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Apple has AirDrop to simplify the file-sharing process between iOS and MacOS. But what about people who use Android and MacOS? What can you do? You could always create a network share on your MacOS device, but that approach complicates the matter and many users would rather not have to deal with the nuts and bolts of SMB shares.
Fortunately, there’s an app called AirDroid that bridges the gap between the two operating systems. AirDroid is a free app (with in-app purchases for more features) that allows you to easily share files between the two systems, back up photos and videos from the phone to the computer, find other devices, and even record your Android screen. It’s the file-sharing feature that I want to talk about in this article.
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Before I get into the feature, let’s talk free vs. premium. The premium version is $3.99/month and adds unlimited remote data (whereas the free plan only gives you 200MB), larger file size management (free is limited to 30MB, and the premium version gives you up to 200MB), larger file transfer size (free is limited to 30MB, and premium gives you 1GB), and the ability to add three total Android devices (free limits you to two devices).
With that said, let’s see how AirDroid’s file-sharing feature works.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
How to use AirDroid
What you’ll need: The only things you’ll need are an Android device and a MacOS device. I’ll demonstrate on a Pixel 9 Pro and a MacBook Pro M1.
The first thing to do is install AirDroid on your Android device. To do this, open the Google Play Store on your Android device, search for AirDroid, tap the entry, and then tap Install.
You’ll find AirDroid for Android on the Google Play Store.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Installing AirDroid on MacOS is just a drag-and-drop away.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
The next step is to create an AirDroid account. The easiest way is to open the AirDroid signup page and create your account there. Once you’ve done that step, open the AirDrop app on Android and MacOS and sign in with your new account credentials.
Signing up on the website is much easier.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
Open AirDroid on your Android device and tap the Transfer tab at the bottom of the window. In the Transfer tab, tap “My computer” and then tap either the paperclip (to send a file) or the image icon (to select a photo taken by your device camera).
From here you can transfer different types of files.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
When you tap the paperclip, you can select from Apps, Camera, Videos, Music, or Files. Tap one of the options and then select the file you want to transfer from the file picker. Once you’ve selected the file(s), tap Send.
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The file will then be transferred to the MacOS device. There’s no need to manually accept the file on the MacOS device. When you send a file to MacOS, it will be located in Users > username > Library > Application Support > AirDroid > Downloads (where username is your MacOS username).
You can transfer files from MacOS to Android in the same way.
To open a transferred file, simply tap (or double-click) on it within the AirDroid app. The file will open in the default application (such as Preview for images).
Also: Android 15 unveiled: Here are 8 exciting (or handy) features coming to your phone
And that’s all there is to transferring files between Android and MacOS with AirDroid. This app has come in handy for me regularly and I’m sure you’ll find it a necessary option in a world where Android and MacOS must coexist.
