Apple File System - what is it?
iOS 10.3 and macOS Sierra 10.12.4, on Monday, working on the new file system Apple File System or APFS. At first glance, there is nothing special about this - the main thing is that the devices do not turn into “bricks” after the update.But what’s interesting about the transition to new system more than it seems.
What is Apple File System
Apple File System is a new file system thatwhich will be used on all devices starting from Apple Watch and ending with Mac. It is “tailored” for flash memory and replaced the outdated HFS+. The main innovations of APFS: improved encryption algorithms, memory usage optimization, failure protection, file and folder cloning functions, andclever use of space. In practice, this will ensure more stable operation of the OS, increase the speed of reading/writing data and further protect user information.
Why Apple is moving to APFS
30 year old HFS+ on which file systems are based modern gadgets Apple was designed for computers with multiple drives that handled large volumes of files. On mobile devices like the iPhone or Apple Watch, the priorities are different - users need applications to open quickly, and the OS to respond to requests in a timely manner. To do this, APFS uses functions such as cloning (instant copying of a file or directory, which does not require extra bed for data storage) and compression (data compression, which saves disk space and increases recording speed). And by using “snapshots” (read-only “snapshots” of the file system in the volume), backup will be accelerated, namely the creation of backups using Time Machine.
APFS is designed for future expansion. Unlike HFS+, which uses a 32-bit write directory, APFS uses a 64-bit inode (this is the data structure in file systems). In other words, APFS will be able to store 9 quintillion (million trillion!) files, which is not so important for iOS devices, but will be more than enough for the next ten years for macOS and external drives.
What are the benefits for users
In addition to faster and stable operation operating system, users will have access to reliable on-disk data encryption tools. Thanks to APFS, iPhones will no longer turn into “bricks” after unsuccessful updates - Apple will protect the data on the drive from damage caused by failures. Finally, using the Space Sharing feature, all disk volumes can “share” free space.
UiPservice engineer Vladislav Yudchenko commented to the UiP editors:
“APFS will enable operating systems to crash less, it quickly copies files and optimizes space. For now, the difference will not be so noticeable, but in new updates it will become noticeable. Soon we’ll get used to it completely; we won’t even notice the transition of all devices to APFS.”
For example, with the second system (via Bootcamp) you have Windows installed and youallocated 100 GB for it. With Apple File System, you no longer have to manually reallocate your allocated memory. If 100 GB is not enough, the system itself will “take away” the required amount of free disk space. At the same time, the file and folder cloning feature will allow you to copy and move data faster.
Apple File System Limitations
Currently you can't format in APFS system drives . The new hybrid file system does not support Fusion Drive, FileVault and Time Machine functions.
How to start using APFS
If you updated your iPhone or iPad to iOS 10.3, the device already uses the Apple File System. It's more complicated on Mac, where APFS is something of a beta version. You can format it external drive, SD card or flash drive, and even then only using the Terminal. In short, it’s better not to experiment for now.
You've connected your iPhone or iPad to your Windows computer, but nothing Windows Explorer, nor in iTunes do you see everything that is in the memory of your device? So how to connect an iPhone or iPad like a regular external USB disk? And is this possible without jailbreak? Yes, using PhoneBrowse, for example.
PhoneBrowse is free tool for Windows, allowing you to view and manage files on iPhone, iPad and iPod without jailbreaking the devices. With this program, you can even add, delete or rename all types of files stored on your iOS device. All this in a rather simple but very pleasant user interface, stylized for Mac OS X.
Download and install PhoneBrowse on your Windows computer, connect your device, and off you go. The tool will automatically detect the connected device and scan its file system. After this you will see five different tabs, the first of which displays general information about the connected device, including battery percentage, OS version and memory status.
The process of adding and deleting files through PhoneBrowse is simple and fast. For this purpose, the “Import” and “Delete” buttons are provided. And you can add it like separate file, and the entire folder. To copy files from the device to your computer, there is an “Export” button. You can also create new folders and rename files. You can also view through PhoneBrowse file structure installed applications.
As mentioned above, the tool is available for free and works on various Windows versions– from XP to 8 and 8.1.
Denotes Apple's new file system and will eventually be used on all of the company's major platforms. But why does Apple use it? What's so special about it? This article is devoted precisely to this topic.
Apple File System
The abbreviation APFS stands for File File Apple system(Apple File System). It replaces the file system and over time this file system will become an integral part of iOS, tvOS, and watchOS - that is, it will be used across the entire line of devices: from computers, iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and to Apple devices Watch.
Currently iOS time 10.3 is the only publicly available platform that uses the APFS file system.
APFS can be integrated on all platformsApple.
File system HFS+ appeared in 1998 and is now almost 20 years old. She has become a relic of a bygone era. It was created in the era of Mac computers and modified for use in iPhone devices, Apple Watch and Apple TV.
But a lot has changed over the past 20 years. We switched from hard drives to solid state SSD drives, The software is no longer distributed on CDs, but is simply downloaded. Backups of our devices are now stored in cloud services.
Optimized for working with flash drives
These days, almost every new device Apple sells runs on a flash drive, including most Mac computers. And APFS was designed to work with flash-based storage devices. Therefore, we will see improvements in parameters such as read and write speeds, and an increase in overall reliability when it comes to storing and transferring information.
main feature: System snapshots and cloning
The two main features of APFS are the ability to take snapshots of the system and the ability to clone data.
A snapshot represents a one-time read-only state of the file system.
Using clones, APFS will be able to create quick copies of the same partition without using additional disk space.
Minimum waiting time
APFS has minimum time expectations. This means that operations such as launching applications and loading data will be noticeably faster. Which in turn will lead to a reduction in waiting time - we will see less of the spinning wait wheel in iOS and the beach ball icon in Mac OS.
Availableflowing disksections
If you use disk partitions on your Mac computer, then APFS can make your life a little easier. If free disk space on one partition runs out, APFS can automatically use free space another partition because APFS creates special containers around each disk partition.
Encryption is everything
APFS was primarily designed for strong encryption. It supports both single key and multiple encryption keys.
Developments for the future
HFS+ supports 32-bit metadata file. APFS supports 64-bit inode numbers. APFS was designed to work in the future and will perform even better over time as appropriate updates are released.
FirmwareiOS 10.3 gives you back disk space
There is one clear benefit to switching to APFS. You get disk space at your disposal - the amount of space saved will depend on how full your disk is. Some managed to get a couple of gigabytes back after updating.
APFS for Mac OS is still in beta version
iOS already uses the new file system, but for Mac OS the new file system is only available in a very early beta version. And Apple will have to make a lot of effort to convert Mac computers to use APFS. Access to the file system in iOS is closed to outsiders, but Mac OS uses an open, editable file system. In other words, APFS in practice may encounter various edge cases that Apple experts are not even aware of yet. We hope that all these issues will be resolved during the beta testing period. You can try the beta version in action. True, she's not quite ready for everyday use. APFS does not support working with boot disks, with the Time Machine application, FileVault encryption and Fusion drive mode.
Yes, you need to update toiOS 10.3
Currently, iOS 10.3 is the only way try APFS in action. And despite the fact that this is a completely new file system, it is nevertheless worth switching to. This update has been tested for several weeks by a large number of beta testers and everything speaks in favor of switching to the updated version. The transition itself occurs quite smoothly, quickly and without data loss. However, before updating, we recommend, just in case, to back up your data using the appropriate iTunes application services or iCloud cloud storage (which is recommended in any case).
How do you like itAPFS?
Apple has announced the app Files", which is intended to become a regular file manager on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. Well, better late than never. In this material we will tell you about the main features of this application and answer the most interesting questions.
In contact with
"Files" allows you to view and manage files (images, videos, documents, music and other data) that are stored in user folders both on the disk directly in the device, and in cloud storage. Program " Files"is an advanced version of the application.
On which iPhones and iPads is Files Explorer available?
Program " Files» available on iPhone, iPod touch and iPad under iOS control 11 and newer version.
Files application: appearance and management
The application interface is simple and minimalistic. We have a main window with folders and a left side menu with sources. The sources are Places And Tags.
Tab Places contains a menu with storage sources ( iCloud Drive, Dropbox, etc.), files located directly on the iOS device itself. There is also a folder with recently deleted files (see screenshot below).
For convenience, it is possible to sort the list of files by name, date, size or tag. Also allow you to switch between views " Badges" And " Review».
There is a search and the ability to create subfolders.
At the bottom there are two main tabs " Review" And " Recent».
How to drag multiple files at once in the Files app
The nice thing is that Apple has implemented the ability to manage files using multi-touch gestures in Explorer. By selecting one file, you can easily add other documents by tapping on their icons or holding files with one finger to navigate through folders in Explorer.
When moving files, be careful, because once you start the operation, you will not be able to stop it or cancel all actions with one click. As an option, do not physically move the files, but assign tags to them.
What actions can be performed with files?
The application is not compatible with many file types. Despite this, some of them are available for preview, and some for editing. Despite the fact that the program almost always shows a preview of the data contained in the files, this does not mean that “ Files» will open this type. Often the application opens unsupported formats in third party programs. For example, launching Ulysses files opens the application associated with this format.
Images can be viewed and edited using standard tools markings. Text files You can view only those that open regular programs iOS. Files of unsupported formats open in third party applications, of course, if they are installed. You can watch videos at AVI formats and MOV. As for music, a nice bonus There will be support for high-quality tracks in . The archives are viewed, but they will not allow you to archive or unarchive the files.
Since January this Apple of the Year testing iOS update 10.3, in which the company implements a new file system. New way Data storage organization will follow the Mac to the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. How users of Apple devices will benefit from this is further in our material.
What is Apple File System (APFS)?
Apple File System is own development company, which was announced last summer. It replaced the previous HFS+ file system, which Apple first introduced back in 1998. APFS was announced in June 2016 at the WWDC Worldwide Developers Conference. The technology was developed by Apple from scratch and is primarily focused on working with flash drives and more advanced data encryption.
APFS supports almost all the features of HFS+, but it better meets the requirements of modern Apple products. Unlike HFS+, it is optimized for flash and SSD drives, supports stronger encryption, creating system snapshots, copy-on-write metadata, and atomic primitives.
What are the benefits of APFS?
It may not be something that all users will notice, but APFS allows devices to run faster. Firstly, the new file system calculates the amount of free and used space differently, so after switching to APFS it will turn out that there will be more space on the drive. This has already been noticed by developers who installed on iPhone and iPad beta iOS 10.3.
Secondly, APFS moves and copies files faster, which means it will take less time to boot the OS and install applications. The advantages of APFS over HFS+ were clearly demonstrated at WWDC 2016 by Apple engineer Eric Tamura, who copied iTunes to a flash drive formatted for the new system. When APFS had already completed its work, the disk on HFS+ continued to copy for another 17 seconds.
APFS allows you to copy while writing metadata, clone files and folders, take file system snapshots, has increased fault tolerance, supports sharing space, faster cataloging and many other features that will allow iPhone and iPad to work faster and more reliably.
APFS release date
The seventh one came out last Thursday iOS beta versions 10.3, which means the final release is just around the corner. Users don't have to worry: the new OS will automatically convert the current HFS+ file system to APFS.
APFS is designed to work with iOS, macOS, tvOS and watchOS, so it can be installed on all Apple products. The company is going to transfer its devices to it. Changing the file system should not lead to the loss of user data, the company says, but it is recommended to resort to just in case backup information.