Do you find it difficult to use your Mac with your Android phone? Don’t worry if you do. Both Apple and Google products are amazing for personal and business use. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t give users a lot of flexibility in using Mac devices with Android devices. Yes, you can sync contacts and calendar events between Mac and Android using Google services, and even transfer files using Google Drive - but... this is still a multistep process.
In this article, we'll talk about the best Android File Transfer macOS apps which allow you to transfer files between Mac and Android with ease. Read on to learn more.
Android File Transfer app from Google is a tiny utility designed to transfer files from Android to Mac by connecting the two devices together via USB. This app will be enough for those who just need to transfer several files between Mac and Android without compressing them (if we talk about transferring pictures via Google Photos) or emailing files to yourself.
This app can be used only on Mac OS X 10.7 and upwards.
This is what your Android screen should reflect when you connect your phone to Mac:
The files and folders from both devices will be organized in a logical manner – alphabetical or date-wise. The only exception to this rule is for photos taken on the phone itself. These photos are usually subject to the de facto DCIM structure. If this is the case, search for the folder named “Camera”, and you’ll find the relevant files there. This is how your screen will look like if your files are in the DCIM arrangement:
Screenshots saved on the phone can be found in the folder titled “Pictures” and in the sub-folder titled “Screenshots.”
This Android File Transfer for macOS app allows you to drag and drop files from this window to the desktop and vice versa. You also have the freedom to create, edit, and manage files and folders in the app.
Our verdict: The Android File Transfer from Google does exactly what it promises – allows users to easily transfer files from Android devices to Mac devices. The biggest advantage of the app is that it’s completely free to use. But the disadvantage is that it’s a slightly unstable app (given that it hasn’t been updated in a while).
So, what if Android File Transfer isn’t working? How can you troubleshoot it?
Once you install the Android File Transfer for Mac app on your computer and connect your phone to your Mac, the two devices should automatically recognize each other, connect, and sync. But sometimes, you may be shown a message that says “Could not connect to device. Try reconnecting or restarting your device”.
If this happens, it is indicative that the app is faulty.
Here is what you need to do to fix Android File Transfer Mac and successfully transfer your files between the Android and Mac devices.
1. Android USB debugging or USB replacement
One of the most common causes of app failures is a faulty USB cable. Remove the USB cable you are currently using and use a new one. Re-try the process of file transfer. If this doesn’t work, follow these steps:
2. Update your Mac
Here’s how you can do this:
3. Android phone update
The final way to troubleshoot Android File Transfer Mac is to update your Android phone software.
The SyncMate app supports multiple devices and comes equipped with numerous features.
You can mount your Android devices as separate Mac disks here. This will allow you to look through your collections very easily and transfer files from one device to another without any hassle. A simple drag-and-drop is sufficient.
In addition to file transfer, SyncMate allows users to sync any data they want between Mac and Android.
SyncMate syncs a wide variety of content including pictures, audio files, videos, documents, calendars, contacts and so on. The main advantage of syncing with SyncMate is that the process is performed directly between Mac and Android apps.
When it comes to performing a photo transfer from Android to Mac - just the simple transfer, not a full sync - you only need to know the following steps.
Also, in case you want to sync all the photos ( the difference between transferring a photo and syncing them is that with sync you get the photos on both devices), check out the Photos plugin that SyncMate offers.
If instead of photos you need to transfer music from Mac to Android or the other way around, just follow the steps below:
Finally, if you want to transfer files from Android to Mac, any other types of files than photos or music, you can do so by applying these steps.
If you’d like to Sync folder as well, check out the Folder Plugin offered by SyncMate.
Our verdict: SyncMate goes far beyond just an Android file transfer for Mac alternative. It syncs absolutely all data across devices and acts as a versatile and reliable tool for both personal and business needs. In our book, SyncMate ranks Number 1 as the best Android file transfer for Mac.
The final Android file transfer Mac app under consideration is Commander One. This app mounts Android devices on Mac as extra hard drives, which can be used for file transfer & sharing. Not only does Commander One transfer files across devices, but it also enables file sharing from cloud-to-device and vice versa. This includes Dropbox and Google Drive.
This is how Commander One looks like when it’s installed on Mac:
Our verdict: Users will truly appreciate the amount of flexibility that the Commander One Android file transfer Mac app offers. You can transfer data across a variety of Mac and Android computers, cameras, and smartphones using this app. Just mount the devices onto Mac and access all your content in a single place. There’s no need to switch between tabs or apps when you use Commander One for Android file transfer.
Dr.fone - Transfer is another excellent example of an app that can help you forget all about Android File Transfer for Mac. As you may have already guessed, it allows users perform swift and trouble-free transfers between Android devices and Mac computers. The files dr.fone can handle vary from simple SMS and contacts all the way to music and photos and another plus is that the user interface is excellent. Using dr.fone, you will be done with transfers in no time thanks to its batch transfer function, making it an excellent solution for all Mac users with an Android smartphone.
If you need to transfer files over a Local Area Network, Dukto R6 is the perfect solution. Not only that this app is available on Mac OS, Windows, Symbian and Android, but it is filled with features while maintaining a compact aspect. One could even say that it’s the perfect replica of the Android File Transfer Mac software. Without all the crashes, of course.
Using Droid NAS you will easily move files between any Android device and your Mac computer. You only need a Wi-Fi connection and making sure the macOS version you’re running contains the Bonjour protocol. Simply connect both devices to the same wireless internet connection and you’re good to go. Update - even though it may seem that Droid NAS download isn’t working at the moment, we are sure it’s something temporary and such a great app deserves its place in our list.
MobiKin Assistant for Android (Mac Version) is the Android File Transfer alternative that doesn’t just transfer all types of files between your Mac and any Android Device. You can use this software to move messages, contacts, photos, videos, books or notes. However, at the same time, you can perform a complete backup or restore the data on your phone with just a click.
Taking the title of mobile device management app, it is obvious right from the start that AirDroid means business. With it, you can easily move files and folders from your Android device to a Mac via Wi-Fi.It supports a multitude of operating systems like iOS, AirDroid Web or Windows and moving folders in batches is also possible, if needed.
Using a Wi-Fi connection, HandShaker does exactly what its name suggests. It makes two completely different Operating System shake hands and work together. With it, transferring any type of files and folders gets extremely easy. Just connect the two devices to the same Wi-Fi and you will get a high-speed transfer highway. This app is 100% free so you will be able to use it without any limitations, on any device.
If none of the above-mentioned alternatives don’t exactly fit your needs, there’s always the option of using the cloud as a way to move files and folders from one device to another. Sure, it may not be as straightforward as the file transfer apps, however, if that’s your only option there’s nothing much you can do about it. Some of the most popular cloud apps used to store files and folders are Dropbox and SugarSync and we’re going to talk about both in the following sections.
Dropbox is around for a very long time and they established themselves as industry leaders. The main reason behind their popularity is the free cloud storage space they offer. Even more than that, allowing users without a Dropbox account to access data shared by those with an active account is another breakthrough. It adds a lot of flexibility to the entire process and made Dropbox the cloud storage of choice for many. Despite it’s not dedicated to any specific platform, you can easily use it to move files from an Android device to Mac. Just set up a Dropbox account, install it on both devices and then you will be able to use it for transferring any files. Keep in mind that syncing devices, like adding contacts or updating the calendar won’t be possible via Dropbox.
SugarSync offers a service that is very much similar to what Dropbox does. However, they are less successful because they started offering their services a couple of years after Dropbox.The cloud storage space provided by SugarSync can be used to move files and folders from an Android to your Mac computer and you can easily manage all the data on both devices as well. Not being a platform-orientated app, you can use SugarSync on any device with an internet connection.
Apple Inc. removed its content Sync feature from all devices a few years ago. After this, there were very few apps that offered users the option to transfer files between Mac and Android. The three Android file transfer for Mac apps we’ve reviewed in this article form part of this elite list. While each of the apps offers amazing features, the choice of which one to use depends on your specific needs.
Here are some factors you need to consider when choosing the app: