For my work I need to share MSWord files with colleagues. The current practice is a USB stick. This works on my MacBook. Is there an option to share files on an USB stick between a windows pc and an iPad?
Sharing over WIFI is no option.
Given that there is no guaranteed WIFI to share files as an alternative;
I can have a mobile hotspot but my colleague does not necessarily have;
The client who needs the final combination of the files does not always have WIFI for guests.
Unfortunately, this is pretty difficult at the moment. It’s not possible to just connect a USB stick to an iOS device and access files (other than photos/videos).
There are companies that make USB drives with Lightning connectors on one end that can be plugged into iOS devices. You then have to use a special app to access the files on the USB drive from your iOS device. The reviews tend to be pretty spotty though.
The other option are USB drives with built-in wireless (this would be a peer to peer connection between your iOS device and the USB device, so the lack of a local wifi network would not be an obstacle). Again, you have to use a special app to access files on the device and again, the reviews seem to be pretty spotty.
Hopefully, Apple will add external storage support in iOS 13 and solve this problem.
Have you considered WiFi enabled + USB external hard drives? They were recommended to me in a similar case when I wanted to off-load files from an iPhone.
Thanks all, as I cannot rely on WIFI, any cloud service will not be a proper solution. I guess I just carry my MacBook around until this is possible under IOS.