Does anyone know if the new changes to files in iOS 13 and iPad OS will enable us to work directly from external storage? I had abandoned using Scrivener iOS since Dropbox sync of files uses over 5GB currently, and makes my older iPad air 2 run out of memory. I don’t want to spend $50 on the combo of an apple dongle and flash drives until i’m fairly certain it’s worth the expense. Obviously the non-beta of iPad OS isn’t out yet, but can any beta users (or early adopters of iOS on iphone) provide any feedback?
Just updated from 12 to 13.1 and, although Files can see the external storage (a NAS), Scrivener can’t. Seems the only way to sync still is via Dropbox. Doesn’t promote the Apple ecosystem very well, as the only reason I bought the IPad version was to be able to work while travelling (Mac Pros really aren’t that portable…).
Using Files, a project can be copied off the NAS and onto the iPad, then opened satisfactorily, so that works. It’d be better if Scrivener could use the same functionality as Files provides to gain access to the SMB location without needing to drag/drop stuff everywhere, as that way lies version control madness.
I don’t think any app on iOS can read and write to files directly out of whatever other folder or NAS you have attached to the device. I could be wrong about that, but it would kind of go against their whole sandboxing ethos (which is pretty much the reason why all of this is so complicated and problematic, but I digress).
That said, you definitely do not need Dropbox to use Files to manage your projects. You would copy the project into Scrivener’s folder using Files (tap and hold on the original to see these options), and that’s it. It’ll pop up in the list when you switch back. The same goes in reverse: to put work you’ve done in Scrivener back in accessible storage, you would copy it back, probably overwriting the original, but creating copies if you want to play it safe and have a sequence of edits retained as duplicates.
It looks like Files has no “Copy to” type function, so you tap and hold, select “Copy” then navigate to the target folder and tap and hold on the background anywhere, then “Paste”. After doing so, you’ll be asked whether to replace or keep both.
This is all presumably basic (though new to 10.13) Files.app stuff though, not Scrivener, so if you need more information, there may be better tutorials and documentation on the matter. I’m just tapping around very quickly here to see what’s available and what looks to work. I’m no expert and may be doing something very dumb to do. It seems to work just fine though! Test before committing, as always.
Regrettably, going the other way doesn’t work. MacOS Scrivener baulks at opening the .SCRIV file, insisting that it has to be imported into a new project, thus losing the point of it.
@AmberV, is this likely to get any smoother in the future?
That wouldn’t ordinarily be a problem, what is the exact wording in the error message you are getting? I can’t think of anything off hand that would insist you import it into a new project.
Well, hopefully the key word is present-tense here, rather. 
Like I say, I had no problems doing this—but I don’t have an NAS to test with (nor your precise configuration), so all I was doing was round-tripping between the Mac and iPad with Files as a medium on the iPad, and an iTunes file management approach to copy data on and off the device, from the Mac. I was also overwriting copies in all directions, so that there was only one .scriv on the Mac and two on the iPad (necessary minimum, since you need Files to act as an agent between the rest of the world and sandboxed apps).