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Move Files Between Mac and Android

S

Scrooge MacDuck

Cancelled
Original poster
Mar 22, 2025
90
70
Anyone in the know? Android File Transfer by Google is only available from shady third-party suppliers now.

Nothing happens upon connexion. No notification to enable FTP, no nothin'.

Please no MacDroid or suchlike. I can't believe there isn't a simple way to connect a $1000+ phone to a $1000+ computer in 2025, - without bloatware, that is.
 
Scrooge MacDuck said:
Anyone in the know? Android File Transfer by Google is only available from shady third-party suppliers now.

Nothing happens upon connexion. No notification to enable FTP, no nothin'.

Please no MacDroid or suchlike. I can't believe there isn't a simple way to connect a $1000+ phone to a $1000+ computer in 2025, - without bloatware, that is.
Click to expand...
This works...free and open source....

LocalSend: Share files to nearby devices

LocalSend is a free, open-source, cross-platform file sharing tool that allows you to share files to nearby devices.
localsend.org localsend.org
 
If just needing to transfer a few files, try:
snapdrop.net

Snapdrop

Instantly share images, videos, PDFs, and links with people nearby. Peer2Peer and Open Source. No Setup, No Signup.
snapdrop.net snapdrop.net

Files are transferred P2P locally, they do not go out through the internet.
 
All those will likely choke on the hundreds of gigabytes the person wants to transfer. I mean, we still need workarounds to connect an MTP device to a Mac in 2025? All the more reason to dislike the Apple (and Google) of today for not being able to play nice with each other even in the most simple of things. Seems owning 'em all is a must nowadays if you want stuff to run smoothly, Android, Windows, Mac, flash drives...
 
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Scrooge MacDuck said:
All the more reason to dislike the Apple (and Google) of today for not being able to play nice with each other even in the most simple of things.
Click to expand...
What more should Apple be doing? A Mac is a fully functioning network file server. If there isn't an Android app to connect to a network server, then that's hardly Apple's fault.
 
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You can setup a Syncthing server and then sync files between Mac and Android and any other OS/device. That's how I sync my stuff across platforms and for onsite and offsite backups. Been running it for many years.
 
Scrooge MacDuck said:
All those will likely choke on the hundreds of gigabytes the person wants to transfer. I mean, we still need workarounds to connect an MTP device to a Mac in 2025? All the more reason to dislike the Apple (and Google) of today for not being able to play nice with each other even in the most simple of things. Seems owning 'em all is a must nowadays if you want stuff to run smoothly, Android, Windows, Mac, flash drives...
Click to expand...
If I'm trying to transfer a GB of files... more than likely I'm using a SSD as go-between.

But I recommend trying out MacDroid, it's more streamline with macOS... it's built into the Finder. I like it... but whenever I'm transfering files among Android and Mac. I'm using what @jamezr mentioned, LocalSend.
 
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benwiggy said:
What more should Apple be doing? A Mac is a fully functioning network file server. If there isn't an Android app to connect to a network server, then that's hardly Apple's fault.
Click to expand...
You should be able to connect with a usb-cable and be able to see the internal storage in finder. But if I remember correctly you can't even do that with an iPhone so I guess that's too much to ask from Apple.
 
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Fille84 said:
You should be able to connect with a usb-cable and be able to see the internal storage in finder. But if I remember correctly you can't even do that with an iPhone so I guess that's too much to ask from Apple.
Click to expand...
I suspect that there are security reasons for not treating an iPhone like an external drive.
 
benwiggy said:
I suspect that there are security reasons for not treating an iPhone like an external drive.
Click to expand...
Most likely yes. But it makes transferring files way more difficult then with a Windows PC. And if they're concerned about security they should provide easy and secure ways to transfer files for both iPhones and Android then in my opinion.
 
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I use localsend as well for my usage it's perfect, sometimes my Google Drive. Android File transfer on Mac has been a mess but in the old days worked nicely.
 
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Fille84 said:
You should be able to connect with a usb-cable and be able to see the internal storage in finder. But if I remember correctly you can't even do that with an iPhone so I guess that's too much to ask from Apple.
Click to expand...
This is the only reasonable way for the bucks we pay them. If their 'security' obsession gets in the way of usability this much, then they should go see a doctor. OSD is called a disorder for a reason.
 
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For my home setup, I have an FTP server running on my Mac, and from my Samsung Android devices, I use their File Manager's "Network Storage" capability. It will allow you to connect from your Android device to network FTP servers (such as my Mac), along with SMB servers and so on.

So, to transfer files, Android to Mac, or visa versa, I simply Copy/Paste using the Samsung File Manager, between local Android storage and Mac storage. It couldn't be easier and it runs as fast as you're WiFi does.

I *believe* the FTP Server I am using is available from the Mac App Store as "FTP server".
 
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Probably not the solution the OP wants, but will post anyway since others have shared so many alternatives. I use an iPhone but also have a few inexpensive Android phones and tablets that I use to test software I'm developing. I have installed Termux on them which provides a full Linux subsystem running under Android and performs surprisingly well. I just start sshd on the phone and can then access it directly from my Mac over wifi, use terminal for shell access and do file transfers with sftp (I use Cyberduck on the Mac for this).

The old version of Android File Transfer that I installed on my Mac 5 or 6 years ago still works fine too, but I'm still using an (Intel) 2018 Mini.
 
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