Begone, Android File Transfer! Welcome MacDroid!
One of the bane of Mac users who have an Android smartphone is that the only way to get media off and on the phone using a wire (typically a Type C cable these days) is using Google's token 'Android File Transfer' utility for Mac. This was written back in the mists of time and never updated. Furthermore, it doesn't work with all Android smartphones, due to differences in MTP implementation. However, the good news is that there's now a modern equivalent! Enter MacDroid.
This installs quietly and sits in the system tray at the top of the Mac interface. Although you can click this to get extra options, the main way of using MacDroid is to plug your Android phone in and it simply appears in Finder, just as if you'd plugged in a USB flash storage/disk.
As a result, you can copy and paste, drag and drop, and generally get the files you need where you meed them, without hassle.
When you're done, you simply 'eject' (unmount) the phone using the icon next to the phone name and pull out the cable. Simple!
Interestingly, I've noticed a couple of times over the last few years that Android File Transfer didn't like certain Android phones, presumably because of MTP implementation, which is why MacDroid goes the extra mile with a 'last resort' 'USB Debugging' connection method, too (if needed):
I've not had to use this yet, but it's nice to know that there's always some way to hook up a Mac now.
Best of all, this is commercial software, meaning that the developers get paid and can therefore afford to give the utility love and attention, fixing bugs and updated things regularly.
There's a free 7 day trial and thereafter it's $20 a year. And, while I don't usually like 'per year' licenses, you can't argue against the developers being rewarded as the months and then years roll on. So... why not?!
See more on MacDroid here.
This installs quietly and sits in the system tray at the top of the Mac interface. Although you can click this to get extra options, the main way of using MacDroid is to plug your Android phone in and it simply appears in Finder, just as if you'd plugged in a USB flash storage/disk.
As a result, you can copy and paste, drag and drop, and generally get the files you need where you meed them, without hassle.
When you're done, you simply 'eject' (unmount) the phone using the icon next to the phone name and pull out the cable. Simple!
Interestingly, I've noticed a couple of times over the last few years that Android File Transfer didn't like certain Android phones, presumably because of MTP implementation, which is why MacDroid goes the extra mile with a 'last resort' 'USB Debugging' connection method, too (if needed):
I've not had to use this yet, but it's nice to know that there's always some way to hook up a Mac now.
Best of all, this is commercial software, meaning that the developers get paid and can therefore afford to give the utility love and attention, fixing bugs and updated things regularly.
There's a free 7 day trial and thereafter it's $20 a year. And, while I don't usually like 'per year' licenses, you can't argue against the developers being rewarded as the months and then years roll on. So... why not?!
See more on MacDroid here.
Comments
$20 to do something that with a PC I can do reliably for free.