In this day and age, sharing files between two smart devices is not limited to Bluetooth anymore. The process of transferring files to and from your Android device through file-sharing apps has become more. You can use the standard Android method of transferring files between your smartphone and a PC or Mac. This requires hooking up your phone or tablet to the PC using a data cable – and utilizing your phone’s ability to be detected as a mass storage device. While this is convenient, it is also limited to your data cable type. While newer standards like USB-C allow fast data transfer, older USB2.0 and Micro-USB offer significantly throttled speeds.
File-Sharing apps ease the process by providing cross-platform support and faster speeds. In today’s Android landscape, no other app exemplifies seamlessness and wider compatibility than SHAREit.
The other way is to utilize Bluetooth. Unfortunately, this protocol requires both the sending and receiving devices to support Bluetooth’s same version for optimal speeds.
Transferring files wirelessly between your Android device and a PC/MAC:
You can transfer files wirelessly to and from your Android device and a PC/Mac in one of these several ways:
– The smartest option is to utilize file transfer apps that are cross-platform. Apps like SHAREit offer a multitude of features alongside fast, WiFi-based, offline file transfer. File transfers via SHAREit can reach a top speed of 20 MBPS, about 200 times that of Bluetooth. Moreover, it can transfer to and from any smart device and has no file size or type limitations – making it one of the very best free to download file-sharing apps available for your Android device right now.
– Use any of the cloud-based storage apps on both devices. Apps like Google Drive, DropBox, Microsoft OneDrive, and the likes are cross-platform and can be installed on both phones and PC/Macs. Apps like Google Drive and OneDrive also have seamless integration with Google and Microsoft apps, respectively. These apps, however, offer limited storage, and you pay for more storage as you use them. Also, this method involves an additional step of storing the data in a middle-tier from where you need to fetch it in your receiving device.
– If both of your devices support Bluetooth, you can opt for Bluetooth file transfer too. Bluetooth speeds are severely lacking even in its latest iteration and may cause file quality loss.
Wired File Transfer to a Windows PC
You can easily leverage Android’s built-in File Transfer mode to transfer data through wires to and from your device and a Windows PC.
– Hook up your Android device to your PC via the supplied data cable. Use the fastest port in your PC that the data cable supports (USB-C, USB3.1 or USB2.0 etc.)
– Unlock your Android device. You should get a notification to select a mode of connection. Select ‘File Transfer’ from the available options.
– A screen/window should pop up on your PC, akin to when you connect an external storage device. You can then navigate to the corresponding Android folder on your PC and pull/push files there.
Wired File transfer to MacOS
Wired file transfer to and from a Mac via your android phone or tablet is a more tedious process. Luckily, Google offers an ‘Android File Transfer’ macOS app that you can download and install. Once installed, the rest of the process is similar to that of a PC-based file transfer.
Wired File transfer to ChromeOS
ChromeOS has interoperability with Android, and hence the file transfers between two devices are more hassle-free. You don’t require downloading any apps to transfer files to and from your Android device to a device running ChromeOS.
Connect your phone or tablet to the ChromeOS device, select File Transfer/PTP as your USB mode, and you should see ChromeOS storage explorer pop up with the Android device.
Conclusion
Moving files to and from your Android device should not be a complex process. Free and fast options like SHAREit offer a tremendous value – and do not limit your file size or type options. Two hundred times faster than Bluetooth, wire-free, and devoid of any OS or interoperability quirks, SHAREit is among the best file-sharing apps available for your Android device.
