Basic problems loading software

[userjoy]

I have a MacBook Air running OSX 10.9.5

I seem to have trouble loading software - I've had it with various software, though at the moment it's with Android File Transfer.

I download the dmg file to my hard disk. I click on the dmg file and see the window in which I drag the Android File Transfer icon to my applications directory. I drag it. It says it is installing the software.

Then I click on the application in my applications folder to open it and it says "Android File Transfer is an application downloaded from the internet, are you sure you want to open it?" I say "okay" (see attached screenshot of that)

Then it says "No android device found. Please connect your Android device with a USB cable to get started."

I connect my phone. But it can't find my phone, and continues to tell me "no android device found."

If I look at the list of devices in the left hand of my Finder window, Android shows up as an external device, and my phone does not show up at all (see third attached screenshot). If I click on "Android" as an external device, I get the list of files you can see in the fourth attached screenshot. If I then click on "android" I get another message telling me there is no android device connected.

I have had this problem before with other downloaded software. I'm pretty sure it has something to do with how I am downloading and (trying to) install software - not an android problem, I don't think.

What am I doing wrong?

Thank you for your help!

 

[DeltaMac]

According to a support page for that android software, once you have it installed, it should bring up a file transfer window, simply by plugging in an android device.
Now that you have opened in, and it's in your Applications folder, where it appears to belong - Quit the file transfer app, then plug in your android device.

Download and install Android File Transfer on your computer.
Open Android File Transfer. (The next time you connect your device, it should open automatically.)
Make sure your device’s screen is unlocked.
Connect your device to your computer using a USB cable.
If you’re asked to select a USB connection on your device, choose Media device (MTP).
Use the Android File Transfer window that pops up on your computer to drag and drop files.
Disconnect the USB cable when you’re finished.

Does it work now?
The support page says it will work on OS X 10.5 and newer.
So, it's possible that your Mavericks system is too new (I don't know)
I do seem to remember reading that Android devices don't work as well with Yosemite (but you don't have that yet!)

 

[userjoy]

No, it doesn't work - I read their information too, saying it should find the phone! But as I said, I don't think the problem is with android file transfer, as I have had the same problem loading other software - i.e. that the software I am trying to load always shows up as an external device and does not seem to actually be running on my machine (as shown in the screenshots attached to my original post).

How do I get software I have downloaded to actually run off my machine properly? Why does it show up as an external device, and not as something running on my machine?

 

[DeltaMac]

When you "run" a download on a Mac, most will mount as a disk image. That's the device that you see in your sidebar.
Most often, you can easily install that software, by dragging (copying) the app from the mounted folder to some location of your choice on your hard drive. If you want to copy that to your Applications folder, then that's OK, too.
(Some apps may work best if they are located in the Applications folder, but will usually note that in a read-me, or when you first try to use the app)

When you have the app installed in a location that you like, you can eject the device (it's no longer needed at that point), and you then use the app from that installed location.

 

[userjoy]

Thank you, Delta. I did as you suggested - dragged the "mounted" software into the applications folder. That caused the icon for the mounted software to disappear in a cloud of (virtual) smoke.

But it didn't run any differently from before - which is to say, it does not find the phone.

I do think the USB cable is working, as every time I plug it in, something is trying to download photos automatically from the phone to the computer, and it tells me "no new photos." Indeed I did already download the photos in just that way.

So I don't think the USB cable is the problem.

And I don't think I have to download android file transfer onto the phone as well. At any rate, there's nothing about that on the android file transfer website, and when I searched for an app for AFT I didn't find one.

Can you think of anything else it might be?

 

[userjoy]

Oh, I found some more info on line - I had to tell my phone to connect to USB as a media device, and now my Mac can find the list of files on the phone.

I still don't know how to transfer files from Mac to phone, but that's not a Mac problem, I'm quite sure.

Thanks for your help!

 

[DeltaMac]

When I checked here, the reports about that app are - not too good.

Pictures from your device are likely be imported through iPhoto, I suppose, which does a pretty good job of detecting devices that appear to have pictures, and gives you the opportunity to download those pictures.

But, other kinds of files/documents, etc probably need some software that will find those files and give you the chance to move them somewhere on your Mac.
You'll need to search for something that works better
OR, take your question, and your android, to an Apple store, and ask there!
They may "cheer" you out of the store "Where's your iPhone?", or you might run into someone with exactly the same problem. They WILL help you with your challenges of downloading and using apps, as that's a common question. One result may be that your Android app will suddenly start working...

Maybe a good question will be : What else, other than pictures, do you need to transfer from your Android device to your Mac?

 

[userjoy]

Yeah, the reports I read about AFT weren't great - though better than what I'd read about Kies! That's Samsung's file transfer software. Some websites say excellent things about airdroid, which I downloaded, but it limits you to 200 megs/month unless you go premium.

Actually, though, I figured out how to transfer files from Mac to phone on AFT, which was the main thing I needed to do, to put music and other audio on the phone. (Once I got AFT to find the phone, I could just drag and drop and it took no time at all.)

I wouldn't be caught dead in the Apple store with android! Well, maybe I would be dead, once they saw it? ;-) But iPhone's definitely not in my preferred price range. Not sure the Macbook Air is either, but after my last experience with an Asus Zenbook and their truly terrible customer service, I went over to the dark side...

Anyway, thanks for your help!