ITool

Rust · Windows desktop development · 2026

An open-source Rust tool for browsing and exporting iPhone photos and videos on Windows. Keep originals, choose media visually, and optionally create JPEG or MP4 copies.

Status: ACTIVE DEVELOPMENT

Screenshots from the repository README use synthetic sample photos and simulated export results. Displayed counts and transfer rates are demo values, not measured device performance.

Problem

Moving an iPhone photo library to Windows should make it easy to see what you are selecting and preserve the original files. I built ITool as a focused alternative for that workflow.

Approach

Built a native Rust interface around Apple Mobile Device Support, with a thumbnail gallery and an explicit Connect → Choose media → Export → Results flow. Conversions produce additional files while retaining originals.

Features

Visual media selection — Browse thumbnails and choose the photos or videos to export from the connected phone.
Original-file export — Copy original media without a mandatory conversion step; group the paired resources of Live Photos.
Optional format conversion — Create JPEG copies of HEIC/HEIF images and compatible H.264/AAC MP4 copies of supported videos using FFmpeg. HDR or uncertain metadata can prevent conversion while originals remain available.
Local export records — Record export history and verify received files against a digest of the transferred stream.

Outcome

An inspectable open-source Windows utility with a native gallery and export workflow. Newer transfer and conversion changes still need broader device validation; no speed comparison is claimed.

Stack

Rust, egui / eframe, Apple Mobile Device Support, FFmpeg

Links

GitHub

All projects · Harshil Patel

ITool — Harshil Patel