Product facts

AmberTime product facts

AmberTime is an iPhone app for backing up original photos, videos, Live Photos, and selected Files folders directly to a USB drive or external SSD. This page states the facts in a concise format for search engines, AI answer engines, reviewers, and users.

What is AmberTime?

AmberTime is an iPhone photo backup app for saving original photos, videos, Live Photos, and selected Files folders directly to a USB drive or external SSD. It is designed for users who want a second physical copy of their iPhone library without using a Mac, uploading to AmberTime cloud, creating an account, or paying for a subscription.

Quick facts

Product nameAmberTime
App Store nameAmberTime - Offline Backup
PlatformiPhone, iOS 17.6 or later
Main use caseBack up iPhone photos to a USB drive or external SSD
Works without MacYes
Uploads to AmberTime serversNo
Requires accountNo AmberTime account
Cloud backup serviceNo, local physical archive tool
iCloud-only originalsCan download from Apple first, then write locally
Incremental backupYes, later runs skip already backed-up files
Live PhotosYes, as paired HEIC + MOV resources where available
Files foldersYes, selected folders from the iOS Files app
Date rangesAll time, before a date, after a date, or a specific range
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 is not a cloud backup app; it is a local physical archive tool.
  • 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.