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Comment by walterbell | Hacker News Reader

Perhaps iOS 14 is better, but the iOS 13 Files app is not a great SMB client. It doesn't deal well with intermittent connectivity, e.g. remote hosts connected by VPN, or USB wired ethernet. When it gets confused, the only solution is to reboot the iPad, as restarting the Files app is not enough. Unlike GoodReader, the Files app does not have bidirectional sync with remote servers.

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I came across the feature while using a beta of iOS 14, so can't speak to whether it's improved since iOS 13.

But my use case has involved connecting to a remote host over a ZeroTier[1] VPN, using an iPhone 6S. I haven't experienced the scenario you mentioned; most problematic issue I've had is sporadic latency spikes during folder navigation. I haven't really done any true stress testing of things, but it's handled transitions between wifi and cellular network without any noticeable issues.

It’s the same as in macOS, which hasn’t been good for years. Is it not just Samba? Did they write their own implementation of SMB?

No idea on implementation, good point that it's possibly reused code from macOS. But if various iOS apps have stable SMB clients, surely Apple can afford one? There's a possible business conflict between Apple's high prices for internal flash storage and their support for external storage.

Don’t forget Apple’s other conflict of interest: paid iCloud storage.

True, especially with the new Services bundles.

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