Posted 18 November 2023

Getting images off an iPad

As the family tech person, I've been given a very old (over a decade old) iPad for which there is no method of recovering the long forgotten iCloud details. Surprisingly the device itself still works fine. All I need to do is get all the images off it, which stupidly weren't backed up offline at the time for whatever reason

I am not an Apple person.

On a civilised mobile operating system I could just connect it to a laptop and copy the images across, but presumably for this piece of overpriced tat I'll have to install iTunes and it won't let me do anything without logging in with an iCloud ID I don't have, right? So the mission is unachievable?
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  1. 999's avatar
    You want iExplorer. That's what I used to use for Apple devices to do exactly as you say, plug in and simply drag over to the PC.
    Ferris's avatar
    Author
    That sounds perfect but looks a bit pricey!
  2. mutley1's avatar
    i had the ipad air first generation and i could not get anything directly from it to my windows laptop and had to go through itunes sync, which was a nightmare! people have said their ipad loads stuff fine over windows explorer, but my ipad didn't allow this at all.

    I wouldn't be able to do anything to the pad if it was locked so if yours is locked and you don't know the passcode, i don't think you will be able to get anything off it, and to be honest, this is how devices should be coded so that thieves can not get anything from a stolen device.
  3. samwants2save's avatar
    ...if I ever needed reminding about how Apple make life so difficult .... uggghhhh.
    Hope you get it sorted op (edited)
  4. maj3091's avatar
    Assuming you can install apps, you could install Google Photos and back them up to there and pull them down to your PC (method I used when transferring from iPhone to Android).
    Ferris's avatar
    Author
    I don't think app install is possible as it just constantly prompts for the password?
  5. tardytortoise's avatar
    access to an apple mac? If so, connect the 2 devices via ipad cable to usb port on mac and see if that halps.
    Ferris's avatar
    Author
    Nope, no access to a Mac.
  6. Ferris's avatar
    Author
    I ordered another cable from eBay and managed to get all the images onto a PC just by hooking it up, so mission achieved

    Another iPad I was given to reset (thankfully no images on that one) was working fine but now suddenly has an activation lock and won't even boot up without the password. I think that one is destined for the bin.
  7. Ferris's avatar
    Author
    Finally got round to plugging it in to a Windows 10 laptop. The iPad starts charging but nothing else happens on either device, whether in file manager, device manager or iTunes.

    Tried another old iPad and it does the same thing, so I now wonder if I've got a cable that only charges but doesn't sync. Does such a thing even exist? Seems a bit pointless, so probably sold for £150 to Apple fans
  8. madoka_ayukawa's avatar
    Go to a repair shop and get a quote?
    Ferris's avatar
    Author
    Throwing money at it until it's useful may be the Apple way but there's no way I'm doing that
  9. SnoopZ's avatar
    Can you not upload the photos to something like One Drive via a browser on the iPad then download on another device?
  10. dcx_badass's avatar
    I'm not an Apple fan, but Android wouldn't let you access files either without unlocking it. If it's a really old device you could try jailbreak it to get in. (edited)
    Ferris's avatar
    Author
    It is unlocked to the main screen with the passcode.
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