Back Up, Store, and Share Files - iConnected: Use AirPlay, iCloud, Apps, and More to Bring Your Apple Devices Together - page 199

Figure 8-13
Sharing files via AirDrop
Share files between computers and iOS devices
There are a bunch of so-called air-sharing apps in the App Store that let your iOS device connect
to your Mac or PC over a Wi-Fi connection so you can transfer files between them. Because iOS has
no general file system where you store files for any app to access, files transferred to iOS this way are
stored in the air-sharing app itself. You then use the Open In feature in iOS to transfer the file to an
app where you can view or work with it: Tap and hold the file name or icon until the Open In pop-
over appears, then select the app to open the file in). You also use Open In to get files to the air-shar-
ing app from another iOS app. Of course, this only works with apps that use Open In.
The best app for air-sharing is the $5 GoodReader from Good.iWare (there are separate iPad and
iPhone/iPod Touch versions), and it does much more than share files. It's a Swiss Army knife kind of
app, providing a central file store, letting you transfer files to and from cloud services, letting to
transfer files to and from computers, and letting you annotate PDF files.
In its Connect to Server section, tap Add to set up file sharing with your Mac or PC; Macs are
called AFP servers and PCs are called SMB servers. You'll need the computer's IP address on the net-
work, as well as any username and password required for signing in. You get a Mac's IP address in
the Sharing system preference by selecting File Sharing. You get a PC's IP address by clicking the
Start menu and entering cmd in the search field. Click the Command Prompt shortcut in the search
results, then type ipconfig and press Enter in the window that appears. The IP address will be listed
along with other network data.
Once you set up the connection, you can save it for easy use later, as Figure 8-14 shows. Tap the
desired computer and then browse its contents to select what you want to transfer to or from
GoodReader. Use the Open In facility to move documents between other iOS apps and GoodReader.