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Ask HN: Airdrop alternative that works on all platforms?

6 points by NayamAmarshe ↗ HN
I've been looking for a convenient AirDrop alternative for a while for Android - iOS - MacOS and Linux.

My only requirement is that I should be able to easily share files like AirDrop's share menu option from Android to MacOS or MacOS to Android (or Linux/iOS).

I've tried LocalSend but it's a bit of a hassle and doesn't have any share shortcut on MacOS or Linux. I've tried PairDrop but it's a webapp and is extremely slow compared to LocalSend for some reason.

The best one I've used is NearDrop but it can only send files, not receive them.

Aren't there any good alternatives that simply just use Wi-Fi to send and receive files without too much of a hassle. I don't really need a full-blown GUI like LocalSend, it's slow and adds extra steps in file sharing.

7 comments

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runjake
Have you tried ShareDrop or SnapDrop (first two Google results for "airdrop alternative")?

I use AirDrop most of the time, but I use a macOS/iOS SSH shortcut to copy files (mostly camera snaps) from my personal devices to work devices and vice versa.

Edit: My shortcut is highly specialized for my use case, but the comment at this link is a basic example of how it works: https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/412331/ios-ipados-...

NayamAmarshe
ShareDrop and SnapDrop are exactly like PairDrop that I mentioned. They're slower compared to AirDrop or LocalSend.
runjake
I see. Yeah, I was on the same search as you some years back. KDE Connect was somewhat promising -- IIRC it worked on Mac and Windows, as well, but it didn't meet my needs.

So now I have various front-end to SSH/SFTP with key-based auth that require minimum effort for day to day use. It transfers fast, too. But I have to build everything first.

Good luck! Post here if you find anything you're impressed with.

yorwba
KDE Connect can send and receive files over the local network, among many other things: https://kdeconnect.kde.org/

On Android, it gets a share menu entry. On Linux, I use either the tray icon or kdeconnect-cli on the command line to send files. I never tried the iOS/macOS versions, but they seem to exist at least.

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swah
Pairdrop is faster than Airdrop, for me.