If you own a Synology NAS and an iPhone, you've probably spent time trying to figure out the cleanest way to get your photos off your phone and onto your own hardware. The options out there are either too complicated (Synology Moments, manually mounting via SMB in the Files app), too slow (USB to computer, then copy across the network), or too compromising (letting a cloud service hold everything in the middle).
This guide walks through the fastest way to do it in 2026: directly from iPhone to Synology, over your home Wi-Fi, with no computer in the middle.
What you need
Before you start, make sure you have:
A Synology NAS running DSM 7 or later
Most Synology models from 2018 onwards support DSM 7. Confirmed working: DS220+, DS223, DS420+, DS720+, DS920+, DS1019+, DS1522+, DS923+, RS1221+.
iPhone running iOS 17 or later
Sling Photos requires iOS 17+. Compatible with iPhone XS and later.
Both devices on the same Wi-Fi network
Your iPhone and Synology must be on the same local network. If your NAS is connected via Ethernet to your router and your iPhone is on that router's Wi-Fi, this is already the case.
Step 1: Enable SMB on your Synology
Sling Photos connects to your NAS using the SMB protocol — the same protocol that lets Windows and Mac computers access network shares. It's almost certainly already enabled on your Synology, but worth confirming.
Open DSM and go to Control Panel
Log into your Synology DSM web interface. Navigate to Control Panel → File Services → SMB.
Enable SMB service
Check Enable SMB service. The minimum SMB protocol should be set to SMB2. Maximum can be set to SMB3 for the best performance.
Step 2: Create a shared folder for your photos
Go to Control Panel → Shared Folder
Click Create and give the folder a name. Something like Photos or SlingPhotos works well.
Set permissions for your user
On the permissions step, make sure your Synology user account has Read/Write access to the folder. Sling Photos needs write access to create the organised folder structure on your NAS.
Step 3: Install Sling Photos and connect
Download Sling Photos from the App Store
Install the app on your iPhone and complete the onboarding. The onboarding guides you through connecting your drive as part of the setup flow.
Your Synology will appear automatically
Sling Photos uses Bonjour and SMB discovery to find devices on your network. Your Synology should appear by name (usually the hostname you set in DSM, like DiskStation).
Enter your Synology username and password
Use your regular DSM login credentials. These are stored in the iOS Keychain and never transmitted anywhere. Tap Connect.
Select your shared folder
You'll see the shared folders on your NAS. Tap the one you created for photos, then tap Use This Location.
Your Synology is connected. Time to Sling.
Now the useful part. Add the people you want to archive photos of, set a date range, and tap Sling. Your photos will transfer directly to your Synology, organised by person, date, city, and event. No computer. No cloud.
Try Sling Photos FreeSynology compatibility
Sling Photos has been tested with the following Synology models. Any model running DSM 7 with SMB enabled should work.
| Model | DSM Version | Status |
|---|---|---|
| DS220+ | DSM 7.2 | ✓ Confirmed |
| DS223 | DSM 7.2 | ✓ Confirmed |
| DS420+ | DSM 7.1 | ✓ Confirmed |
| DS720+ | DSM 7.2 | ✓ Confirmed |
| DS920+ | DSM 7.2 | ✓ Confirmed |
| DS1522+ | DSM 7.2 | ✓ Confirmed |
| DS923+ | DSM 7.2 | ✓ Confirmed |
| RS1221+ | DSM 7.1 | ✓ Expected |
| DS218 | DSM 7.0 | ✓ Expected |
Encountering an issue with a model not on this list? Contact support with your model and DSM version and we'll help troubleshoot.
Troubleshooting
My Synology doesn't appear in the device list
Check that your iPhone and Synology are on the same Wi-Fi network and subnet. If your router has AP isolation or client isolation enabled, devices cannot discover each other — this setting needs to be disabled. Also confirm SMB is enabled in DSM Control Panel → File Services.
I get an authentication error when connecting
Double-check your DSM username and password. The username is case-sensitive. If you use two-factor authentication on DSM, you may need to create an application-specific password in DSM under your account settings.
Transfer is very slow
Large video files transfer at the speed of your Wi-Fi connection, not your NAS speed. On a typical home Wi-Fi network, expect roughly 5-15 MB/s. Keep your iPhone plugged in during large transfers and avoid being far from your Wi-Fi router.