Google has recently launched Nearby Share on Windows, which allows users to share files between their Android and Windows devices. However, there has yet to be any support for macOS. Meanwhile, MacOS has its protocol for file sharing called AirDrop, which works on Apple devices and allows users to share files between their devices.
If you want to share files between your Android device and macOS, you can use Nearby Share on Mac, even though Google does not officially support it. Thanks to Grish Khachatryan, who developed NearbDrop for Apple devices, which allows users to send files between their Android device and Mac over a Wi-Fi network.
Download NearbyShare for macOS:
This is an open-source project that can be downloaded from GitHub. Once you install it, grant permission, and use your Android phone to share files via Nearby Share. It is a great way to send small files from Android to macOS.
- Download NearDrop: Nearby Share for macOS from GitHub or Download from AndroidFileHost NearDrop.
- Install the app, and then grant permission to access your notifications.
- Now, head over to the file that you want to share.
- Click on Share to open the Share Sheet for the file, and then select Nearby Share. Your Mac should appear in the list of devices.
- Choose the Mac; your file will be shared with the selected device.
After choosing your Mac as the target device, your Mac will receive a notification from NearDrop. You need to accept the file to confirm your desire to receive it there. Simply click the Options button and select Accept to ensure that you wish to receive the file. By default, the file you receive will appear in your computer’s download folder.
It is currently under development and will improve over time. If you encounter any problems, do not hesitate to report them on GitHub or Twitter so the developer can work on resolving the issue. However, at this point, you can only share files from your Android device to macOS but cannot send files from your macOS device to your Android device.
As this is a third-party application you downloaded and installed outside the Apple Store, macOS will likely restrict it from running by default because of security measures to prevent malicious apps. But you can follow the following instructions to override those security measures:
- Open Finder and head over to the Application Folder.
- Right-click on NearDrop and choose Open.
- macOS will prompt a security warning. Click on Open Anyway, and now you can start using NearDrop anytime in the future.
NearDrop: Nearby Share for macOS
The developer managed to reverse engineer (decompile Google Service Framework apk) some of the Nearby Share functionality and enable some functionality that works on Macs. Unlike Google’s Nearby Share, where you need to enable Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, and Location, among other connectivity standards, to establish the pairing of your device, NearDrop only requires users to be connected on the same Wi-Fi network and does not require you to sign in with a Google account either.
Because there is no robust connectivity protocol between the two devices, NearDrop is slower than the official Nearby Share. Users do not need to worry about security as Google built the Nearby Share Protocol with peer-to-peer, which means it is encrypted.