XPost: misc.phone.mobile.iphone   
   From: marianjones@helpfulpeople.com   
      
   Jolly Roger wrote:   
   > On 2025-12-25, Tyrone  wrote:   
   >> On Dec 25, 2025 at 4:07:51'PM EST, "Marian"    
   >> wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> It seems we need a separate thread on teaching others and learning from   
   >>> others more about the very important topic of how iOS is actually designed.   
   >>   
   >> No we don't. Again, one can't "teach" a topic when one knows nothing about   
   the   
   >> topic.   
   >>   
   >>> Tyrone wrote:   
   >>>>> With ones Apple devices meshed via iCloud - and all the secure   
   >>>>> communications and storage therein, the powerful personal experience   
   >>>>> emerges when one daily drives a Mac/iPhone/Watch and if need be iPad and   
   >>>>> others.   
   >>   
   >> I did not write the above.  But it IS 100% correct.   
   >>   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Exactly. This is the entire point of the Apple ecosystem.   
   >>>> Everything works together.   
   >>>   
   >>> This thread can be titled any of the following to help people understand   
   >>> iOS Design, and specifically "What Happens When You Refuse the Apple ID"?   
   >>   
   >> It can be titled "These are Arlen's fantasies about iOS, because Arlen knows   
   >> nothing about iOS since Arlen clearly has no iOS devices".  He did not even   
   >> know how the Files app worked. Which BTW, requires no login to Apple.   
   >   
   > I remember his claim that the Files app required connecting to the Apple   
   > mothership, which is ridiculous to anyone who has actually used the   
   > Files app to connect to a NAS or other SMB shared volume on their local   
   > network.   
   >   
   > "Marian" doesn't know how Apple kit actually works, yet constantly calls   
   > anyone who corrects his bullshit "low-IQ" "moron" "Apple trolls" (among   
   > other schoolyard insults). He's a piece of shit, and so is anyone who   
   > backs him.   
      
   Without responding to the ad hominems, keeping purely technical regarding   
   the Files app so that we can concentrate on what was actually said, and not   
   what Jolly Roger may have thought was said, here are details about the   
   Files app workings in iOS, both with and without the use of the AppleID.   
      
   First & foremost, the Files app on iOS is a built-in system app, not an App   
   Store app, which thus allows it to inherit a few practical consequences:   
    1. We do NOT need an Apple ID to use the Files app.   
    2. We do NOT need an Apple ID for the Files app to be updated.   
    3. Unlike most iOS apps, the Files app is updated when iOS itself   
       is updated (via Settings > General > Software Update), because   
       the Files app is actually a key part of the operating system.   
    4. iOS system updates themselves do not require that any Apple ID   
       be signed in (which is a critical feature to teach others).   
      
   A device with no Apple ID can still receive and install iOS updates, and   
   that is how the Files app gets updated.   
      
   To the point that Jolly Roger just raised, the Files app does not require   
   any connection to Apple's servers in order to browse or use files on iOS.   
      
   That includes:   
    a. On-device storage   
    b. External storage (USB drives, SD cards, etc., where supported)   
    c. Local network shares (SMB servers, NAS boxes, file shares on the LAN)   
    d. Third-party cloud services such as Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive,   
       Box, etc. (which use their own logins, not an Apple ID)   
      
   We need to refresh Jolly Roger's memory that the only part of Files that   
   involves Apple's servers is the iCloud Drive section, which is optional and   
   simply does not appear if you are not signed in with an Apple ID or if   
   iCloud Drive is disabled. The rest of Files works entirely without iCloud.   
      
   When we connect to a NAS or SMB share from the Files app, we are using   
   standard SMB networking. The traffic goes between our iOS device and the   
   SMB server (for example, our NAS or a shared folder on our LAN), using the   
   normal SMB ports (e.g. TCP port 445, and in some setups also 139). In that   
   scenario, there is no need for the connection to involve Apple's Cupertino   
   matrix at all, and no requirement to be logged into any Apple account.   
      
   So, to summarize in concrete terms so that Jolly Roger is less confused:   
    A. Can we use Files with no Apple ID?   
       Yes.   
    B. Can we connect Files to a local SMB share or NAS with no Apple ID?   
       Yes.   
    C. Can the Files app still receive updates with no Apple ID?   
       Yes, whenever iOS itself is updated.   
    D. Does Files require a permanent connection to any "Apple mothership"   
       to function? No. It uses local storage, LAN, and whatever servers   
       we explicitly configure (SMB, third-party clouds, etc.).   
      
   Apple's servers are only involved if/when we choose to use iCloud Drive.   
   --   
   Focused on how iOS truly behaves when used outside the usual   
   Apple-ID-first workflow (which is something few users ever experience).   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)