Sending files from iPhone to Mac or the other way around is easy as we have AirDrop. it however only works on Apple products. You can’t send files from Android to Mac through AirDrop or transfer files from/to a Windows PC through AirDrop. In an earlier post, we introduced the free file transfer app – LANDrop. It is the perfect alternative to AirDrop for Android users. This free file sharing utility can work over Wi-Fi or personal hotspot. You can use it to quickly share a batch of photos, videos and other files between two or more devices of your own. No registration or no USB connected required. Refer to previous link to find out more features of this tool. Here we’ll jump to the easy steps to start using it right away.
Install LANDrop on both phone and Mac
You need to download and install the app on both the smart phone and Mac computer. Since it is not available on Google Play yet, we have to download it from the developer’s website. Thus you have to allow installation of apps from third-party source in Android settings. Check out this tutorial to install apps from third-party source on Tecno mobile, and this tutorial to install APK files, allow installations of apps from unknown source on Huawei phone. Although the method varies depending on which phone model you use and which Android version you’re on, it’s fairly easy to install apps from unknown sources on Android devices.
Connect your mobile phone and Mac to the same Wi-Fi
Now connect both your Android phone or tablet and Mac to the same Wi-Fi network. They need to be on the same network to communicate locally with the other.
Share files between Android and Mac
Launch LANDrop on both your mobile phone and computer. You’ll see your Mac name in the Devices section of LANDrop on the phone which means your Mac is now discoverable on the network. The Discoverable option on the phone and Mac is enabled by default so they can find and connect each other automatically. Now follow below steps to copy files between them.
Sending files from phone to Mac
Tap on the Add Images or Add Files button at the upper right section of the file transfer app on Android. Grant it the permission to access your files when prompted. Select those photos, videos or other files you like to share. Then touch the Mac name in the Devices section to send those selected files and documents from Android to Mac. Now you should see a handshake code displays in LANDrop app on both your Android phone and Mac. The file transfer won’t start before you manually accept and download the files on the receiving end. This is in place to make sure you only download files from the known device and nobody can send you unwanted files without you approving it.
Once the transfer is complete, a pop-up will appear on your Mac. The received files will be saved to the Downloads folder. A folder titled with ‘LANDrop‘ will created underneath to receive all files sent through the LANDrop app from other devices. And you can go LANDrop > Settings to change a different folder or path to save files from the Download Path.
Sending files from Mac to Android
It’s all pretty much the same. You select files through LANDrop app on Mac, then pick up your mobile phone as the recipient and send. On the phone, go to accept the transfer and save the files to your phone. All will work similarly in some regards. However the software interface will look different from Android to Mac.
Click LANDrop icon from the top menu bar on Mac to expand the menu and choose Send File(s)… from the drop-down menu.
Now drag and drop files to the window that appears or click the Add button to select those files you like to share. If you’re prompted to grant permission, do so to allow LANDrop app to access your files. Then click Send button, select your Android device name and click Send button again. Still the handshake code displays, you need to accept the file transfer on the receiving device. In this case, you have to approve it from your mobile phone.
Photos, videos in supported formats will be saved to your Gallery app. Open the Pictures album in Gallery to find all received images and videos. Other files can be found in the Files tab in LANDrop app on the Android phone. You can choose how to open, edit, share, where to copy or save them from there.