor is the adapter faulty / not compatible. Is the iPad too old or is there another way to access the files.

MacBook, macOS 11.7

Posted on Feb 24, 2025 4:17 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Feb 24, 2025 6:45 PM

If I had to quess, you’re more likely running into a compatibility quirk rather than a fundamental hardware limitation. Although the iPad Air 2 is an older model, it should still support external storage via the Lightning port with iOS 15.8.3. Since your micro card works with your iPhone and another iPad, the issue may lie in how the adapter chain is interacting with the Air 2. Double-check that the micro card’s file system is one of the compatible formats (FAT32 or exFAT) and that you’re using an adapter that’s known to work well with this model.

Similar questions

9 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Feb 24, 2025 6:45 PM in response to Warty1

If I had to quess, you’re more likely running into a compatibility quirk rather than a fundamental hardware limitation. Although the iPad Air 2 is an older model, it should still support external storage via the Lightning port with iOS 15.8.3. Since your micro card works with your iPhone and another iPad, the issue may lie in how the adapter chain is interacting with the Air 2. Double-check that the micro card’s file system is one of the compatible formats (FAT32 or exFAT) and that you’re using an adapter that’s known to work well with this model.

Feb 25, 2025 12:10 PM in response to Tesserax

When I plug the adapter into my iPhone, my wife's iPhone and iPad it shows "Created 1 Jan 1979" and "Modified 1 Jan 1979" the same for Created and 10yrs different for Modified. Also I note that when I plug it in on all three devices the adapter's blue light comes on, but not on my iPad.

Note also that the screenshot above is from my Macbook.Obviously not my iPad as it can not be read.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Why doesn't my Apple SD card reader appear as a device in the Apple Files app?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.