Getting your iPhone and drive talking to each other for the first time. Once that's done, everything else is straightforward. Tell us where you're stuck and we'll show you exactly what to do.
Step 1
Pick the description that matches your situation. We'll show you the exact fix — no scrolling through unrelated information.
Your iPhone and drive need to be on the same part of your Wi-Fi network
The most common cause: iPhone on Guest Wi-Fi, drive on Main Wi-Fi. They need to be on the same network.
On your iPhone: Settings → Wi-Fi. On your Mac: Wi-Fi menu. Both should show the same network name. If your iPhone is on a Guest network, switch it to your main network.
This forces your iPhone to re-discover devices on the network. Wait 10 seconds after turning aeroplane mode back off before opening Sling Photos.
Some routers have a setting called AP Isolation or Client Isolation that prevents devices on the same Wi-Fi from seeing each other. Log into your router settings and confirm this is turned off.
A simple restart clears most discovery issues. Wait for it to fully boot before opening Sling Photos again.
Your router assigned your iPhone and drive to different IP ranges — a subnet mismatch
Your Mac's first three IP numbers (shown in orange) must match your iPhone's manual IP. Use .200 for your iPhone — it avoids conflicts with other devices.
On a Mac: System Settings → General → Sharing — the IP is shown at the top of the File Sharing panel. On a Synology or QNAP: log into DSM or QTS, go to Control Panel → Network → Network Interface. Note the full IP, e.g. 192.168.1.45.
If your drive is 192.168.1.45, your network range is 192.168.1. Your iPhone must use an address starting with those same three numbers.
Settings → Wi-Fi → tap the (i) next to your network → Configure IP → Manual. Enter:
IP Address: 192.168.1.200 (your drive's first three numbers, then .200)
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
Router: 192.168.1.1 (your drive's first three numbers, then .1)
Open Sling Photos and attempt the connection. If it still fails, double-check the first three numbers match exactly between your drive and your iPhone's new manual IP.
macOS Firewall is blocking the two processes that handle file sharing traffic
The firewall is on. Incoming connections to some services and apps are blocked.
Goal state: both smbd and sharingd showing Allow. If either is missing from the list, add it using the steps below.
System Settings → Network → Firewall. If the firewall is off, this is not your issue — try the other fixes above. If it's on, click Options.
If both already show "Allow incoming connections" in green, the firewall is not your problem — restart your Mac and try connecting again.
Click the + button. In the file picker, press Command + Shift + G, type /usr/sbin and press Enter. Select smbd and click Add. Set it to Allow incoming connections.
Click + again. Press Command + Shift + G, type /usr/libexec and press Enter. Select sharingd, click Add, set to Allow.
If it still times out after 30 seconds, restart your Mac — this ensures the firewall changes take full effect.
Mac Setup
Your Mac needs File Sharing turned on before Sling Photos can connect to it. This is a one-time setup that takes about two minutes.
Click the Apple menu at the top left of your screen, then select System Settings.
Click General in the left sidebar, then Sharing in the list that appears.
Toggle File Sharing to On. The toggle turns green when active.
Click the Info button (i) next to File Sharing. Click Options. Make sure Share files and folders using SMB is checked. Also check the box next to your username in the Windows File Sharing list.
Open Sling Photos on your iPhone. Your Mac should appear by name in the drive list within a few seconds.
Important Finding your Mac username — don't use your email address
The email address at the top of the Apple Account page is your Apple ID. The "User name" field in the info dialog shows your display name (John Smith). Neither of these works in Sling Photos.
Go to Users & Groups in the sidebar → tap the (i) circle next to your name → tap Open Contact Card. Your username appears top right — all lowercase, no spaces, no dots. Like johnsmith. Use your regular Mac login password alongside it.
System Settings → Users & Groups → tap (i) next to your name → Open Contact Card → username shown top right.
Account & Purchase
When you start the trial, you get full access to all features for 7 days with no upfront payment. At the end of the trial, the one-time purchase completes automatically.
To cancel before the trial ends: iPhone Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions. You keep access for the remainder of the trial period and are not charged.
Yes. Your purchase is tied to your Apple ID, not your device. Download Sling Photos on any iPhone signed into the same Apple ID, tap Restore Purchase on the paywall screen, and your purchase is recognised immediately at no extra cost.
Refunds are handled by Apple directly. Go to reportaproblem.apple.com, sign in with your Apple ID, find the Sling Photos purchase, and select "I'd like to request a refund."
If you're having trouble with the app, please email us first — we'd rather fix the issue than have you lose access to your archives.
Any storage device that supports SMB (Server Message Block) over your local Wi-Fi works. This includes Macs with File Sharing, Synology, QNAP, Western Digital My Cloud, and most NAS devices. See the full compatibility list at slingphotos.com/compatible-nas.
Send us a message and we'll reply personally within 24 hours. Include your iPhone model, iOS version, and drive brand if your question is about connection.
✉ Email SupportMore from Sling Photos
Why Sling Photos
Archive to your own drive and take back control of your photos.
Compatibility
Synology, QNAP, WD, Mac — the full confirmed-compatible list.
Setup guide
Enable SMB and run your first archive in under 10 minutes.