Amazing products!! No issues.
I have purchased other useless backup drives that required Y-Disk, and this SanDisk by USA Western Digital is amazing. I just opened the package and plugged into my iPhone XS MAX. The SanDisk software automatically started and requested access to my photos and contacts. I selected yes, If you don't allow access upon first use, then you will see a blank screen of photos. Not allowing access, requires you to have to select photos before they will show up on the screen. This lack of access issue appears to have resulted in some negative comments about the drive not working, Rather the drive is working, as the user has indicated that they want to select photos to be backed up.So allowing access to all photos is the best to start with. The SanDisk software then shows ... MoreI have purchased other useless backup drives that required Y-Disk, and this SanDisk by USA Western Digital is amazing. I just opened the package and plugged into my iPhone XS MAX. The SanDisk software automatically started and requested access to my photos and contacts. I selected yes, If you don't allow access upon first use, then you will see a blank screen of photos. Not allowing access, requires you to have to select photos before they will show up on the screen. This lack of access issue appears to have resulted in some negative comments about the drive not working, Rather the drive is working, as the user has indicated that they want to select photos to be backed up.So allowing access to all photos is the best to start with. The SanDisk software then shows tab buttons to backup contacts or photos. I selected contacts first and the backup of the contacts was performed in a very short amount of time. I then selected the tab button to backup photos & videos. The backup progress was shown at the top of the iPhone screen, and has a tiny real-time display of the thumb nail pictures being backup at the time. Very nice to see.I had about 128GByte of video & photos to be backed up. I also had a fairly low battery, so I removed the SanDisk drive from my iPhone during the backup. The SanDisk software requested that the drive be reinserted. However, I charged the iPhone first. Upon re-inserting the SanDisk drive, the backup continued and completed with a notice of completion of how many files were backed up. I'm confident that for a low battery condition, a wireless charger will allow for simultaneous charging and backing up photos with using the plugin charger.All was backed up within a couple of hours including charging my iPhone.This SanDisk by Western Digital is like a breath of fresh air from the other foreign brands that I tried,... Show more
EdinVA
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Great storage features
I’ve never used a usb storage device for my iPhone, but I’ve consistently ran out of space and have needed to pay for additional storage for years now. I do take a lot of photos. This sandisk flash drive is awesome! It was the first time I’ve used anything like it, and I’m glad it’s compatible with my phone and iPad. It’s incredibly easy to “install” and to use in my phone. It was easy to find the iXpand drive in the App Store too. I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy the app was to use with the flash drive. What’s really nice is that my whole family can share this drive, or I can use it to share and transfer large videos to family members’ devices, which previously required I transfer the video to my Mac or laptop and then back onto their individual device. ... MoreI’ve never used a usb storage device for my iPhone, but I’ve consistently ran out of space and have needed to pay for additional storage for years now. I do take a lot of photos. This sandisk flash drive is awesome! It was the first time I’ve used anything like it, and I’m glad it’s compatible with my phone and iPad. It’s incredibly easy to “install” and to use in my phone. It was easy to find the iXpand drive in the App Store too. I was pleasantly surprised to see how easy the app was to use with the flash drive. What’s really nice is that my whole family can share this drive, or I can use it to share and transfer large videos to family members’ devices, which previously required I transfer the video to my Mac or laptop and then back onto their individual device. The drive is pretty small and I put it on a lanyard. I wouldn’t personably put it on a keychain, but you can. This is an incredibly useful device and so easy to use. 64gb is great storage capacity. I’ll definitely be taking this on nature hikes with me and putting my daily photos on the flash drive to save phone storage.... Show more
birdofparadise
originally posted on westerndigital.com
Incredibly easy way to backup iPhone photos
I discovered that 256 GB was not enough storage for my iPhone since I have over 25,000 photos, and the phone quit working properly.I was seriously considering whether I would have to replace my new iPhone with an expensive 1TB model.Yes, I also use iCloud and Google Photos to back up all my images. However, I like having them physically stored instead of only relying on the cloud.The Best Buy rep suggested this Sandisk iXpand flash drive since it is specifically made for the purpose of backing up iPhone photos via a fire connector.FYI: It also has a regular USB drive connector on the other end.Sandisk provides an app for your phone to make downloading the images from your phone incredibly easy.Frankly, it is the app that adds the most value to this ... MoreI discovered that 256 GB was not enough storage for my iPhone since I have over 25,000 photos, and the phone quit working properly.I was seriously considering whether I would have to replace my new iPhone with an expensive 1TB model.Yes, I also use iCloud and Google Photos to back up all my images. However, I like having them physically stored instead of only relying on the cloud.The Best Buy rep suggested this Sandisk iXpand flash drive since it is specifically made for the purpose of backing up iPhone photos via a fire connector.FYI: It also has a regular USB drive connector on the other end.Sandisk provides an app for your phone to make downloading the images from your phone incredibly easy.Frankly, it is the app that adds the most value to this product.Several great features. When you plug it into your phone, it immediately organizes your photos and asks if you want to copy them.After you copy the pictures, remove the drive, and plug it in the next time, it recognizes and copies any new photos.NOTE: It took several hours since I had so many photos.I like this product so much that I bought another SanDisk drive for a second backup.It will also back up your contacts too.... Show more
ZAPMAN
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Opens Up Memory Space
I usually am carrying over one thousand photos on my phone. I never thought about the memory space I was using until I saw this gadget. This Sandisk Expand Flash Drive Go holds 64 GB of data including photos, videos and contacts. Videos especially eat up a lot of space on your phone. Using this product, I can take all the photos and videos that I want and then easily and quickly back them up on the iXpand Drive app which you can download from the App store. It is very user friendly and works with a long list of models of iPhones and iPads. Just plug the flash drive into your phone and follow the prompts. You can have your photos and videos automatically upload to the iXpand drive or you can manually choose which you want to save on the drive. You can use the USB ... MoreI usually am carrying over one thousand photos on my phone. I never thought about the memory space I was using until I saw this gadget. This Sandisk Expand Flash Drive Go holds 64 GB of data including photos, videos and contacts. Videos especially eat up a lot of space on your phone. Using this product, I can take all the photos and videos that I want and then easily and quickly back them up on the iXpand Drive app which you can download from the App store. It is very user friendly and works with a long list of models of iPhones and iPads. Just plug the flash drive into your phone and follow the prompts. You can have your photos and videos automatically upload to the iXpand drive or you can manually choose which you want to save on the drive. You can use the USB connector that is on the flip end of the flash drive to move the photos onto a computer if you wish. You can also password protect your files. The choice is yours whether you want to keep the photos on your phone once you back them up, or delete them from your phone to free up space. I did not have any problems using it, but it does come with support information if you do need help. This flash drive is great. I am very pleased with this product.... Show more
Anthcam
originally posted on westerndigital.com
SanDisk Dual-Port Thumb Drive
Bought this SanDisk 256GB iXPand drive on sale for $59.99 compared to its regular price of $109.99. $60.00 is the top price I would pay for this accessory anyway, as MSRP consumer prices are almost always overinflated on technological accessories.Here’s the GOOD, BAD, and UGLY on this SanDisk drive:GOOD: Small and very compact, with quick plug-and-play drive recognition on your Apple device. Performs well, but a bit slow when backing up thousands of photos for the very first time. Understandable.BAD: Straight small footprint model is more fragile than its larger curved predecessor models. The dual-port drive housing itself is basically a shiny, cheap metal casing so don’t press down hard on the hardware at any time. The LIGHTNING plug-in tip and the USB ... MoreBought this SanDisk 256GB iXPand drive on sale for $59.99 compared to its regular price of $109.99. $60.00 is the top price I would pay for this accessory anyway, as MSRP consumer prices are almost always overinflated on technological accessories.Here’s the GOOD, BAD, and UGLY on this SanDisk drive:GOOD: Small and very compact, with quick plug-and-play drive recognition on your Apple device. Performs well, but a bit slow when backing up thousands of photos for the very first time. Understandable.BAD: Straight small footprint model is more fragile than its larger curved predecessor models. The dual-port drive housing itself is basically a shiny, cheap metal casing so don’t press down hard on the hardware at any time. The LIGHTNING plug-in tip and the USB plug-in tip are obviously connected to the single drive mechanics inside this metal casing. Over time, it may randomly shift to one end or the other while inside the casing. When this happens, make certain the USB plug-in tip in pressed back in (flushed) against the casing opening and does not protrude out. If it does, the lightning plug-in tip will not make a complete connection into your Apple device. THIS RANDOM SHIFTING MOVEMENT IS ANNOYING and cheap in design - but, nonetheless, completely harmless in operation.UGLY: This drive IS NOT HARDWARE ENCRYPTED as advertised!!! It is SOFTWARE FILE ENCRYPTED only. With true HARDWARE security encryption, you need enter a master password only once to unlock the entire drive for access each time the drive is inserted into a device (thereby essentially locking and locking the drive and its entire contents INSTANTLY). This substandard and less secure SOFTWARE encrypted method requires you to password-protect every file and folder that you wish on your drive MANUALLY with a password. God help you if you inadvertently create a different password - let’s say by making an unintentional typo - for different folders and/or files. This sloppy, software-encryption process is unnecessarily tedious and time-consuming at best.FINAL NOTE: For the price of $60.00, it is a decent, reliable, no-frills backup drive for your photos, PDF, MS-Word, and other files. The latest software update seems to have FINALLY corrected previously repeated freezes and crashes when using the APP. If you’re looking for a smart, simply, and seamless HARDWARE ENCRYPTED dual-port thumb drive for your iOS-DOS devices, however, you’re better off looking elsewhere for a similar product.... Show more
BestBuyShopper
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Sandisk iXpand Flash Drive Go (256GB, SDIX60N-256G-GN6NE)
Overview The performance of the drive is decent, generally matching what is advertised, and fitting well with the price point. I found the valueadding software to be quite disappointing, and not something Id recommend using. While usage of this software is optional, and I wouldnt usually take them into consideration when purchasing or recommending this type of product, as a Tech Insider, Ive been asked to focus my review on this software, which includes Flashback and SecureAccess. As a result, my overall rating gives significant consideration to this software. Flashback The Flashback software and service are designed to automatically backup files that are on the flash drive, to the cloud. While it is perhaps misleadingly indicated that you get Flashback with these ... MoreOverview The performance of the drive is decent, generally matching what is advertised, and fitting well with the price point. I found the valueadding software to be quite disappointing, and not something Id recommend using. While usage of this software is optional, and I wouldnt usually take them into consideration when purchasing or recommending this type of product, as a Tech Insider, Ive been asked to focus my review on this software, which includes Flashback and SecureAccess. As a result, my overall rating gives significant consideration to this software. Flashback The Flashback software and service are designed to automatically backup files that are on the flash drive, to the cloud. While it is perhaps misleadingly indicated that you get Flashback with these drives, as found on the Flashback landing page, it is important to note that what youre actually getting is a oneyear trial period of the service, after which a scaled fee is charged based on the storage capacity of the drive. While the promotional materials direct users to the Flashback landing page sandisk.comflashback to create an account and download the software, I was unable to find a means of achieving either from this page. I had to go out of my way to search the web for the download page sandisk.comflashbackapps.Once downloaded, installation of the software was quick and simple, and directed me through the required account creation process. The software automatically detected my flash drive, at which point the automatic backups were working. The software quickly detects new files as well as file changes, and by default displays a notification that a backup is underway. This notification, thankfully, can be disabled. The flashback service site is clean and easy to navigate, allowing users to quickly find files that have been deleted or lost, as well as shareunshare, preview, and download individual files. Sharing a file provides a URL that can be used by anyone to preview the file for supported file types, as well as download it. While the ability to download all backed up content was included, its implementation is rather clunky, where an email is sent containing a download linkURL for the archive Both the software and service are quite basic, missing many features found in competing productsservices. Noticeably lacking are file versioning, which would allow you to viewdownload old versions of backed up files, control over which filesfolders get backed up, as well as integrated clientside encryption. Granted, you can still perform encryption independently, with either Sandisks own SecureAccess software or similar thirdparty software.Unfortunately, the Flashback software has what I consider to be a critical flaw, making it rather unwieldy to use. While the Flashback software is running, the flash drive is locked such that using the safe removal or ejection features of Windows fails, and the Flashback software doesnt seem to provide its own safe removal option. This means that in order to safely remove the drive, I must terminate the Flashback process. I then must remember to manually launch Flashback once Ive reinserted the flash drive, if I want the automatic backups to resume. SecureAccess SecureAccess is a way of storing and backing up files in encrypted form. This is basically sharewarecrippleware used to promote a paid product that goes by a different name. Setup is quick and easy, and usage is fairly straightforward, if a bit clunky. The features provided are a small fraction of what can be found in free competing products. Features such as singlefile containers, being able to mount a vault as this software calls it as a drive, having choice of encryption algorithm used, and integration with any type of backup service even Sandisks own are all noticeably missing. Hardware The outer design of this drive isnt great. The thin, tapered notch used for the mechanical sliding action is particularly bad, worse than those found on any other similar drive Ive owned, including several Sandisk Cruzers that each have different slide designs. On the potentially positive side, the case has a hole that allows attachment to a keyring with reasonable ease, whereas most other USB flash drives Ive owned are only designed for attachment to lanyards.The drive benchmarks well, backing up the advertised speeds as reasonable. These speeds are considerably faster than much cheaper drives while falling short of higher end drives that charge a premium for increased speeds particularly write speeds, putting this drive in a comfortable middle zone. The good capacity and performance to cost ratio should serve most people well. Conclusion My experience with Sandisks flash media have been mostly positive its a brand I trust. I find this drives capacity and performance at this price point to be a good value. The optional valueadding software is not great, and I wouldnt recommend their use. I would, however, recommend the device itself.... Show more
Gerbil
originally posted on gadgettree.co.uk
Sandisk iXpand Flash Drive Go (256GB, SDIX60N-256G-GN6NE)
I wanted to get a large flash drive to backup all my important files and photos Ive amassed a lot, and saw the prices of flash drives has come way down. I started using flashthumb drives for work back when the 1gb was considered a large drive, and when they announced a 4gb drive we all though whos going to put that much stuff on a thumb drive.Ive also used about every brand of flash drive available and still have a few of the old 1gb ones laying around and the only ones still working are the SanDisk branded ones, one in particular is the SanDisk Cruzer Titanium 1gb, the super heavy duty all metal bodied drive you wont ever see again, and it still works perfectly.Physical ImpressionsThis 256gb drive is physically the size thumb drive have pretty much been for quite a ... MoreI wanted to get a large flash drive to backup all my important files and photos Ive amassed a lot, and saw the prices of flash drives has come way down. I started using flashthumb drives for work back when the 1gb was considered a large drive, and when they announced a 4gb drive we all though whos going to put that much stuff on a thumb drive.Ive also used about every brand of flash drive available and still have a few of the old 1gb ones laying around and the only ones still working are the SanDisk branded ones, one in particular is the SanDisk Cruzer Titanium 1gb, the super heavy duty all metal bodied drive you wont ever see again, and it still works perfectly.Physical ImpressionsThis 256gb drive is physically the size thumb drive have pretty much been for quite a while now, the USB plug is retractable keeping it safe and secure when retracted. There isnt an activity light so you wont know if its doing anything, not important for me as its on the back of my desktop computer.SpeedThe flash drive is USB 3 and backwards compatible. Speed wise using Crystal Disk Mark Im getting around 116MBs Seq read, and 50MBs Seq write, not bad at all and Ive attached a screen shot of the test.Included SoftwareThe really nice thing is the software thats included with the flash drive. You get one year of Rescue Pro Deluxe, the key is inside the packaging and with it you can recover lost and accidentally erased files. It works for everything not just this thumb drive. I took a file folder with photos in it, about 1gb worth on the SanDisk drive, deleted it, emptied the recycle bin, and then had the software scan to recover it. Now it does take a while to scan this drive, its big so sit back or do something else while it goes about its business. After about an hour it was able to recover all the files in the test folder I created, now this will depend greatly on if youve written files to the drive after losingaccidentally deleting files. For the most accurate and thorough recovery you dont want to be using the media you are doing the recovery on till after youve recovered your files. Youll also have to rename your recovered files after it has finished running, but you can click on them to view in the recovery window so you know what you are renaming.Also under the flash drives main directory is the SanDisk Secure Access application. When you run it the first time it will ask that you set up an account and password for the secure folder. After entering your password you will be greeted with a simple file manager window. Just drag and drop files into the top secure area and it will encrypt all the files. If you view the drive with a standard file manager like the one in Windows 10 you will see the folder name but theres nothing in them to view, you will have to use the Secure Access application to view and unencrypt these files and folders. The whole process is reasonably fast too. I copied all my important stuff, about 175gb, in a couple hours, not bad for that much data.There is an upgrade option for the standard software, you can get a lifetime license for 15, I think thats reasonable just havent done it yet. It gets you 1024 bit encryption, automatic backup, syncing between devices, and sharing with others. Ill probably be upgrading to this in the future as it adds a lot of for low cost.Im keeping all my medical files on this as I do have some health issues and like to keep my entire medical easily portable if I happen to go see a new specialist. This way I can always have a backup of my records and theres plenty of space on this drive for xrays and, MRIs, CT scans and Ultrasounds. Plus with everything being encrypted I used a very secure password I wont worry much about someone getting my personal information if I do happen to lose the drive.OpinionThis is an excellent thumb drive, theres plenty of space for a lot of files, and I mean a lot. The included software allows you to encrypt your sensitive data so you wont have to worry about it falling into the wrong hands and the recovery software makes it pretty easy to recover any file you may have accidentally lost. The new flash drives from SanDisk are a real value.... Show more
SteveC
originally posted on gadgettree.co.uk
Terry M happy in Jacksonville
I’m very happy with the extremely knowledgeable and helpful employees at numerous stores both at Oxford’s Best Buy location along with the employees at the Birmingham Hover location. The drives have helped greatly allowing me to load large photos and other files between my iPhones and my MacBook Pro laptop without any issues whatsoever because some of the data files and some 175GB music and YouTube music videos allowed for the movies and podcasts and many audiobooks to be so easily downloaded and. Played between my computers and audio media in my dodge ram 1500 as iPod and USB or thou Bluetooth which allows the many tracks an data of the musical info can easily show on the truck’s stereo which allows you to keep your eyes on the road as it’s supposed to be which ... MoreI’m very happy with the extremely knowledgeable and helpful employees at numerous stores both at Oxford’s Best Buy location along with the employees at the Birmingham Hover location. The drives have helped greatly allowing me to load large photos and other files between my iPhones and my MacBook Pro laptop without any issues whatsoever because some of the data files and some 175GB music and YouTube music videos allowed for the movies and podcasts and many audiobooks to be so easily downloaded and. Played between my computers and audio media in my dodge ram 1500 as iPod and USB or thou Bluetooth which allows the many tracks an data of the musical info can easily show on the truck’s stereo which allows you to keep your eyes on the road as it’s supposed to be which truly makes the drive safer for all. Without having to mess around with the audio system. So if I need any more drives Best Buy will be seeing me. AgainTerry from Jacksonvilleof the drives that the... Show more
TerryM
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Useful for transferring photos from iPhone
The USB drive is nice. I’m glad I bought it. I was able to get most of my photos copied to the drive from my iPhone 13 pro.It did what I bought it for. I like the software that you need to get free from the App Store to get the photos copied from the phone to the USB drive.It worked for me, but I did have a few issues with the process that I will describe in case it helps anyone.First, the process went slower than I thought it would. It was helpful from other reviews to find out that others with a lot of photos had to take a while. It did finish after a long time. I do have a lot of photos and it took over an hour to get them saved to the drive from the phone. But transferring to my windows 11 laptop was much quicker.Second, I received messages that not all the ... MoreThe USB drive is nice. I’m glad I bought it. I was able to get most of my photos copied to the drive from my iPhone 13 pro.It did what I bought it for. I like the software that you need to get free from the App Store to get the photos copied from the phone to the USB drive.It worked for me, but I did have a few issues with the process that I will describe in case it helps anyone.First, the process went slower than I thought it would. It was helpful from other reviews to find out that others with a lot of photos had to take a while. It did finish after a long time. I do have a lot of photos and it took over an hour to get them saved to the drive from the phone. But transferring to my windows 11 laptop was much quicker.Second, I received messages that not all the files transferred. I am not sure what didn’t transfer or failed. I tried the process a few times and it was the same thing. All the photos I tried to look for did transfer over though, so I’m not sure what was missing.Third, I tried to copy the large number of individual files from the app, and it kept stopping on Files that wouldn’t transfer. So I ran it with the full back up and it finished with messages that some of the files did not copy. Again, I did not find what the missing files were, if any since the ones I looked for did copy over,Fourth, since I am running a windows 11 computer, after I transferred the files to the computer a number of the files would not show up because they were .HEIC files. I had to Google search to find out what I needed to be able to see the .HEIC files. After installing the necessary update, I was able to see the pictures on my windows computer.** I am not sure if the problems I experienced may have been from the iPhone instead of the SanDisk drive.... Show more
Greg
originally posted on bestbuy.com
Xpand Your Storage with SanDisk
This purchase was my second attempt at adding an external storage drive to my iPad. The first drive I got online (not a SanDisk) had one negative review out of dozens with 4 and 5 stars. So I disregarded the negative review and bought it. Bad choice. After about a month of use, the drive failed in exactly the same way as stated in the negative review. Fortunately it was under warranty so I got my money back, but I still needed an external drive.Instead of just ordering another one online, this time I decided to go to my local Best Buy and get some knowledgeable assistance. The clerk in the computer department was excellent. We discussed my problem and he eventually steered me to the SanDisk iXpand flash Drives. There were a number to choose from, with varying ... MoreThis purchase was my second attempt at adding an external storage drive to my iPad. The first drive I got online (not a SanDisk) had one negative review out of dozens with 4 and 5 stars. So I disregarded the negative review and bought it. Bad choice. After about a month of use, the drive failed in exactly the same way as stated in the negative review. Fortunately it was under warranty so I got my money back, but I still needed an external drive.Instead of just ordering another one online, this time I decided to go to my local Best Buy and get some knowledgeable assistance. The clerk in the computer department was excellent. We discussed my problem and he eventually steered me to the SanDisk iXpand flash Drives. There were a number to choose from, with varying storage capacities and computer connections. I finally picked one with 256gb storage and two connectors, Lightning and USB 3.I am very pleased with my purchase. There were a few minor issues transferring data in the beginning until I figured out the correct procedures (totally my fault, I misread the instructions) but then it was smooth sailing. In fact, I think I’m in love with SanDisk. I bought some for my relatives, and am definitely getting more for myself. And one of the best things about is that it’s so small! It really packs a big punch for its size!!... Show more
RuthS
originally posted on bestbuy.com
