AirDrop between Android and Mac – this app makes it possible
AirDrop lets you quickly transfer files between iPhone, iPad, and Mac — but what about Android devices? Neardrop builds a bridge to Google’s operating system – and even with the built-in technology.
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AirDrop for Android
For many users, AirDrop is one of the reasons they like Apple’s relatively closed ecosystem. The standard introduced in 2011 makes it possible to quickly and easily exchange files and data over short distances between iPhone, iPad and Mac, without a messenger or mail app.
Its counterpart in the Google camp is called Nearby Share, which offers a quasi-identical service between Android smartphones and Chromebooks. Like AirDrop, Nearby Share uses both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Nearby Share is built into the operating systems from Android 6 and Chrome OS 91. At the end of March, Google also made an app available in some countries as a beta version that allows sharing with Windows computers. It is not yet clear whether this will also be implemented for macOS systems – the search giant has not yet released anything about that.
This of course also depends on an approval from Apple. The iPhone company likes to resist access to its own operating systems under the guise of privacy and security. Like iMessage, AirDrop is also a customer retention tool within its own system.
But what if you have to use an Android for work, for example? The fast transfer of files is then a real advantage. This is where the Neardrop app comes in: it uses Google’s Nearby Share protocol to transfer data between Android devices and your Mac. However, there are limitations: Neardrop requires both devices to be on the same Wi-Fi network – so transfer via Bluetooth is not (yet?) possible.
In addition, data can only be sent from Android to Mac so far. The reverse route is still being worked on. A client for iPhone and iPad is not yet in sight.
Installation on the Mac
To use Neardrop, download ‘NearDrop.app.zip’ from the developer’s Github page. Then drag the extracted folder to the “Apps” on your Mac. When you start the program for the first time, you must confirm the macOS security message before you can use Neardrop.
There’s no need to install an additional app on the Android device – just send files using the familiar Nearby Share option in an app’s Share menu. It is only possible that you must first activate Nearby Share in the Android settings. Files received on the Mac end up in the Downloads folder – just like with AirDrop.
Not available on the Mac App Store
The fact that Neardrop is not available in the Mac App Store may be a no-go for some users. However, the app does not require access to a Google account or an Apple ID, nor is there any registration. Moreover, the exchange only works at a short distance and does not go through external servers.
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