Connect the drive and check Files
Use a data-capable connection that matches your iPhone or iPad. A USB-C drive may connect directly to a USB-C device; other combinations need an adapter. A Lightning device needs an appropriate Lightning adapter. Some drives also need external power.
Open Files, choose Browse and look under Locations. If the drive appears, open its music folder. Apple lists supported storage formats and connection requirements in its external-storage guide. The connector fitting physically does not prove the drive is readable.
Listen from the drive or copy the album?
For an album you want on the phone after unplugging, copy it locally first. In Files, copy the album folder from the drive, navigate to a suitable folder under On My iPhone or On My iPad, and paste it. Wait for the copy to finish before disconnecting.
MP95 can also use a folder granted through the system folder picker. For a connected drive, that location depends on the drive staying attached and accessible. Treat it as a connected source, not as a downloaded album. If you are packing for a journey, a local copy avoids a loose adapter or an unplugged drive stopping the music.
Add the music folder to MP95
- Open MP95's library and choose Add folder.
- In the folder picker, choose the locally copied album folder, or the folder on the connected drive.
- Grant access, let the library load and play a song.
- For a local copy, unplug the drive and try a different song from the album. It should still be available.
Choose the music folder itself. If it contains several albums, check how they appear under Albums and Folders. Tags determine much of the album organisation; copying a folder does not rewrite missing artist or track-number fields.
If the drive does not appear
Work through the connection before changing settings in the player. Try the drive on a computer, inspect its file system, and check whether the adapter supports data. If the drive requires more power, use the power arrangement recommended for your device and adapter.
Do not format a drive as an experiment while it contains your only music copy. Formatting erases data. Back it up first, then follow Apple's storage requirements if a format change is necessary.
If the drive appears but a song will not play
Confirm that the audio file exists and has a plausible size. An album folder containing only JPEG covers is not an audio download. Test a known MP3, then the problem file. MP95 supports FLAC on iPhone as well as MP3 and other listed formats; a damaged file can still fail despite a supported extension.
A USB storage drive supplies files. A USB DAC receives audio for headphones or speakers. They solve different problems. If you want to connect both at once, you must also account for ports, power and hub compatibility; a music-player setting cannot supply a missing physical connection.