Published Mar 28, 2023, 11:00 AM EDT
Yash is an author at MUO who writes for the site's Android, iOS, and Mac verticals. He found his passion for writing while he used to develop apps for the web.
In 2018, he decided to combine his experience in tech with his love for gadgets and venture into journalism. Since then, he has written hundreds of features, how-tos, and explainers for multiple online publications to help users get more out of their tech.
Yash also writes at How-To Geek, while reviewing consumer tech products to help people make the right purchase decisions at TechPP. He's been using a Mac for work since 2017. On the mobile side, he likes to use both iPhone and Android to feed his curiosity.
Cross-platform file sharing isn't easy. If you're an Android user, you'll know how cumbersome sharing files between an Android phone and an iPhone, iPad, or Mac can be.
Sure, there are some cross-platform file-sharing services that promise to simplify this. But some of them cost money, while others aren't very reliable.
LANDrop is an exception. It's free, easy to use, and facilitates faster file exchange between different platforms. Let's check out LANDrop and see how you can use it to transfer files between an Android and an iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
What Is LANDrop?
LANDrop is a free, cross-platform file-sharing tool. It lets you transfer files, such as photos, videos, documents, and more, between devices on the same local network or LAN.
LANDrop is quick, secure, and doesn't compress files during transmission. All file transfers in LANDrop take place over a point-to-point connection, meaning there's no third-party server involved to store your files as part of the transmission process.
While it's perfect for use on your home or office Wi-Fi network, the app also supports transfers over a hotspot connection, which you can use when you're outside or don't have access to a normal Wi-Fi network. It doesn't even use cellular data in the process.
We're focusing on sharing files between Android and Apple devices, but the app is available for Windows and Linux too.
Get Started With LANDrop
First things first, you need the LANDrop app on the devices between which you want to share files. Download it on your phones, tablets, and laptops from the respective links below.
You can get the iOS and iPad apps from the App Store, but the Google Play Store doesn't host LANDrop. Hence, you need to download it from the official website and manually install the app on your Android device.
Download: LANDrop for Android | iOS | iPadOS | macOS | Windows | Linux (Free)
How to Transfer Files Between Android, iPhone, and iPad With LANDrop
Follow the steps below to transfer files from an Android smartphone to an iPhone or iPad, or from an iPhone or iPad to an Android device:
- Connect the devices between which you want to share files to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Open the LANDrop app on your Android phone and the receiving device, such as your Mac or iPhone.
- On the sender device, hit the Gallery icon in the top-right corner to add images and videos from your phone gallery. Alternatively, tap the File icon to add other file types from your internal or external storage.
- Tap the downward-pointing arrow next to Devices to see a list of all the devices on the same local network.
- Here, tap on the device to which you want to transfer the selected files. You can find the name of the other device in the LANDrop app.
On the receiving device, you'll see an entry in the Receiving section. Hit the green tick mark to accept the file and download it to your device.
If you're on an iPhone and the received file is a photo or video, it'll be saved directly to the Photos app on your phone. If it's some other file, you'll find it under the Downloads folder in the Files app.
In the case of Android, the downloaded file is saved to the Downloads folder regardless of its type. You can then use a file manager like Files by Google to access it.
How to Transfer Files Between Android and Mac With LANDrop
Transferring files from Android to Mac involves the same set of steps listed above. However, if you wish to go the other way around, here are the steps you'll need to follow:
Make sure both your Mac and Android phone are on the same network. Launch LANDrop on the Mac and your Android phone. Click the LANDrop icon in the menu bar on your Mac and select Send File(s).
Hit the Add button and select the files you want to transfer. Alternatively, drag and drop the files directly onto the LANDrop window. Click Send, and on the following screen, then select the other device and hit Send again.
On your Android phone, accept the receiving prompt to receive the shared file(s).
Again, the received files will be saved to the Downloads directory on your Android phone. Similarly, if you've received a file on your Mac, it'll be saved to the Downloads directory.
If you wish to change the download location, it's possible to do so from the LANDrop settings. Launch LANDrop on your Mac, tap on its icon in the menu bar, and select Settings. From here, click the ellipsis button beside Download Path and choose your desired download directory.
LANDrop requires you to have both the sender and the receiver on the same network to be able to transfer and receive files successfully. However, there'll be times when you don't have a common network to connect to, and want to share files between an Android phone and an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
In such a situation, you can use a hotspot connection to share files on the go with LANDrop. Simply turn on the hotspot on your Android phone and connect to it on your other device. Once you do this, both devices will be on the same network, and you can then follow the same steps listed above to transfer files between your devices.
It doesn't matter whether you want to transfer files from an Android to an Apple device, or vice versa. Enabling the hotspot on your Android works in either case.
Troubleshoot an Undiscoverable Device
If, for some reason, you don't see the other device in the LANDrop app, it could be that you aren't connected to the same network. Keep in mind that it's the SSID that needs to be the same, so if you're connected to two different SSIDs on the same network, it won't work.
Similarly, make sure the receiving device is also discoverable. On the iPhone, go to the app and toggle on the button for Discoverable if it's not already. If it's a Mac, go to Settings and check the box beside Discoverable.
Effortlessly Transfer Files Between Android, iPhone, iPad, and Mac
LANDrop makes it easy to transfer files between your Android phone and other devices, as you've seen above. No matter whether you're indoors or outdoors—with no internet connection—you can still use LANDrop to share files effortlessly.
And LANDrop also works with Windows and Linux desktops. So if you use any of those, you can seamlessly transfer files back and forth between them as well. Different platforms don't also work well together, but LANDrop makes it a breeze—and it's free and open-source, too.