Android and MacOS have never been the best friends of all time. Although Android app creation is an easy feat for Apple’s desktop OS, the situation is very different for simple file transfers. There’s Google’s Android files transfer app files transfer app but the software is hopelessly out of date, finicky, and prone to crashes when you’re transferring a lot of data at a time. You don’t have to rely on Google’s transfer method, though—a there’s ton of third-party apps that solve transferring files between Android and MacOS a lot easier especially when all the apps show you that the Android files transfer not working message.
MacDroid is a MacOS software that lets Android users take advantage of file transfer technology. You can connect your Android device to the MacOS computer and then transfer data without any barriers. The developer designed the software to include the simple and advanced features you get on your Windows & Linux PC. It’s a versatile app that’s easy to install and use. Keep reading to find out more about how you should set it up.
Below is a short rundown of the features available in MacDroid:
- Move your images, videos, music, and other files
- Copy files from Android to Mac
- MTP Mode
- ADB Mode
- Finder Integration
- Edit files on your Android phone
The very first thing you need to do is download and install the MacDroid software on your Mac device. When installed, follow the steps below to move the data.
- Connect your Android to Mac through USB.
Just go to Developer menu or set up your Android phone or tablet to allow USB Debugging.
- Enable Mac to connect to your Android phone. After you’ve connected your phone into Mac, MacDroid will request permission to use the USB Debugging settings. Tap ‘Always on this computer ‘After this move, your phone will be viewed as a drive on the Finder.
- Find your device in the Finder & Transfer Data file. Now you can start browsing and transferring files to your Android phone. .
Cable-bound solutions
When it comes to creating a wired link to a device, Android relies on MTP (Media Transfer Protocol). Unlike exFAT, this will not allow your computer complete control of the device’s file system, essentially preventing you from tampering with the system partition and other sensitive data. While both Windows and MacOS have built-in support for MTP, only the former is capable of natively mounting MTP devices. In general, MacOS must rely on third-party applications to do so.
Use the cable that came with your phone to ensure its high quality and won’t disconnect during the operation, but if you don’t have it at hand, any cable rated for data connections should be perfect.
Finder integration: MacDroid
MacDroid is probably the most elegant way to attach your phone, since it hooks up to Finder and shows your Android phone just like any other external drive. Setup is fairly easy: start the program, choose MTP mode under Add Devices, and follow the instructions. Once you’ve set up your phone for the first time, it will automatically reappear in the Finder sidebar whenever you connect to it and pick the file transfer mode.
Minor grip: By default, MacDroid attaches newly installed devices to the Finder Favourites list, not Locations. You can bring it there by drag-and-drop, but it won’t hold that location between the disconnects.