Canon Camera Connect

Transfer RAW Files from Canon Camera to Phone

How to get your full-resolution Canon RAW files onto your iPhone (and why Android has a problem).

Transferring RAW files from your Canon camera to your phone should be straightforward, but Canon Camera Connect makes it complicated. Here’s what works, what doesn’t, and what to watch out for.

RAW transfer on iPhone (iOS)

Canon Camera Connect does support RAW file transfers on iPhone, but there are caveats:

  • RAW+JPEG defaults to JPEG. If you shoot RAW+JPEG, Camera Connect may default to transferring the smaller JPEG file. When selecting photos to transfer, check for a format selector and explicitly choose RAW.
  • Resize setting can override everything. Even with RAW selected, the app’s resize setting can compress the output. Make sure resize is set to “Original” or “Do not resize” in the app’s settings.
  • RAW burst files can’t be transferred. If you use high-speed burst shooting in RAW, Camera Connect may not be able to import those files.
  • Transfers are slow. A single Canon RAW file (25-50 MB depending on model) can take 1-2 minutes over WiFi. Disabling Bluetooth helps — go to Settings → Bluetooth and turn it off. The iPhone’s shared antenna means Bluetooth interferes with WiFi speed.

RAW transfer on Android

Canon Camera Connect does not transfer RAW files on Android. RAW files are silently converted to JPEG during transfer. There is no setting to change this — it’s a platform limitation of Canon’s app.

This means if you:

  1. Transfer what you think are RAW files to your Android phone
  2. Delete the originals from the SD card
  3. Check your phone later

…you’ll find only JPEGs. This has caused data loss for many users who assumed RAW files transferred intact.

If you need RAW files on Android, use a USB-C OTG card reader.

How to transfer RAW files reliably

On iPhone with Canon Camera Connect

  1. Open Canon Camera Connect and connect to your camera.
  2. Browse to the photos you want to transfer.
  3. When selecting an image, look for the format option and select RAW (not JPEG).
  4. Make sure the resize setting is set to Original.
  5. For faster transfers, disable Bluetooth in Settings → Bluetooth before starting.

With a card reader (fastest, both platforms)

A USB-C or Lightning SD card reader ($10-20) is the most reliable method:

  1. Remove the SD card from your camera.
  2. Insert it into the card reader.
  3. Connect the card reader to your phone.
  4. Import photos using the Files app or Photos app.

RAW files transfer at full quality, at full speed, on both iPhone and Android.

Verifying your RAW files transferred correctly

After transferring, check that you actually received RAW files:

  1. Open Photos on your iPhone.
  2. Select a transferred photo and tap the (i) info button.
  3. Look for the file format — it should say CR2 or CR3 (Canon RAW formats), not JPEG.
  4. Check the file size — Canon RAW files are typically 25-50 MB. If the file is under 10 MB, you likely got a JPEG.

A simpler RAW transfer workflow

Shutter supports full-resolution RAW transfers from Canon cameras to iPhone. When you shoot RAW+JPEG, Shutter shows a clear format selector — tap RAW or JPEG, and that’s what you get. No hidden resize settings, no silent conversion.

Shutter also includes a shortcut that automatically manages Bluetooth for best transfer performance, so you don’t need to manually toggle it in Settings before each batch.

All transferred photos go directly into your iPhone’s Photos library, ready for editing in Lightroom, Darkroom, or any other app.

Try Shutter free for 7 days.