Using external hard drive with iPad Air 5th gen for photo storage

It is possible to use a third-party App to backup photos (and other files) to a variety of external storage options - including USB storage, third-party Cloud services and network storage. One App that comes readily to mind is FileBrowser Professional by Stratospherix:

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/filebrowser-professional/id854618029

While this App will almost certainly meet your stated need, you might wish to review the extensive online Manual and help files to determine suitability for your requirements.

https://www.stratospherix.com/products/filebrowserprofessional/filebrowser-professional-user-guide.php

Speaking of personal experience, I am yet to encounter a file storage or file/photo backup scenario that the App won’t handle. I routinely use USB and Cloud storage for this purpose. File Browser also integrates directly with the native Files App, further simplifying file and photo management.

Connection of external storage devices is possible - with some caveats. Unlike USB solid state storage devices (e.g., USB Thumb Drives and SSD), Hard Disk Drives are notoriously power-hungry; unless your external HDD has its own source of power, you will likely need to use a powered USB-C hub. There are many USB Hubs that have a USB-C connection for iPad plus a USB-C PD (Power Delivery) pass-through power connector to which you can connect your USB-C Power Adapter - along with the hub itself incorporating a combination of additional USB-C ports, USB 2.0/3.1 Type-A ports, Ethernet LAN, HDMI, VGA, SD and microSD card-readers.

Perhaps consider Kingston, Anker, Hyperdrive and Satechi - although there are many others from which to choose. A Google Search for USB-C Hubs compatible with iPad will find a number of articles and recommendations. 

To be recognised by iPadOS, the attached USB storage device must be formatted to FAT, FAT32, exFAT or APFS with a single partition. As the iPad has limited power capabilities, dependent upon the Storage Device, an external power source is often required.

Some additional information can be found here:

Connect external devices or servers with Files on iPhone - Apple Support

https://www.imore.com/how-use-external-hard-drives-your-iphone-or-ipad

Is the 5th gen the M2 iPad Air? If so just purchase a hard drive or large USB drive with a USBC connection and plug it in. Now you may need to play around a bit to get your ipad to send the files to the drive, because I'm not certain if it's visible in the photos app, but you can send the photos to files then to the drive via the files app.

Or, alternatively, look into something like One drive where you can upload the photos there then download them (with another device if you have one) onto your portable hard drive.

the one thing to remember is, and I'm sure you know this, but once you delete those images from your device they will also be deleted from iCloud so your backup is all you'll have.

another way, which is what I do, I have a desktop computer and monthly or so I plug my ipad in, sync and back it up and them separately backup the images. Then they can be removed from my device and still be on another

Skydiver119 wrote:

Is the 5th gen the M2 iPad Air? If so just purchase a hard drive or large USB drive with a USBC connection and plug it in. Now you may need to play around a bit to get your ipad to send the files to the drive, because I'm not certain if it's visible in the photos app, but you can send the photos to files then to the drive via the files app.

Any photos moved to the external drive to save space would not be accessible in the Photos app. If they were left in the Photos app, no space would be saved. Unlike the Files app, the Photos app cannot use photos on an external device except to import them (which would resume using space).

Are you using iCloud Photos? If so, do you have "Optimize iPad Storage" enabled on the iPad?

That iCloud Photos feature gives the iPad permission to store lower-quality, space-saving copies of your photos. The full-size copies remain in iCloud, from where they can be fetched on an "as needed" basis.

You would need enough iCloud storage to hold your iCloud backups and your iCloud Photos database. Since you only get 5 GB free, you probably would need to subscribe to an iCloud+ storage plan.

Another option if you have a Mac or PC would be to import photos from the iPad to the computer, to some place that's outside of the iCloud Photos system. Once they were on the computer and the computer was backed up, then you could delete them from the iPad.

Transfer photos and videos from your iPhone or iPad to your Mac or PC - Apple Support