I connected my Action 3 camera to my iPad using a USB-C cable. I received options on the Action 3 camera to transfer files or to use as a webcam. Are these functions available if I connect to my iPad? Thanks for your help!

Hi, veesix. Thank you for reaching out. The Osmo Action 3 supports File Transfer to Android and iOS devices through an OTG connection. For iOS, a Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter is required.
The connection method is as follows:
1) Enable OTG Connection on the camera, connect the camera to the camera adapter, and then connect the mobile phone to the camera adapter.
2) Connect the camera to the camera adapter, enable OTG Connection on the camera, and then connect the mobile phone to the camera adapter.
Additionally, please note that there may be a compatibility error when using with iPad series (no guarantee).
Regarding the Webcam function, it is regretfully only supported when used with a PC or Mac. Should you have further concerns, please reach back here at DJI Forum. Keep safe.

DJI Tony Posted at 1-10 04:00
Hi, veesix. Thank you for reaching out. The Osmo Action 3 supports File Transfer to Android and iOS devices through an OTG connection. For iOS, a Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter is required.
The connection method is as follows:
1) Enable OTG Connection on the camera, connect the camera to the camera adapter, and then connect the mobile phone to the camera adapter.

Thanks for the reply. I do have a couple questions.

You said I should use a lightning to USB 3 adapter. I don’t see a port for either one on the Action 3 camera. Would you clarify?

Your steps #1 and #2 seem the same. The only difference is the first parts are swapped. Would you clarify?

Thank you again.

You said:
"I connected my Action 3 camera to my iPad using a USB-C cable. I received options on the Action 3 camera to transfer files or to use as a webcam."

And then you asked "Are these functions available if I connect to my iPad? "

You are connected to the iPad, it showed you the options, and you are asking if those options which were shown when you are connected to the iPad are available on the iPad?

osmonauta Posted at 1-10 12:15
You said:
"I connected my Action 3 camera to my iPad using a USB-C cable. I received options on the Action 3 camera to transfer files or to use as a webcam."

Lol yes that does sound confusing…

After I connected them together, i selected to transfer files. The Action 3 screen just displayed “Connected”. I wasn’t sure what to expect next in order to transfer the files. Like where would I find these files on my iPad?

Similarly, when I selected webcam, the screen displayed “preparing webcam”. Where would the stream appear? For example, would I use the Mimo app?

Hope that clears things up if you have any tips you could provide. I’m fairly new and I’m just trying to discover all the features.

veesix Posted at 1-10 11:22
Thanks for the reply. I do have a couple questions.

You said I should use a lightning to USB 3 adapter. I don’t see a port for either one on the Action 3 camera. Would you clarify?

You are most welcome. To clarify, the abovementioned connection method is what's tested by our engineers. This means that iOS devices, including iPads, that have lightning ports can use this method (the use of a USB 3 Camera Adapter). If your iPad has a type-C port, you may try using a type-C to type-C cable and check if it works. Please note that this specific method is not guaranteed, and additionally, there may be compatibility issues when it comes to using an iPad. We recommend that you try it first. And for your second question, what differs is the sequence of connecting the devices. Please let us know if you have further questions. Have a nice day!

veesix Posted at 1-10 12:42
Lol yes that does sound confusing…

After I connected them together, i selected to transfer files. The Action 3 screen just displayed “Connected”. I wasn’t sure what to expect next in order to transfer the files. Like where would I find these files on my iPad?

LOL, ok, thanks for clearing it up! On the Mac FaceTime doesn't work with the webcam mode, you have to use PhotoBooth. Possibly some other 3rd party app would work also. So I assume the iPad would work similarly. It also has the PhotoBooth app so maybe it will work with it as a webcam. Although I am not sure why would you wanna use the camera as a webcam with the iPad, when the iPad already has a camera and you can use that as a webcam :-)

As far as xferring files, I am not sure since I don't connect to my iPad via a cable. I just Air Drop them if I wanna xfer something. The video files are huge, I'd never want to store gigabytes of videos on my iPad, so I'd always just compress them down, or upload them to YT and watch them on the iPad.

DJI Tony Posted at 1-10 23:57
You are most welcome. To clarify, the abovementioned connection method is what's tested by our engineers. This means that iOS devices, including iPads, that have lightning ports can use this method (the use of a USB 3 Camera Adapter). If your iPad has a type-C port, you may try using a type-C to type-C cable and check if it works. Please note that this specific method is not guaranteed, and additionally, there may be compatibility issues when it comes to using an iPad. We recommend that you try it first. And for your second question, what differs is the sequence of connecting the devices. Please let us know if you have further questions. Have a nice day!

Ok thanks, it seems to work. I’m able to see the microSD card within the Files app on the iPad.

Related to this, would you explain why there are 2 files associated with one video?

veesix Posted at 1-11 18:01
Ok thanks, it seems to work. I’m able to see the microSD card within the Files app on the iPad.

Related to this, would you explain why there are 2 files associated with one video?

https://forum.dji.com/thread-233111-1-1.html

veesix Posted at 1-11 18:01
Ok thanks, it seems to work. I’m able to see the microSD card within the Files app on the iPad.

Related to this, would you explain why there are 2 files associated with one video?

We're glad to be of help. After recording, Osmo Action 3 will generate an . LRF file. This function is the same way as DJI Pocket 2, which is prepared for the Trimmed Download function.
Here are some additional details about the .LRF file:
1. If the .LRF file is deleted, and the Playback function is not supported when using Osmo Action 3 alone. When DJI Mimo is used, it is required to download the original footage for viewing.
2. In reality, the.LRF file is a compressed video file. Apart from the Trimmed Download function, it can be used for playback and previewing.
3. If the .MP4 file is deleted, an “invalid file” warning will appear when attempting to preview it on the camera unit; if the.LRF file is not deleted, the file will be a low-resolution video file after changing the file suffix “.LRF” to “.MP4."
We hope this clarifies your concern. Take care!