Mount Your iPhone as External Drive in Latest Ubuntu Version

Mounting your iPhone as an external drive on Ubuntu allows you to transfer files seamlessly between your iOS device and your Linux system. This process, while not as straightforward as with Android devices, is made possible through the use of specific libraries and tools.

Installing Required Libraries

To mount your iPhone on Ubuntu, you need to install the libimobiledevice library, which enables interaction between Ubuntu and iOS devices. Here’s how you can do it:

Open a terminal window and type the following command to install the necessary packages:
```
sudo apt install libimobiledevice6 libimobiledevice-utils
```
Pair your iPhone with your Ubuntu system by running:
```
idevicepair pair
```
You should see a success message after running this command. If not, restart and try again.
Start the usbmuxd service to enable multiple connections between your iPhone and Ubuntu:

usbmuxd -f -v

Installing and Using iFuse

If your iPhone file system doesn’t mount automatically, you may need to use iFuse to mount it manually.

Install iFuse by running:
```
sudo apt install ifuse
```
Create a mount point for your iPhone files:
```
sudo mkdir /media/iphone
```
Mount your iPhone using iFuse:

ifuse /media/iphone

Replace /media/iphone with the directory of your choice.

Accessing Your iPhone Storage

Once mounted, you can access your iPhone’s file system through your chosen file manager.

Unlock your iPhone to ensure the device is accessible. If the screen is locked, you won’t be able to access the internal storage.
Navigate to the mount point you created earlier (e.g., /media/iphone). Here, you will see the folders and files from your iPhone, such as Books, DCIM, Downloads, iTunes_Control, MediaAnalysis, PhotoData, Photos, PublicStaging, and Purchases.
Transfer files as you would with any external drive. You can copy files to and from your iPhone using standard file operations.

Safely Unmounting Your iPhone

When you are done, it’s important to unmount your iPhone to avoid any data corruption.

Unmount your iPhone using the following command:
```
fusermount -u /media/iphone
```

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Pairing Issues

If you encounter issues pairing your iPhone, ensure that you have the latest version of libimobiledevice installed. Sometimes, older versions may not work correctly with newer iOS versions.

Mounting Failures

If mounting fails, check that your iPhone is unlocked and that you have the necessary permissions. Also, ensure that usbmuxd is running to facilitate the connection.

Compatibility with iOS Versions

Be aware that compatibility issues can arise with newer iOS versions. For example, some users have reported issues with iOS 10.2 and later versions. In such cases, you may need to use updated packages or build from the latest source code.

Additional Tools and Methods

Using idevice Tools

The libimobiledevice package includes several tools like idevice_id, ideviceinfo, and idevicebackup2 that can be useful for managing your iPhone. For instance, idevicebackup2 allows you to create backups of your iPhone directly from your Linux system.

Network Transfers

For those who prefer network transfers, tools like KDE Connect or LocalSend can be used to transfer files between your iPhone and Linux system wirelessly. This method can be more reliable and faster than using a USB cable, especially for large files.

By following these steps and using the right tools, you can effectively mount your iPhone as an external drive on Ubuntu, making file transfers and management much easier.