AndroidFileSync

A free, native macOS app to transfer files between your Mac and Android phone over USB.

No cloud. No Wi-Fi. No Google account needed. Just plug in and go.

Features

• Drag & Drop — Drag files from Finder straight to your phone
• Parallel Transfers — Upload/download multiple files simultaneously
• File Browser — Browse your phone's storage like a native Finder window
• Quick Access Sidebar — Jump to Camera, Downloads, Pictures, Music, etc.
• Search & Sort — Search files instantly, sort by name, size, date, or type
• Batch Operations — Rename, change extensions, delete multiple files at once
• Trash Management — Move to trash & restore, just like macOS
• Resizable Transfer Panel — Collapsible progress view with drag-to-resize

Prerequisites

• macOS 13.0 (Ventura) or later
• Android device with USB cable
• USB Debugging enabled on your Android device (see below)

Setup: Enable USB Debugging on Android

Step 1: Enable Developer Options

1. Open Settings on your Android phone
2. Scroll down and tap About Phone
3. Find Build Number and tap it 7 times
4. You'll see a toast: "You are now a developer!"

On some phones (Samsung), go to Settings → About Phone → Software Information → Build Number

Step 2: Enable USB Debugging

1. Go back to Settings
2. Tap Developer Options (now visible near the bottom)
3. Toggle USB Debugging to ON
4. Tap OK on the confirmation dialog

Step 3: Connect & Authorize

1. Connect your phone to your Mac via USB cable
2. On your phone, you'll see a prompt: "Allow USB debugging?"
3. Check "Always allow from this computer"
4. Tap Allow

Tip: If you don't see the prompt, try disconnecting and reconnecting the cable, or switch to a different USB port.

Step 4: Set USB Mode to File Transfer

1. After connecting, pull down the notification shade on your phone
2. Tap the USB notification (e.g., "Charging this device via USB")
3. Select File Transfer / MTP

Installation

From DMG (Recommended)

1. Download the latest .dmg from Releases

2. Open the DMG and drag AndroidFileSync to your Applications folder

3. Important — remove Gatekeeper quarantine (the app is not signed with an Apple Developer account):

   xattr -cr /Applications/AndroidFileSync.app

4. Launch the app — ADB is bundled, no additional setup needed

Why? macOS blocks unsigned apps by default. The xattr -cr command removes the quarantine flag so the app can open normally. This is safe — the app is open source, you can verify the code yourself.

Build from Source

git clone https://github.com/YourUsername/AndroidFileSync.git
cd AndroidFileSync
open AndroidFileSync.xcodeproj

Build and run with Xcode (⌘R).

To create a DMG:

./build-dmg.sh

Usage

1. Connect your Android phone via USB
2. Launch AndroidFileSync
3. The app auto-detects your device
4. Browse, drag & drop, download, upload — it just works

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
"Scanning for Device..." won't stop	Check USB Debugging is enabled and you tapped "Allow" on the phone
Device not detected	Try a different USB cable (some only charge, don't transfer data)
Slow transfers	Use a USB 3.0 cable and port for faster speeds
App crashes on launch	Ensure macOS 13.0+ and try re-downloading

Tech Stack

• SwiftUI — Native macOS UI
• ADB — Android Debug Bridge (bundled with the app)
• Swift Concurrency — Async/await for parallel transfers