There are times when curiosity gets the best of me. Just the other night my feline side asked me a couple of questions. Self, I said, “Is it possible to connect an iPhone to your Mac and browse around all those iPhone files, apps, songs, movies, and photos?” And, “Can the iPhone be used as extra storage for the Mac?” I answered the questions myself. yes.
There are various and sundry apps which can connect the iPhone to the Mac and move files back and forth. Your iPhone becomes something akin to a very expensive USB drive.
The best of both worlds– storage and browsing– comes from the PhoneView app for the Mac (also works on the iPad).
Not only does PhoneView turn your iPhone into a portable storage device, but it lets you browse around the iPhone’s file structure, copy iMessages and text messages back to your Mac.
Use PhoneView to dig through the iPhone’s Contacts, review Notes, even copy photos and songs back to the Mac. If you’ve ever wondered where all the files were on your iPhone or iPad, and want to take a look without messing up anything, PhoneView does the trick. There’s even an option to review your iPhone’s call log.
Movies and photos can be downloaded and backed up to your Mac. Connect the iPhone to your Mac and play music from the iPhone through your Mac’s sound system.
Whatever PhoneView can display in the Finder-like interface can also be searched. All you have to do see what’s on the iPhone is to plug it into your Mac, open up PhoneView, and browse through the files.
Apps for iPhone and iPad are usually inexpensive, so you might be surprised at PhoneView’s price tag. It doesn’t matter, though. I haven’t found another app that does as much, as quickly and easily.