Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The primary betas of iOS and iPadOS 18 embrace a brand new choice within the Recordsdata app that enables customers to reformat exterior drives when erasing them.
- Beta testers can presently decide between the APFS, ExFAT, and MS-DOS (FAT) codecs, which serve totally different functions.
- Choosing the APFS format permits customers to encrypt the exterior drive utilizing a password of their selection and go for case sensitivity.
Apple has been progressively boosting its newest iPhones and iPads by introducing recent power-user options with each annual OS replace, and this 12 months is not any totally different. The primary betas of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 pack a brand new performance that enables testers to reformat exterior drives when erasing them.
The power to erase linked exterior drives utilizing the Recordsdata app on iPhones and iPads has existed for some time. As Kaleb Cadle found, although, iOS and iPadOS 18 improve this characteristic by permitting customers to select between three codecs as a substitute of being restricted to a default one.
So, when customers try to erase an exterior drive utilizing the Recordsdata app on iOS and iPadOS 18, they’ll be prompted to select between the APFS, ExFAT, and MS-DOS (FAT) codecs. Notably, choosing Apple File System (APFS) permits you to toggle case sensitivity and set a password to encrypt the drive.
In the meantime, ExFAT and MS-DOS (FAT) miss out on the aforementioned perks however provide a wider compatibility. This extends the drive’s help past iOS, iPadOS, and macOS to incorporate Home windows PCs, cameras, and different non-Apple gadgets.
On condition that Apple seemingly hasn’t referenced the brand new reformatting characteristic on its web site, there’s a slim probability it’ll be eliminated in a future beta. In spite of everything, we’re presently testing the primary betas of iOS 18 and iPadOS 18, and we’re anticipating round seven extra pre-release builds earlier than the steady launch. So, rather a lot might change by then. In the end, we hope this characteristic makes it to the general public launch, because it’ll spare iPhone and iPad customers the necessity to depend on their Macs at any time when they need to reformat a drive.
