Send files from Android to Mac
AirDrop now reaches only the newest flagship Samsung and Google phones, and Android File Transfer is effectively abandoned. This page covers the approach that works from any Android phone: upload from Android, open on Mac.
Why it's annoying
AirDrop barely works with Android
AirDrop now works with only a handful of the newest Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones. Every other Android phone, and anything more than a year or two old, is left out entirely. Unless you own one of those specific devices, there is no AirDrop path to a Mac.
macOS doesn't support MTP
Plug an Android phone into a Mac and nothing happens. Android exposes its storage over MTP (Media Transfer Protocol), and macOS has no built-in support for it at all, so the phone never shows up in Finder. That gap is the entire reason a separate app was ever needed.
Android File Transfer is essentially dead
Android File Transfer for macOS has been unmaintained for years. It is unreliable on modern macOS versions and requires a USB cable anyway.
How to do it with Capsule
From your Android phone: use the browser
Open withcapsule.dev in any Android browser. Tap the Send tab, pick your file, hit Send. You get a short download link and a QR code back instantly. Open the link on your Mac and the file downloads directly. No app install, no account, no pairing.
From your Android phone: use the Capsule app
The Capsule Android app is available on GitHub releases ↗. It supports encrypted transfers and keeps a local history of what you've sent, in addition to everything the web interface does.
On your Mac: open the link in any browser
Paste the link in Safari, Chrome, or Firefox. The file downloads immediately. Or from the terminal:
curl -OJ https://send.withcapsule.dev/download/[file-id]
Mac to Android
Works the same way in reverse
Upload from the Mac (browser or terminal), share the link with your Android phone. Tap the link in any browser, the file downloads to your Downloads folder. No app required on the receiving end.
curl -F "f=@document.pdf" https://send.withcapsule.dev/upload
Details
How long does the link stay active?
60 minutes from upload time, then the file is permanently deleted. Long enough to transfer the file, short enough not to accumulate indefinitely in someone's cloud.
What's the file size limit?
100 MB per file. No account required on either side.
Does it work without Wi-Fi?
Yes. Sender and receiver just need an internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data). They do not need to be on the same network or near each other.