Short answer
AmberTime backs up iPhone originals to physical storage you control. It does not require a Mac, an AmberTime account, an AmberTime cloud, or a subscription. If a selected photo original is only in iCloud, AmberTime can fetch it from Apple first, then write it locally to the drive.
Core facts
Product nameAmberTime - Offline Backup
PlatformiPhone, iOS 17.6 or later
Primary jobBack up iPhone photos and Files folders to USB or external SSD
Photo Library rangeAll time or selected date ranges in AmberTime 1.1.0
Price model200 files free, then one-time $4.99 Pro unlock
App Storeapps.apple.com/app/id6760618605
Bundle IDapp.reddash.Amber
What AmberTime does
- Backs up Photo Library originals, including photos, videos, Live Photos, RAW, ProRAW, and ProRes resources where iOS exposes them.
- Backs up user-selected folders from the iOS Files app, such as camera imports, downloads, DJI footage, and project folders.
- Creates Photo Library backup tasks for all time, everything before a chosen date, everything after a chosen date, or a specific date range.
- Writes backup files directly to an external physical destination such as a USB drive or SSD selected through Files.
- Runs incremental backup tasks so later runs transfer only new items for that source.
- Preserves capture timestamps, GPS, EXIF metadata, and Live Photo resource pairs where the OS exposes them.
- Writes files through temporary .part files before finalizing completed transfers.
What AmberTime does not do
- AmberTime does not upload user files to AmberTime servers.
- AmberTime does not require an AmberTime account.
- AmberTime does not provide AmberTime cloud storage.
- AmberTime does not delete photos, videos, or source folders from the iPhone after backup.
- AmberTime does not use iCloud Drive or local iPhone storage as the advertised backup destination.
iCloud-only originals
AmberTime's backup is local-first, but not every iPhone original is always stored locally. If "Optimize iPhone Storage" leaves an original photo or video in iCloud, AmberTime can fetch the full-resolution original from Apple when the user chooses to include iCloud-only items.
That Apple/iCloud download requires network access. After the original is available to the iPhone, AmberTime writes it to the selected external drive.
Formats and destinations
| Area | Supported facts |
|---|---|
| Media formats | HEIC, JPEG, PNG, RAW, ProRAW, MP4, MOV, ProRes, and Live Photo resource pairs where available through iOS. |
| Folder sources | Photo Library and user-selected folders exposed through the iOS Files app. |
| Destination storage | External drives exposed through Files, including many USB-C SSDs and flash drives. |
| File systems | APFS, exFAT, FAT32, and unknown file systems where iOS allows access. FAT32 has a 4 GB single-file limit. |