What’s the fastest way to transfer a huge photo library from an iPhone without using a cable?

Bluetooth technically works, but it will be extremely slow for a large photo collection. A local Wi-Fi transfer is the better choice. A network storage device such as a NAS can also provide a safe long-term backup instead of relying only on a USB stick.

If you want this to happen automatically and reliably, a local sync tool such as Resilio Sync can keep the phone and computer synchronized over Wi-Fi. It’s useful for a large library because it can resume transfers instead of starting over.

Try a local Wi-Fi transfer app such as LocalSend. Install it on the iPhone and laptop, make sure both devices are connected to the same network, then send the photos directly between them. This avoids uploading everything to the internet and should be much faster than Dropbox or Google Drive.

You can transfer the files over your home network by sharing a folder on the laptop and connecting to it from the phone. Setting up an FTP server and using a compatible iPhone client is another option, although LocalSend is usually simpler for a one-time transfer.