The Nextcloud app for iOS is free, open source, collects no data and has over 10,000 ratings in the US App Store. It’s also the app that the same threads keep piling up about in the Nextcloud forum, year after year: photo upload stops as soon as the iPhone is locked. The Files app shows no content on iOS 26 – “a known problem that is already being worked on”, the forum replied in November 2025. Version 35.0.0 breaks upload via the share sheet, version 7.2.1 crashes on launch. Anyone who then searches for an alternative finds Deck clients and notes apps – but not the route that’s closest: your Nextcloud server speaks WebDAV, out of the box. Any WebDAV client on the iPhone reaches your files without you changing anything on the server.
The short version
- Nextcloud is a WebDAV server. Address:
https://your-cloud/remote.php/dav/files/USERNAME/, same login as the web interface – with an app password if two-factor is on. - What a WebDAV client does better: stream videos, search with on-device text recognition, camera backup that iOS finishes in the background, certificates with an alarm. WebDAV Browser ships a Nextcloud preset; one server is free.
- What only the official app can do: create share links, open end-to-end encrypted folders, Nextcloud in the Files app, Talk and Assistant.
- The best solution is both: the official app for shares and Talk, a WebDAV client for files, photos and videos.
At a glance: which route for which job
View files, stream videos, search scans, back up photos
Nextcloud preset, streaming with AirPlay and Chromecast, on-device text recognition, camera backup through iOS. One server free, no data collected.
Share links, Talk, end-to-end encryption, Files app
Nextcloud app
The features that don’t work over WebDAV. Free, open source; the Files app integration has a known bug on iOS 26.
SMB on the NAS, SFTP at your host and Nextcloud in one app
FileBrowser Professional
Dedicated Nextcloud connector, Files app entry, $14.99 once. WebDAV with two-factor accounts fails at some hosts per reviews.
Just movies from your Nextcloud
Infuse
WebDAV as a source, plays MKV too. Cloud streaming, AirPlay and Google Cast only with Pro.
Nextcloud on the Mac
Nextcloud Desktop or a WebDAV client
The sync client for permanent sync, Cyberduck or WebDAV Browser for Mac to work on the server – more in the Mac comparison.
Why the official app disappoints so often
The criticism of the Nextcloud app isn’t new and isn’t unfair; it sits in its own forum and bug tracker:
- Photo upload only with the app open. “You need to keep the app opened and active to upload new photos” (Nextcloud forum, summer 2026); “as soon as the device is locked … the upload stops” (older thread). Large chunked uploads only run with the app active (issue 3713), one broken file blocks the whole queue (issue 4012).
- Files app without content. On iOS 26 the Nextcloud entry in Files shows empty folders – a known problem according to the forum (thread from November 2025).
- Regressions with updates. A review from September 24, 2026: with 35.0.0 neither share-sheet upload nor the Files integration works. A review from October 2026: photos aren’t deleted after upload although the option is set.
- Sluggish interface. “The UI is extremely laggy … Nothing is cached” (US review, December 2025).
Why that is has less to do with the developers than with the architecture: the app has to cover Nextcloud features like shares, activities, end-to-end encryption and the Assistant, runs on iOS 17 through 26 and is maintained by a small team. A pure WebDAV client has it easier – it only has to read, write and play files, and do that right.
Nextcloud speaks WebDAV – and that’s the way out
Every Nextcloud exposes its files under a WebDAV address; the web interface and the official app use exactly this interface. You need three things:
- The address:
https://cloud.example.com/remote.php/dav/files/USERNAME/– with your internal username in the path, not your email address and not your display name. The address is shown in the web interface under Files → Files settings at the bottom. - An app password, as soon as two-factor authentication is on: Settings → Security → Devices & sessions → Create new app password. WebDAV has no second factor, so the server rejects your regular password. You can revoke the app password individually at any time.
- A WebDAV client that does more than list folders – the options are in our comparison of WebDAV apps for iPhone and iPad.
Everything else – certificates, reverse proxies, status codes – is covered in the guide to WebDAV on iPhone and iPad.
What you gain, what you lose
| Criterion | Our appWebDAV BrowserViovenia | Nextcloud appofficial | FileBrowser ProStratospherix | InfuseFirecore |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Browse, open, manage files | yes | yes | yes | partlyvideos only |
| Stream videos directly | yesAirPlay, Chromecast, subtitles | not verified | yesAirPlay, Chromecast | yesAirPlay and Cast only with Pro |
| Search with text recognition in scans | yeson device | partlyserver-side, depending on installation | no | no |
| Camera backup in the background | yesvia iOS, since iOS 27 without opening; Premium | partlyonly with the app open per the forum | not verified | no |
| Offline files | yes | yes | yes | partlydownloads |
| Self-signed certificates | yesremembered, alarm on change, own CA | partlyexception during setup | not verified | not verified |
| Other servers in the same app | yesany WebDAV server | partlyNextcloud only | yesSMB, SFTP, S3, clouds | yesSMB, NFS, Plex, clouds |
| Privacy label | Data Not Collected | Data Not Collected | Data Not Collected | Not linked: diagnostics |
| Price | one server free; Premium in the App Store | free | $14.99 once | free; Pro $16.99/year |
Legend:yespartlynonot verified
As of November 7, 2026, US App Store, vendor docs and the Nextcloud forum. Share links go through Nextcloud’s OCS API, not WebDAV – which is why no pure WebDAV client can create them.
The table shows why “either or” is the wrong question. Share links, encrypted folders and Talk exist only through the official app; streaming, text recognition and a backup that runs through in the background only through a client that focuses on files. Both use the same account on the same server, both can be installed side by side. One app password per app, and you can see in Nextcloud under Security which app accessed what and when.
WebDAV Browser with Nextcloud: the setup
WebDAV Browser ships a Nextcloud preset: the WebDAV path /remote.php/webdav is already filled in, you only replace the example host with your domain and enter username and app password; the preset reminds you right there that two-factor requires an app password. What you have afterwards:
- Streaming instead of downloading. Videos from your Nextcloud start immediately, with SRT subtitles, Picture in Picture and resume; via AirPlay on Apple TV, via Chromecast on your TV – credentials stay on the device.
- Search across scans and PDFs. The index runs on the device, text recognition reads receipts and scanned contracts, results can show up in Spotlight. With Apple Intelligence you ask your documents questions without any file content leaving the iPhone. That works regardless of whether your host has installed Nextcloud’s full-text search.
- Camera backup that runs through. Uploads go to iOS as background tasks; since iOS 27 the system uploads new photos by itself, even with the app closed. Every file is verified on the server via PROPFIND – how that compares to Nextcloud, Synology Photos and PhotoSync is in the article on backing up iPhone photos to a NAS without iCloud.
- Certificates. Self-signed certificates and your own certificate authorities are remembered on first connect, with an alarm on change. Client certificates and Digest sign-in work since version 1.4.
- No data collected, passwords only in Keychain. One server is free – enough for a single Nextcloud; Premium lifts the limits on the search index and offline files and unlocks camera backup and folder sync.
What you deliberately don’t get: no share links, no encrypted folders, no entry in the Files app, WebDAV only. For shares, the official app or the web interface in your browser remains.
Create an app password in Nextcloud
Open the web interface: Settings → Security → Devices & sessions. Enter a name like “WebDAV Browser iPhone”, choose “Create new app password”, copy the password. It’s shown only once.
Copy the WebDAV address
Under Files → Files settings (bottom left) you’ll find the WebDAV address with your username. The username is the internal login name – not necessarily the same if you sign in with an email address.
Create the server in the app
Choose the “Nextcloud” preset, replace the example host in the prefilled path with your domain, enter your username and the app password as the password. Run the connection test: 401 means wrong password or missing app password, 404 a wrong path.
Check the certificate
With a host using Let’s Encrypt nothing else happens. With a Nextcloud at home and a self-signed certificate, the app shows the fingerprint – compare it with the one on the server, then remember it.
Keep the official app where it’s needed
For share links, encrypted folders and Talk, the Nextcloud app stays installed. Turn off its photo upload so two apps don’t upload the same pictures.
Top tip
Under Settings → Security, Nextcloud lists every app with its own app password as a separate session with its last access. If your iPhone changes hands, you revoke only that one password there – your account password and all other devices stay untouched. That’s the reason never to enter your main password into an app, even with two-factor off.
And on the Mac?
On the Mac the situation is reversed: the official Nextcloud desktop client is good – a sync client with Finder integration via File Provider on macOS 14 or later. What it isn’t: a tool for working on the server without mirroring everything. For that you use Cyberduck (free), Mountain Duck (a drive in Finder) or WebDAV Browser for Mac (streaming, search, offline files). You should avoid Finder itself for Nextcloud; why, with evidence, is in the comparison of WebDAV clients for Mac.
Frequently asked questions
What is my Nextcloud’s WebDAV address?
https://your-domain/remote.php/dav/files/USERNAME/ – with your internal username in the path. You’ll find the address in the web interface under Files → Files settings. The web interface address alone isn’t enough; it only returns errors in WebDAV clients.
Why doesn’t the WebDAV client accept my Nextcloud password?
Because two-factor authentication is on. WebDAV uses HTTP Basic Auth and has no second factor, so Nextcloud requires an app password. Create it under Settings → Security → Devices & sessions and enter it in the app instead of your account password.
Can I create share links with a WebDAV client?
No. Shares go through Nextcloud’s OCS API, not WebDAV. For links you need the official app or the web interface in your browser. Both can be used alongside a WebDAV client, each with its own app password.
The Files app shows no content for Nextcloud – what now?
That’s a known problem of the Nextcloud app on iOS 26 that the forum says is being worked on. In the meantime, signing out and back in within the app or reinstalling can help. If you need your files now, reach the server directly with a WebDAV client – it doesn’t depend on the Files extension.
Is photo upload over WebDAV more reliable than in the Nextcloud app?
That depends on the client, not the protocol. The Nextcloud app relies on iOS Background App Refresh, which the system grants only sporadically. WebDAV Browser hands uploads to iOS as background tasks and, since version 1.4, uses iOS 27’s uploading of new photos, even with the app closed. Other WebDAV clients don’t document their background behavior.
Can I use the Nextcloud app and a WebDAV client at the same time?
Yes, both access the same account. That’s exactly what makes sense: the official app for shares, encrypted folders and Talk, the WebDAV client for files, photos and videos. Turn off photo upload in one of the two apps so they don’t both upload the same pictures.