From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

So that everyone benefits from every post, and since I invest a great
amount of energy to help others, I'm sharing the following write-up across
the Windows, Android, and Apple newsgroups because the underlying problem affects all users who transfer photos to Windows via USB, regardless of platform.

While the specific example below focuses on iOS, the technical explanation
of MTP behavior, DCIM folder generation, caching, and enumeration failures applies broadly to both iPhone and Android devices when interacting with Windows.

Since I'm not the only one who tests all three ecosystems at home daily,
I'm sure many others use all three ecosystems so they run into the same symptoms-missing folders, incomplete DCIM listings, or inconsistent USB transfers that Chris described on the iPhone newsgroups last week.

Hence, to leverage the knowledge to everyone concerned, below I'm posting
the full analysis verbatim so everyone can benefit from the same technical background and workarounds that the iOS newsgroup recently benefited from.

Here is the reference to the article I just researched the below reply for:
From: Chris <ithinkiam@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: misc.phone.mobile.iphone
Subject: Re: Photo transfer to PC problem
Date: Sun, 1 Feb 2026 19:41:33 -0000 (UTC)
Message-ID: <10loa9c$21bm$1@dont-email.me>

Chris wrote:

It shouldn't be this difficult.

Hi Chris,

Given I'm running an experiment for an entire year on this newsgroup by
being less snarky about responding to comments like that above where I have
to bite my tongue when it comes to how Apple does things differently... :)

Given I'm on the Windows newsgroups all day, every day, in addition to the Android newsgroups, hopefully I can help you better understand what's going
on when dealing with the Apple iOS ecosystem in terms of interoperability.

Below is just my kind and hopefully helpful take on iPhone-to-Windows USB
photo transfer taking into account technical explanations and workarounds.

When connecting an iPhone to a Windows 10 PC via USB, the Windows File
Explorer may only display older DCIM subfolders (e.g., 202106_, 202306_a)
while newer folders are sometimes missing. This is apparently a known limitation of how iOS exposes photos to Windows via the MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) interface.

It's important to keep in mind that the iPhone does NOT expose its real filesystem, as that would be what every other common consumer operating
system does, and Apple doesn't do things the way other OEMs do them.

Android's MTP implementation, for example, DOES give us a direct view of
the actual internal storage, not a virtual reconstructed folder tree.

Instead of a direct view, iOS apparently generates a virtual DCIM directory
on demand. This Apple-only virtual directory is apparently incomplete, slow
to update & prone to caching errors, especially with large photo libraries.

So why does Windows show only older folders?
I can't say for sure, but here's my step-by-step probable-cause analysis...
1. First off, keep in mind that iOS uses MTP, not USB mass storage.
2. Unfortunately, iOS' MTP does not provide direct filesystem access.
3. Instead, iOS dynamically constructs a virtual DCIM folder tree.
4. The MTP index is cached.
5. Windows may reuse an outdated index, causing invisible newer folders.
6. iOS restricts access unless the device is unlocked and awake.
7. The DCIM structure is regenerated only when certain system events occur
8. Such as unlocking the phone, opening Photos, rebooting, etc.
9. Large libraries (>10k photos) cause partial enumeration,
where only older folders sometimes appear.
10. Some Lightning cables cause intermittent MTP enumeration failures.

Note the caching in step 4 above?
That problematic caching happens on both sides, i.e., both iOS and Windows.
But each caches in different ways. Therein lies the rub.

Notice that iOS caches the DCIM virtual directory internally.
But at the same time, iOS does not expose its real filesystem.

When you connect over MTP, iOS generates a virtual DCIM directory from its Photos database whose generated directory is cached in the Photos database (PhotoLibraryServices) and in the MTP daemon (mobile_file_relay / imagent / ptpd stack) and in in-memory structures that persist until reboot.

This means if iOS decides the DCIM tree hasn't "changed enough," it reuses
the old virtual structure, with the result that new folders may not appear until iOS rebuilds the virtual DCIM tree.

Yet rebuilding only happens after certain triggers (unlocking, opening
Photos, rebooting, etc.). So part of the "cache" results is simply iOS not regenerating the virtual folder list.

But wait. That's not all. There's Windows caching involved also.

Windows caches MTP folder listings in the Windows Shell.
Windows File Explorer uses the Windows Portable Devices (WPD) API, Shell
folder enumeration cache, Thumbnail cache, and Metadata cache in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Explorer

Therefore, Windows may reuse previously enumerated folder lists, and
previously enumerated file lists, and previously generated thumbnails.

Yikes.

This is perhaps also why you sometimes see old folders even after deleting
them on the phone as new folders don't appear until Windows forces a re-enumeration. Sigh.

When opening the Windows Photos app suddenly "fixes" the folder list, it's likely because Photos forces a deeper MTP scan than File Explorer does.

Who knew?
Now you do.

Now that we all know this, what are practical fixes that restore the
missing folders?

1. Unlock the iPhone and keep it awake.
a. First connect the phone.
b. Then Unlock it.
c. Then open the Photos app and leave it open.
d. Now open the Windows File Explorer.
e. Go to -> This PC -> iPhone -> Internal Storage -> DCIM.
f. This forces iOS to rebuild the MTP directory.

If it doesn't work... then...

2. Revoke and re-authorize "Trust This Computer".
a. To go iPhone Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset
b. Then go to Reset -> Reset Location & Privacy.
c. Then reconnect and tap "Trust".
d. This forces iOS to rebuild the MTP permissions and index.

If it still doesn't work... then...

3. Restart both devices.
a. Restart iPhone.
b. Reboot Windows.
c. This clears cached MTP indexes on both sides.

If doing all that still doesn't work... then...

4. Use a different USB port or cable.
a. Use an Apple-branded Lightning cable (yeah, I'm being nice).
b. Avoid USB hubs.
c. Prefer USB-A ports directly on the motherboard.
Why? Faulty cables maybe can cause partial MTP enumeration.

5. Then use the Windows Photos app only to trigger a refresh.
a. Even if you do not import via Photos, launching it can force
iOS to expose more DCIM folders to File Explorer.
b. This matches your observation that Photos made more folders appear.

But that's not all. You know me. I advocate SMB & WebDAV also, but I also
use only free advertisement free (preferably FOSS) apps on my devices.

So why not use SMB with Windows instead?

Given we've already shown that of all consumer operating systems, only
Apple allows non-rooted/jailbroken devices to access Windows SMB ports,
then why are the SMB apps disappearing from the Apple App Store over time?

It seems that Apple has tightened filesystem access rules in recent iOS versions such that many SMB clients which had relied on older APIs that
allowed direct access to the photo library are no longer available.

When these APIs were deprecated, many apps were removed or became nonfunctional. And you can't go to another App Store like Android can.

I suspect this is why SMBlan vanished & why SMBManager feels limited.
But there may be reliable alternatives for bulk photo non-MPT file xfer.

These avoid the MTP/DCIM limitations entirely.

1. Documents by Readdle (free)
a. It's a full SMB client.
b. It can bulk-select photos.
c. It can transfer entire albums.
d. It works over Wi-Fi.
e. It does not require Bluetooth on the PC.
IMHO, this may be the closest modern replacement for SMBlan.

2. FileBrowser Pro (paid)
a. It has robust SMB support.
b. It handles thousands of files reliably.
c. It allows sorting by date.
d. It's very stable with Windows shares.
This is the most reliable long-term SMB solution.

3. iMazing (desktop application)
a. It reads the iPhone photo library directly.
b. It bypasses MTP entirely.
c. It allows sorting by date and exporting originals.
d. It works over USB without iCloud.
This is the most reliable USB-based method.

Given I'm trying very hard not to be snarky about file transfer given
Apple's credo that everything "just works", I think you are not doing
anything incorrectly. It is just that interoperability between the iPhone-to-Windows USB photo transfer system is, in my humblest of opinions, inherently unreliable due to the limitations of MTP combined with how iOS implements it. I think that's the reason that the behavior you are seeing
of newer folders missing & older folders visible is extremely common.

My kind and heart-felt advice to you for long-term reliability is:
a. Use Documents by Readdle or FileBrowser Pro for SMB transfers...
b. Or use iMazing for USB transfers...
c. Or use Windows Photos only to force the Windows File Explorer
to refresh the DCIM index.

In my humble opinion, these methods bypass the fragile MTP/DCIM system and provide consistent bulk-photo-transfer capability of the Android:Windows interoperability ecosystem to the iOS:Windows interoperability ecosystem.
--
Since I invest vast energy into researching & carefully composing articles which edify everyone who wants to learn, I love to spread the word around.
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