Frequently Asked Questions

Which devices can be a server?

Anything that runs iOS 15: the iPhone 6s, iPhone SE, iPhone 7 and every iPhone since, the iPod touch (7th generation), and the iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4 and every iPad since, including all iPad Pro models. Old hardware is the point: a device from 2014 or 2015 is plenty for sharing files.

Why does the app have to stay open?

iOS does not let apps run network servers in the background; a server iOS could suspend would drop connections mid-transfer. So NAS Reborn runs as a foreground appliance that owns the (dimmed) screen, and it pauses serving whenever another app takes over. Always-On Serving shows how to make that reliable with Guided Access or Single App Mode.

Is it safe to leave an old iPhone plugged in for months?

Generally yes; millions of devices spend their lives on a charger. The real concern on old batteries is being held at 100% indefinitely, which is why the battery guidance recommends a smart plug that cycles charging. Keep the device out of direct sun, and the app itself watches the thermal state.

Does my data or traffic pass through your servers?

No. Clients connect directly to your device; there is no relay and no account. A drive-only server contacts no backend at all, with one optional exception: a small anonymous check for known security problems affecting your app version, on by default and switched off in Settings. When you opt into web serving, the backend additionally does plumbing only: keeping your hostname's DNS records current, relaying certificate challenges, and probing reachability.

Do the camera and microphone ever run on their own?

No. Neither is touched until you set something up that needs it, and even then only while it is being used. A camera feed starts capturing when a viewer opens it and stops about forty-five seconds after the last one leaves. The microphone measures the room's noise level only while a page that is actually being served reads it, and what is stored is a number in dB, never audio. Nothing is uploaded anywhere: like everything else, the video and the readings go from your device to whoever you let connect to it.

What does it cost?

NAS Reborn starts with a 14-day free trial of everything, and after it a free tier that keeps serving: the network drive, Time Machine, and web and S3 serving with a hostname and certificate, within limits of 2 served folders (5 GB of serving each), 2 git repositories, one device account and one access key. Camera feeds and sensor data are not limited, and the Time Machine folder does not count against the folder limit. The full app is a one-time lifetime purchase that removes the limits and adds serving external drives on the web, custom domains, static site export and a custom share name. No subscription: the design keeps my per-device costs near zero, so there is nothing to charge monthly for.

What happens at the free tier's limits?

Nothing is deleted, locked or held hostage. A folder over its serving quota stops serving over web and S3 until it is back under; turning on more folders or repositories than the free tier serves pauses serving until one is switched off. Folders and repositories are counted separately, so hosting a repository never uses up a folder. SMB and Files-app writes are never blocked, so Time Machine backups keep growing regardless. Every byte remains an ordinary file in the Files app, where you can always copy it out. Purchase the unlock and serving resumes.

How do I back up my server?

The server is also a standard S3 endpoint, so any S3 tool can mirror it: a scheduled rclone sync from any computer makes a solid backup (see Access Keys and S3 Clients). Note that iCloud Backup does not cover the served files: automatic backups only run while a device is locked, and an appliance that is always awake would never back up, so NAS Reborn keeps served data out of iCloud Backup entirely rather than promising a backup that would silently never run. Built-in replication between devices is on the roadmap.

What if the NAS Reborn backend shuts down?

Your server keeps working on your own network with no backend at all. The network drive and Time Machine never touch a backend in the first place, and serving, S3 and the Files app integration all run on the device. The backend only maintains the nas2.dk hostname plumbing for the optional web tier.

Can I run more than one server?

Yes. A drawer full of old iPhones is the natural habitat: install the app on each device and every one runs as its own independent server, with its own folders, accounts and keys.

Can other people in the house use it without installing anything?

Yes, that is the point of the network drive: the Finder, the Files app's Connect to Server and Windows Explorer all speak SMB out of the box, and browsers just browse: public folders are websites, and presigned links share single files from private folders. For putting the S3 side into the Files app, S3 Files surfaces the server as a location in Files and Finder.