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How to back up iPhone photos to a UGREEN NAS

By Isaac Griffiths, developer of SMBDrop ·

UGREEN's NASync range (the DXP models running UGOS Pro) has become a popular first NAS, and getting iPhone photos onto one is straightforward. You can use UGREEN's own UGREEN NAS app, or use plain SMB file sharing, which UGOS Pro supports out of the box, to put your originals into a folder you choose.

This guide sets up SMB step by step, tests it with the Files app, and then compares UGREEN's app fairly.

Disclosure: I make SMBDrop, one of the ways to send photos in step 6. The UGOS Pro setup in steps 1 to 5 works with any SMB app. Menu names below are from UGOS Pro as of October 2026; UGREEN updates it often, so labels may shift a little.

Step 1: Turn on SMB in UGOS Pro

  1. Sign in to UGOS Pro in a browser and open Control Panel.
  2. Go to File Service → SMB.
  3. Tick Enable SMB Service and click Apply.

Step 2: Create a shared folder

  1. In Control Panel, open the Shared Folder section and create a new shared folder.
  2. Name it, for example iPhone, and choose the storage pool or volume.
  3. Skip folder encryption unless you need it; an encrypted folder has to be unlocked before the iPhone can see it.
  4. If your volume supports snapshots, turn them on for this folder. They're the best defence against deleting the wrong thing.

Step 3: Create a user for the iPhone

  1. Go to Control Panel → User Management → User and create a user, such as iphone, with a strong password. Keep it out of the administrators group.
  2. Edit the user and open Permissions & Settings. Set the folder from step 2 to Read/Write, and other shared folders to no access.

A dedicated user means that if the phone is lost you change one password, and that account can only reach one folder.

Step 4: Find the NAS's IP address

The address is shown in UGOS Pro's network settings in Control Panel, and in your router's list of devices. Note the IPv4 address, for example 192.168.1.60, and give the NAS a DHCP reservation in your router so it doesn't change.

Step 5: Test with the Files app

  1. On the iPhone, open Files → Browse → ⋯ → Connect to Server.
  2. Enter smb://192.168.1.60, choose Registered User and sign in as iphone.
  3. Open the iPhone folder and save a test file.

If it appears on the NAS, the server side is done. The Files app is fine for documents, but for photos it relies on Save to Files, and Live Photos usually arrive as a still only. See the Files app's limits.

Step 6: Send original photos with SMBDrop

  1. In SMBDrop, open Settings and add a share: the NAS's IP address, then the iphone username and password. Port 445 is the default; custom ports work.
  2. Tap Find Shares. With your sign-in entered, it lists the shared folders that account can reach. Pick iPhone.
  3. Run Test Connection and save.
  4. Pick photos and videos and tap Send.

The files arrive as the originals, with no recompression: HEIC stays HEIC, videos keep their codec and bitrate, metadata stays in the file, and Live Photos keep both halves. Sending carries on in the background, and anything interrupted waits in a retry queue.

The alternative: the UGREEN NAS app

UGREEN's free app is the all-in-one client for UGOS Pro: files, sharing, users and photo backup. Its App Store listing says it supports:

The listing also notes that background backup pauses when the battery is below 20%. Like every iPhone app, it's subject to iOS deciding when apps may run in the background.

Choose the UGREEN NAS app if you want backups to start on their own, you like browsing photos in UGREEN's own apps, and you're happy with a UGREEN account for remote access.

Choose plain SMB if you want your originals as plain files in a folder you picked, with nothing to sign in to beyond the NAS user, and a setup you can point at any other server later.

You can run both: the UGREEN app for everyday backup, and an SMB copy of originals into a separate snapshotted folder as the archive.

Troubleshooting

Connection fails or times out

Make sure the iPhone is on the same network as the NAS and not on a guest Wi-Fi, and that the app has Local Network permission in iOS Settings. If UGOS Pro's firewall is on, allow SMB from your local network.

Signed in, but the folder is missing

The user hasn't been given access to that folder. Set it to Read/Write in the user's Permissions & Settings.

Sending works at home only

That's expected for SMB. Don't forward port 445 on your router; use a VPN such as Tailscale instead. See sending to your NAS over Tailscale.

FAQ

Does a UGREEN NAS support SMB?

Yes. In UGOS Pro, open Control Panel, go to File Service, then SMB, tick Enable SMB Service and apply. Any SMB app on the iPhone, including the built-in Files app, can then connect.

Do I need the UGREEN NAS app to back up my iPhone?

No. The UGREEN app is one option and offers automatic background backup. You can also send photos to a shared folder over SMB with the Files app or an SMB app, using a NAS user and password.

Will my photos be converted to JPEG?

Not over SMB with an app that sends originals, such as SMBDrop. With the Files app it depends on the share sheet's format option. Check the UGREEN app's own backup settings if you use it.

Can I back up to a UGREEN NAS when I'm away from home?

UGREEN's app can use UGREENlink. For SMB, use a VPN such as Tailscale rather than opening port 445 on your router.

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