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I can't believe that there isn't a simple service to transfer data between my cellphone and my computer without going through the internet. iTunes is terribly b

I can't believe that there isn't a simple service to transfer data between my cellphone and my computer without going through the internet. iTunes is terribly bloated, MTP is a mess, and Bluetooth is slow and frustrating. Back in my hacker day I used to have an SSH server open on my cellphone and use it to transfer files back and forth with my computer. Why isn't there a mainstream service like that?

dx87 8y ago
KDE connect works without internet access. I haven't used it on Windows, but it works fine for me on Ubuntu.
merpnderp 8y ago
In the Apple ecosystem, there's AirDrop which uses either Bluetooth or Wifi. You can quickly share files between any iOS and Mac devices very simply.
matt-snider 8y ago
What about https://syncthing.net/ https://syncthing.net/? EDIT: I know you said without going through the internet. Syncthing can be configured to only transfer over specific networks (e.g. home LAN/WI-FI)
- pard68 8y ago
  I use syncthing for all my personal file syncing. It is so useful and secure to boot!
- rcMgD2BwE72F 8y ago
  I've been using it for (almost) everything and it has always work perfectly: I keep my phone's picture in sync with my personal computers ("send only" so I can remove old photos when my SD card is getting full). I sync a "media" folder where I dump all the music and video I download with the youtube-dl CLI (a "yt" alias makes sure the files are stored in the right directory with some custom parameters). I sync my KeepassXC databases (work and personal), between my personal Linux laptop, my Android phone and my work MacbookPro. Databases can be merged in a single click if there's any conflict (happens very rarely). I love the Android secure autofill service and fingerprint quick unlock I use a "temp" folder to drag'n drop stuff between computers so I can file it properly on the right device. On Android, I prefer to use the Syncthing "sharing intent" to make any file/media available on my other devices in just a tap. I also have installed Syncthing on my Android TV, and occasionally drop HD movies that I download on my phone over P2P (I have a pretty fast connection, so it's easier for me to choose a move from my phone, while in commute, have it download in a few seconds, and either stream it to my TV via Chromecast or open it from the synced folder through Kodi) This really is a dream setup.
  - RussianCow 8y ago
    I love it as well, but my one gripe with the Android app is that it does not support read/write sync on external storage (SD cards). This means, in my case, that I have to share photos from my phone in a read-only fashion. It's not a deal-breaker by any means, but it's annoying, because if I want to add photos to my collection that were obtained elsewhere (e.g. my underwater camera), I have to transfer those files to my phone first in order for them to properly propagate to all my other devices. Here is the related issue: https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-android/issues/29 https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-android/issues/29
    - aidenn0 8y ago
      I would suspect that if you reconfigure your SDCard to be internal storage then it will work again. This is a limit of Android permissions that happened a couple of major versions ago (I use a different tool for file transfer and I remember when it stopped being able to transfer files to external storage).
      - rcMgD2BwE72F 8y ago
        I suggest to use https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.github.catfriend1.syncthingandroid/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.github.catfriend1.syncth... and setup the synced folder on the SD Card as a subdirectory of the app data folder. It's worked well with an old phone (until I replace it with one that no SD card but 128+ GB of storage)
- jamesgeck0 8y ago
  Syncthing is in dire need of an iOS client. There's an unofficial one, but it was unmaintained and didn't sync with recent versions of Syncthing last I checked.
  - yjftsjthsd-h 8y ago
    Is it a technical limitation, insufficient developers, or a license issue? IIRC GPL doesn't work with the store.
    - KindOne 8y ago
      License is MLP 2.0. https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing/issues/4995 https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing/issues/4995
    - justusthane 8y ago
      I believe just insufficient developers. It seems like they're open to someone taking it on: https://forum.syncthing.net/t/on-syncthing-ios-port-again/8964 https://forum.syncthing.net/t/on-syncthing-ios-port-again/89...
    - olyjohn 8y ago
      I feel like there must be some iOS limitations as well. Dropbox can't even sync files in the background, so if I take a bunch of photos, I have to leave it running and touch the screen every couple of minutes in order to get all the photos uploaded. I feel like Dropbox apps are generally pretty good, and this was way janky, and had to be an iOS limitation, but I'm not 100% sure.
      - jamesgeck0 8y ago
        iOS apps (including Dropbox) can sync data in the background, but it's a bit janky. You have to give the app permission to access location services. It'll upload a bit of data in the background every time your phone location changes.
kop316 8y ago
I seem to remember that there was an app on android that allowed you to access your files via a webserver you could turn off and on. I used that a lot before I got nextcloud.
samcday 8y ago
Tangentially related - I've always thought it's dumb that I can't just plug my iPhone in to any PC and have it show up as a removable storage device. I'm sure people who know more than me will give me a list of great reasons why it's not straightforward to implement... But it doesn't change the fact that I have this incredible device (iPhone X) with 256gb of blindingly fast NAND flash storage, of which I am only utilizing 30gb, yet I still have to tote around a f*ing stupid little plastic USB dongle if I want to copy some files around.
- TulliusCicero 8y ago
  > I'm sure people who know more than me will give me a list of great reasons why it's not straightforward to implement... Nah, Android phones have done this forever, it's not technical difficulties stopping it from working. It's The Apple Way. They don't want you using your phone that way, or something.
  - voidmain0001 8y ago
    Argh! I just went through this with a friend's iPhone when he asked spur of the moment to have a video on his iPhone displayed on some monitors for a presentation. The monitors are driven by a Win10 computer. My first thought was to transfer the file from the iPhone with Bluetooth to the computer, but apparently an iPhone can't be paired in that manner. So lame. The video was too big to email, so I used send.firefox.com and uploaded the video to it, and then downloaded the video to the computer. Thanks to the iPhone's protective wall that little stunt cost my friend 200MB of cellular data. The computer didn't have iTunes, and there was no Lightning cable available so direct hardwired transfer wasn't an option either.
    - Retric 8y ago
      Not having a cable is hardly the same issue, iPhones let you easily share images and videos but not all files.
      - voidmain0001 8y ago
opencl 8y ago
Syncthing is fantastic for this (and file transfers between computers over LAN and/or internet), unless you happen to have an iOS phone.
ufo 8y ago
Does local wifi count? I use KDE Connect for sending files over wifi and a bunch of other things. You may also want to check Syncthing, which others have also recommended.
- ognarb 8y ago
  I love KDE Connect, particularly the run command function. I wrote a list of some useful commands in the kde userbase wiki [0] some time ago. [0] https://userbase.kde.org/KDE_Connect/Tutorials/Useful_commands https://userbase.kde.org/KDE_Connect/Tutorials/Useful_comman...
dec0dedab0de 8y ago
Plugging in a USB cable still works fine. I think the problem is if its too easy then people will be copying files off of each others phones without permission.
- laumars 8y ago
  > Plugging in a USB cable still works fine. That uses MTP which the OP already discounted as being "a mess". Frankly my experience matches his and thus I actively avoid MTP whenever I can. > I think the problem is if its too easy then people will be copying files off of each others phones without permission. You usually need to unlock the phone to use MTP. If an attacker has access to unlock your phone then it makes no difference if they copying the files via USB, Dropbox, email or whatever - your attacker already has the permission they need to do so.
_petronius 8y ago
I recently switched back to iOS after years on Android, and on this point I've been very impressed with Airdrop. Dead simple UI, very quick transfer speeds, uses WiFi or Bluetooth as available. It's just a shame that it's limited to Apple devices.
- sdaslo 8y ago
  Isn’t it because it’s limited to apple devices that it works so nicely? Even some times before recent updates they’ve made, ive had airdrop work improperly where my old MacBook Air wouldnt show up, etc etc. it would be a nightmare to get that working across android and pc devices
- untog 8y ago
  Agreed. And app hand-off (for the small number of apps that use it, basically only Safari for me) is fantastic as a "task transfer" tool as well.
  - kalleboo 8y ago
    I also use copy/paste between my Mac and iPhone quite a lot, which is a Handoff feature
- electrograv 8y ago
  The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if Google simply wants to maximize the use of their servers here (independent of what users want/need): 1. P2P doesn’t give Google all that juicy mineable data that they get when everything you do makes round trips through their servers. 2. This would also implicitly encourage Android users to rely more on services like Google Drive/Docs for all files, which is good for them. Edit: Apparently it is disputed that iOS has superior P2P file transfer support vs Android (see reply below), so perhaps all this is a moot point. I was assuming the truth of the parent post, and didn’t realize it was contentious; and since I’m not an Android or iOS expert, I can’t really argue that topic either way.
  - skrowl 8y ago
gurpreet- 8y ago
Resilio sync [1] is a great service I've used to transfer files using P2P technology. It still uses the Internet, but avoids any intervening parties. If you're using Android, you could just use USB transfer using Android File Transfer [2]. Super easy, super fast. [1] https://www.resilio.com/individuals/ https://www.resilio.com/individuals/ [2] https://www.android.com/filetransfer/ https://www.android.com/filetransfer/
- jamesgeck0 8y ago
  If both computers are on the same LAN, Resilio Sync shouldn't hit the internet at all.
patr0nus 8y ago
What about Dukto [0]? IMO if something doesn't require the internet connection, it is more likely to be called "software", not a "service". [0] http://www.msec.it/blog/?page_id=11 http://www.msec.it/blog/?page_id=11
diegorbaquero 8y ago
You can try WebTorrent (P2P) based solutions, maybe https://btorrent.xyz https://btorrent.xyz could help.
AdmiralAsshat 8y ago
A number of Android File Managers these days (Amaze comes to mind) include a toggle option to turn your phone into an FTP Server. You would then just pull it up on your computer via ftp://192.168.X.X and put an optional user/pass over it. I've used that for many years if I need to quickly transfer some documents or songs between devices. Not technically internet so much as intranet.
- Izkata 8y ago
  And on the flipside, I've used AndFTP to connect to my laptop from Android 2.0 through 8.1 - it supports sftp and a few other protocols.
- zcid 8y ago
  This is my preferred method. I use SolidExplorer to start the ftp server and use an alias to access via lftp.
microcolonel 8y ago
I use Syncthing, personally. It usually works pretty great, the only real issues I've seen are with locked down internet connections (the sort which also seem to meter or block VPNs).
chongli 8y ago
I just use iCloud Drive. Files on my desktop and in my documents folder get automatically synced to my phone and vice versa. It's extremely easy and painless. I often find myself on my phone, saving a file to my iCloud desktop, and finding the file on my desktop the next time I open the lid of my laptop.
- aaaaaaaaaaab 8y ago
  >without going through the internet
dooglius 8y ago
I'm a bit confused, in what sense is accessing an SSH server not going through the internet? Was the phone connected to the same LAN as the desktop via Wifi?
- laumars 8y ago
  That was my assumption. Your comment took me a little by surprise actually because there's no actual need for the internet in SSH and in fact I probably do 90% of my SSHing on local networks. But I guess your usage differs significantly?
  - dooglius 8y ago
    For desktops, yes, but my default assumption for a phone is that it's on a mobile network
    - laumars 8y ago
      I don't think that is a fair assumption because it's very common for people to set up WiFi on their phone. In fact you'll often find some platforms will not download OS updates or warn you against downloading larger "apps" when not connected via WiFi.
    - Piskvorrr 8y ago
      A mobile network is still mostly a fallback "if there's nothing better available", and IIRC all current smartphones prefer a WiFi link over a mobile one (if one is up). Perhaps with 5G, we might get to the point where WiFi is too much hassle to set up...
- Piskvorrr 8y ago
  That's the usual arrangement, yes: phone - WiFi AP - ethernet switch - desktop; no internet needed. SSH is not some only-works-in-the-cloud magic, just a TCP/IP service; as long as you can access the server, it is cloud-agnostic. I do use this arrangement with split DNS: inside the local LAN, the desktop's DNS resolves to the desktop directly; outside, it resolves to the gateway's external port, whence it's NATed to the desktop. SSH from anywhere :)
pault 8y ago
You didn't say whether you are on iOS or Android, but if you are on iOS airdrop works very well.
- laumars 8y ago
  It does - just so long as you and anyone else you might want to share with are paid up into the Apple walled garden. I do have an iPhone and I love AirDrop for sharing photos with the few friends who also have an iPhone but it's not even an option for me with a Linux laptop.
smoser 8y ago
Besides AirDrop there is "Copy and Paste across devices" https://support.apple.com/kb/ph25168?locale=en_US https://support.apple.com/kb/ph25168?locale=en_US
- mikro2nd 8y ago
  > copy text, images, photos, and videos on one Apple device and then paste the content on another Apple device So not so much for my Linux box or my Android phone, then. As usual with Apple's shiny crap it "all just works" as long as you're only playing inside the walled tarpit.
- ihuman 8y ago
  Does that transfer the data over iCloud (via the internet), or over Bluetooth and local WiFi? The page is kind of ambiguous since it mentions all 3.
morpheuskafka 8y ago
On iOS having a file manager web server is a common workaround, some apps like VLC even have their own. The only issue is that the server stops if you switch apps. There's also iMazing which uses the iTunes protocol and is pretty good, but unfortunately is paid.
msravi 8y ago
termux + woof woof -i <ip_address> -p <port> <filename> termux: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.termux&hl=.. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.termux&hl=.... woof: http://www.home.unix-ag.org/simon/woof.html http://www.home.unix-ag.org/simon/woof.html Edit: 1. Allows directory upload/download (tar/gzip/bzip2 compressed) 2. Local file server (doesn't go over the internet) 3. Allows upload form (-U option) 4. Allows file to be served <count> number of times (-c option)
dTal 8y ago
You might be interested in KDE Connect, which provides (among other things) essentially a thin wrapper around SSHFS. It's the most convenient method of computer<->phone transfer I've found.
nobrains 8y ago
Airdroid
Benjamin_Dobell 8y ago
AirDroid is pretty handy on Android; file transfer, browsing your phone's files/images, sending SMS from your desktop browser (although Messages now does that native) etc. Much to my surprise, there's also an iOS version - https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1194539178 https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1194539178
akerro 8y ago
>I can't believe that there isn't a simple service to transfer data between my cellphone and my computer without going through the internet. KDE Connect, https://community.kde.org/KDEConnect#What_is_KDE_Connect.3F https://community.kde.org/KDEConnect#What_is_KDE_Connect.3F i've been using it for years
- jumbopapa 8y ago
  I've been using this, but I just switched to the Sway for my WM and I'm unsure of how to use KDEConnect with Sway. Any ideas?
  - MayeulC 8y ago
    I've been using sway for a few weeks as well. I just used it once to share a file from my phone, and here's what I did: export $(dbus-launch) kdeconnect-cli -l *then I sent the file from the phone* It could be launched on start; there's also appindicator-kdeconnect that should work with a tray icon, as well, AFAIK.
  - mcdevilkiller 8y ago
    It's supposedly UI agnostic and just requires QT5. Probably you can build it from source, and it will open as a normal app, in its own tile.
Steltek 8y ago
When pushing files from phone to computer, I setup my Pixel to use AndFTP. The ubiquitous "Share" button offers AndFTP as an option and lists preconfigured destination SSH servers. I upload photos this way to a distinct account (which gets scooped up later by a more privileged script). What I'm really looking for is a Share button enabled app that can POST arbitrary files to a customizable URL.
SebiH 8y ago
How about https://snapdrop.net/ https://snapdrop.net/ ?
hiccuphippo 8y ago
What I'd like to see is an app that runs a webserver on my phone to share a slideshow of pictures or videos to a browser on the lan. I haven't found this and I'm thinking about writing one.
- Moru 8y ago
  Try resilio sync, uses lan or Internet depending on what is available. Sync the images folder with your computer with a few clicks.
- spieglt 8y ago
  This runs the web server on a computer, but allows two-way file transfer from phones: https://github.com/claudiodangelis/qr-filetransfer https://github.com/claudiodangelis/qr-filetransfer
sametmax 8y ago
There is. It's called dukto (http://www.msec.it/blog/?page_id=11 http://www.msec.it/blog/?page_id=11), and works on mac, linux, windows and android. It will use zeroconf to automatically find all duktos on the local network, and let you send stuff to them in a blink. Proprietary but free as in beer.
- cybwraith 8y ago
  Dukto is great!
kgwxd 8y ago
There are plenty of cross-platform local file transfer tools available but they all require manual setup and some knowledge of networking. If "without going through the internet" is a requirement, I don't think an easier and secure tool could be made better than what's already available.
m52go 8y ago
If you use GNOME, GSConnect is magical. https://github.com/andyholmes/gnome-shell-extension-gsconnect/wiki https://github.com/andyholmes/gnome-shell-extension-gsconnec...
spieglt 8y ago
Check out https://github.com/claudiodangelis/qr-filetransfer https://github.com/claudiodangelis/qr-filetransfer for computers and phones on the same LAN. Works great, and I'm planning on integrating that functionality into my project which transfers files between laptops using only wireless cards, no LAN required. https://github.com/spieglt/flyingcarpet https://github.com/spieglt/flyingcarpet
xioxox 8y ago
SimpleSSHD is a simple ad-free open-source SSH server for your Android phone (available on Google Play). It's very useful. It only supports public-key based authentication, so you can't use a password, however.
- yjftsjthsd-h 8y ago
  > It only supports public-key based authentication, so you can't use a password, however. If there's any chance of this thing being exposed to a public network (like, say, a cell network), I'd say that's a very good thing!
est31 8y ago
I often first try MTP and when it is acting up again, I'm using adb pull / adb push to do it. Once set up, adb turns on automatically and all you need to do is to invoke the commands on the computer. If USB is unavailable, adb works via the network as well, provided the phone's IP is reachable. However, you need to know the ip address. The only problem really is figuring out the paths, but at least it works and overall I'm wasting less time than with MTP usage.
yjftsjthsd-h 8y ago
You can literally do that; termux will run sshd quite happily. I'm pretty sure there are sftp servers in the app store as well, but I don't really trust them. I run the reverse; my laptop runs sshd and then I ssh/scp/rsync from termux on my phone. But either way works.
alanpearce 8y ago
With macOS and iOS, Airdrop, as others have stated. For other platform combinations, there is NitroShare[1] which works in almost the same way. [1]: https://nitroshare.net https://nitroshare.net
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
jwr 8y ago
If you use Apple devices, it's called AirDrop and works surprisingly well. I use it a lot, between computers, phones, and ipads, within the family and sometimes with other people, too.
- chapium 8y ago
  Just make sure your Mac's firewall is not blocking bluetooth.
ocdtrekkie 8y ago
SMB over local network would be my default, I recall an app for using SMB with Android back as far as the 2.x days. We have tons of protocols for transferring files over networks, there's no reason for them to go to the public Internet, nor for them to be mobile phone specific.
omouse 8y ago
It's because the whole app ecosystem is proprietary and the open source packages aren't as polished. I remember when it was a huge pain to use Bonjour. It seems like this should be a solved problem but maybe it takes a Mozilla or some other larger entity to push the marketing and the customer support and development to really solve the problem of transferring large files securely.
shmerl 8y ago
KDE connect?
pwg 8y ago
To add to the options (for Android phones): https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.primftpd/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.primftpd/
m-p-3 8y ago
I'm on Android, and Syncthing is pretty seamless once configured. I just configure my cellphone, my laptop and my desktop to sync a specific directory in both directions. It's decentralized, end-to-end encrypted and does local discovery of devices on a LAN so it will also works offline. As long as one device lives and is synced, I have a copy of the files.
deltaqueue 8y ago
Dozens of responses, and not one mention of Dropbox. Works perfectly for this exact purpose on Android.
- Legogris 8y ago
  You missed the "without going through the internet" part.
  - Piskvorrr 8y ago
    It does have a LAN sync mode...but it's supplemental at best. Plus, the clients need to bootstrap and authorize through the Internet first.
gshulegaard 8y ago
There are a few around...I use File Explorer which can actually start an FTP server from my phone (iPhone) that my PC can connect to over LAN. It also can be a client to a remote FTP/file share.
buboard 8y ago
there is https://snapdrop.net/ https://snapdrop.net/ but it didnt work for me
MaxBarraclough 8y ago
You run a simple HTTP server on your computer, then download your files over Wi-Fi using your phone's browser. Works nicely. cd my/directory && python3 -m http.server 80
rsync 8y ago
"I can't believe that there isn't a simple service to transfer data between my cellphone and my computer without going through the internet." The correct way to do this is to configure your phone to emulate USB mass storage and then connect with a USB cable. Your phone looks like a thumb drive. It's the easiest workflow in the world. Unfortunately, this workflow is off limits because of some licensing requirement from MS for fat32 (or something) which is why neither android nor ios has this very basic, simple feature.

dx87 8y ago

KDE connect works without internet access. I haven't used it on Windows, but it works fine for me on Ubuntu.

merpnderp 8y ago

In the Apple ecosystem, there's AirDrop which uses either Bluetooth or Wifi. You can quickly share files between any iOS and Mac devices very simply.

matt-snider 8y ago

What about https://syncthing.net/ https://syncthing.net/? EDIT: I know you said without going through the internet. Syncthing can be configured to only transfer over specific networks (e.g. home LAN/WI-FI)

pard68 8y ago
I use syncthing for all my personal file syncing. It is so useful and secure to boot!
rcMgD2BwE72F 8y ago
I've been using it for (almost) everything and it has always work perfectly: I keep my phone's picture in sync with my personal computers ("send only" so I can remove old photos when my SD card is getting full). I sync a "media" folder where I dump all the music and video I download with the youtube-dl CLI (a "yt" alias makes sure the files are stored in the right directory with some custom parameters). I sync my KeepassXC databases (work and personal), between my personal Linux laptop, my Android phone and my work MacbookPro. Databases can be merged in a single click if there's any conflict (happens very rarely). I love the Android secure autofill service and fingerprint quick unlock I use a "temp" folder to drag'n drop stuff between computers so I can file it properly on the right device. On Android, I prefer to use the Syncthing "sharing intent" to make any file/media available on my other devices in just a tap. I also have installed Syncthing on my Android TV, and occasionally drop HD movies that I download on my phone over P2P (I have a pretty fast connection, so it's easier for me to choose a move from my phone, while in commute, have it download in a few seconds, and either stream it to my TV via Chromecast or open it from the synced folder through Kodi) This really is a dream setup.
- RussianCow 8y ago
  I love it as well, but my one gripe with the Android app is that it does not support read/write sync on external storage (SD cards). This means, in my case, that I have to share photos from my phone in a read-only fashion. It's not a deal-breaker by any means, but it's annoying, because if I want to add photos to my collection that were obtained elsewhere (e.g. my underwater camera), I have to transfer those files to my phone first in order for them to properly propagate to all my other devices. Here is the related issue: https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-android/issues/29 https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing-android/issues/29
  - aidenn0 8y ago
    I would suspect that if you reconfigure your SDCard to be internal storage then it will work again. This is a limit of Android permissions that happened a couple of major versions ago (I use a different tool for file transfer and I remember when it stopped being able to transfer files to external storage).
    - rcMgD2BwE72F 8y ago
      I suggest to use https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.github.catfriend1.syncthingandroid/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/com.github.catfriend1.syncth... and setup the synced folder on the SD Card as a subdirectory of the app data folder. It's worked well with an old phone (until I replace it with one that no SD card but 128+ GB of storage)
jamesgeck0 8y ago
Syncthing is in dire need of an iOS client. There's an unofficial one, but it was unmaintained and didn't sync with recent versions of Syncthing last I checked.
- yjftsjthsd-h 8y ago
  Is it a technical limitation, insufficient developers, or a license issue? IIRC GPL doesn't work with the store.
  - KindOne 8y ago
    License is MLP 2.0. https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing/issues/4995 https://github.com/syncthing/syncthing/issues/4995
  - justusthane 8y ago
    I believe just insufficient developers. It seems like they're open to someone taking it on: https://forum.syncthing.net/t/on-syncthing-ios-port-again/8964 https://forum.syncthing.net/t/on-syncthing-ios-port-again/89...
  - olyjohn 8y ago
    I feel like there must be some iOS limitations as well. Dropbox can't even sync files in the background, so if I take a bunch of photos, I have to leave it running and touch the screen every couple of minutes in order to get all the photos uploaded. I feel like Dropbox apps are generally pretty good, and this was way janky, and had to be an iOS limitation, but I'm not 100% sure.
    - jamesgeck0 8y ago
      iOS apps (including Dropbox) can sync data in the background, but it's a bit janky. You have to give the app permission to access location services. It'll upload a bit of data in the background every time your phone location changes.

kop316 8y ago

I seem to remember that there was an app on android that allowed you to access your files via a webserver you could turn off and on. I used that a lot before I got nextcloud.

samcday 8y ago

Tangentially related - I've always thought it's dumb that I can't just plug my iPhone in to any PC and have it show up as a removable storage device. I'm sure people who know more than me will give me a list of great reasons why it's not straightforward to implement... But it doesn't change the fact that I have this incredible device (iPhone X) with 256gb of blindingly fast NAND flash storage, of which I am only utilizing 30gb, yet I still have to tote around a f*ing stupid little plastic USB dongle if I want to copy some files around.

TulliusCicero 8y ago
> I'm sure people who know more than me will give me a list of great reasons why it's not straightforward to implement... Nah, Android phones have done this forever, it's not technical difficulties stopping it from working. It's The Apple Way. They don't want you using your phone that way, or something.
- voidmain0001 8y ago
  Argh! I just went through this with a friend's iPhone when he asked spur of the moment to have a video on his iPhone displayed on some monitors for a presentation. The monitors are driven by a Win10 computer. My first thought was to transfer the file from the iPhone with Bluetooth to the computer, but apparently an iPhone can't be paired in that manner. So lame. The video was too big to email, so I used send.firefox.com and uploaded the video to it, and then downloaded the video to the computer. Thanks to the iPhone's protective wall that little stunt cost my friend 200MB of cellular data. The computer didn't have iTunes, and there was no Lightning cable available so direct hardwired transfer wasn't an option either.
  - Retric 8y ago
    Not having a cable is hardly the same issue, iPhones let you easily share images and videos but not all files.
    - voidmain0001 8y ago

opencl 8y ago

Syncthing is fantastic for this (and file transfers between computers over LAN and/or internet), unless you happen to have an iOS phone.

ufo 8y ago

Does local wifi count? I use KDE Connect for sending files over wifi and a bunch of other things. You may also want to check Syncthing, which others have also recommended.

ognarb 8y ago
I love KDE Connect, particularly the run command function. I wrote a list of some useful commands in the kde userbase wiki [0] some time ago. [0] https://userbase.kde.org/KDE_Connect/Tutorials/Useful_commands https://userbase.kde.org/KDE_Connect/Tutorials/Useful_comman...

dec0dedab0de 8y ago

Plugging in a USB cable still works fine. I think the problem is if its too easy then people will be copying files off of each others phones without permission.

laumars 8y ago
> Plugging in a USB cable still works fine. That uses MTP which the OP already discounted as being "a mess". Frankly my experience matches his and thus I actively avoid MTP whenever I can. > I think the problem is if its too easy then people will be copying files off of each others phones without permission. You usually need to unlock the phone to use MTP. If an attacker has access to unlock your phone then it makes no difference if they copying the files via USB, Dropbox, email or whatever - your attacker already has the permission they need to do so.

_petronius 8y ago

I recently switched back to iOS after years on Android, and on this point I've been very impressed with Airdrop. Dead simple UI, very quick transfer speeds, uses WiFi or Bluetooth as available. It's just a shame that it's limited to Apple devices.

sdaslo 8y ago
Isn’t it because it’s limited to apple devices that it works so nicely? Even some times before recent updates they’ve made, ive had airdrop work improperly where my old MacBook Air wouldnt show up, etc etc. it would be a nightmare to get that working across android and pc devices
untog 8y ago
Agreed. And app hand-off (for the small number of apps that use it, basically only Safari for me) is fantastic as a "task transfer" tool as well.
- kalleboo 8y ago
  I also use copy/paste between my Mac and iPhone quite a lot, which is a Handoff feature
electrograv 8y ago
The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if Google simply wants to maximize the use of their servers here (independent of what users want/need): 1. P2P doesn’t give Google all that juicy mineable data that they get when everything you do makes round trips through their servers. 2. This would also implicitly encourage Android users to rely more on services like Google Drive/Docs for all files, which is good for them. Edit: Apparently it is disputed that iOS has superior P2P file transfer support vs Android (see reply below), so perhaps all this is a moot point. I was assuming the truth of the parent post, and didn’t realize it was contentious; and since I’m not an Android or iOS expert, I can’t really argue that topic either way.
- skrowl 8y ago

gurpreet- 8y ago

Resilio sync [1] is a great service I've used to transfer files using P2P technology. It still uses the Internet, but avoids any intervening parties. If you're using Android, you could just use USB transfer using Android File Transfer [2]. Super easy, super fast. [1] https://www.resilio.com/individuals/ https://www.resilio.com/individuals/ [2] https://www.android.com/filetransfer/ https://www.android.com/filetransfer/

jamesgeck0 8y ago
If both computers are on the same LAN, Resilio Sync shouldn't hit the internet at all.

patr0nus 8y ago

What about Dukto [0]? IMO if something doesn't require the internet connection, it is more likely to be called "software", not a "service". [0] http://www.msec.it/blog/?page_id=11 http://www.msec.it/blog/?page_id=11

diegorbaquero 8y ago

You can try WebTorrent (P2P) based solutions, maybe https://btorrent.xyz https://btorrent.xyz could help.

AdmiralAsshat 8y ago

A number of Android File Managers these days (Amaze comes to mind) include a toggle option to turn your phone into an FTP Server. You would then just pull it up on your computer via ftp://192.168.X.X and put an optional user/pass over it. I've used that for many years if I need to quickly transfer some documents or songs between devices. Not technically internet so much as intranet.

Izkata 8y ago
And on the flipside, I've used AndFTP to connect to my laptop from Android 2.0 through 8.1 - it supports sftp and a few other protocols.
zcid 8y ago
This is my preferred method. I use SolidExplorer to start the ftp server and use an alias to access via lftp.

microcolonel 8y ago

I use Syncthing, personally. It usually works pretty great, the only real issues I've seen are with locked down internet connections (the sort which also seem to meter or block VPNs).

chongli 8y ago

I just use iCloud Drive. Files on my desktop and in my documents folder get automatically synced to my phone and vice versa. It's extremely easy and painless. I often find myself on my phone, saving a file to my iCloud desktop, and finding the file on my desktop the next time I open the lid of my laptop.

aaaaaaaaaaab 8y ago
>without going through the internet

dooglius 8y ago

I'm a bit confused, in what sense is accessing an SSH server not going through the internet? Was the phone connected to the same LAN as the desktop via Wifi?

laumars 8y ago
That was my assumption. Your comment took me a little by surprise actually because there's no actual need for the internet in SSH and in fact I probably do 90% of my SSHing on local networks. But I guess your usage differs significantly?
- dooglius 8y ago
  For desktops, yes, but my default assumption for a phone is that it's on a mobile network
  - laumars 8y ago
    I don't think that is a fair assumption because it's very common for people to set up WiFi on their phone. In fact you'll often find some platforms will not download OS updates or warn you against downloading larger "apps" when not connected via WiFi.
  - Piskvorrr 8y ago
    A mobile network is still mostly a fallback "if there's nothing better available", and IIRC all current smartphones prefer a WiFi link over a mobile one (if one is up). Perhaps with 5G, we might get to the point where WiFi is too much hassle to set up...
Piskvorrr 8y ago
That's the usual arrangement, yes: phone - WiFi AP - ethernet switch - desktop; no internet needed. SSH is not some only-works-in-the-cloud magic, just a TCP/IP service; as long as you can access the server, it is cloud-agnostic. I do use this arrangement with split DNS: inside the local LAN, the desktop's DNS resolves to the desktop directly; outside, it resolves to the gateway's external port, whence it's NATed to the desktop. SSH from anywhere :)

pault 8y ago

You didn't say whether you are on iOS or Android, but if you are on iOS airdrop works very well.

laumars 8y ago
It does - just so long as you and anyone else you might want to share with are paid up into the Apple walled garden. I do have an iPhone and I love AirDrop for sharing photos with the few friends who also have an iPhone but it's not even an option for me with a Linux laptop.

smoser 8y ago

Besides AirDrop there is "Copy and Paste across devices" https://support.apple.com/kb/ph25168?locale=en_US https://support.apple.com/kb/ph25168?locale=en_US

mikro2nd 8y ago
> copy text, images, photos, and videos on one Apple device and then paste the content on another Apple device So not so much for my Linux box or my Android phone, then. As usual with Apple's shiny crap it "all just works" as long as you're only playing inside the walled tarpit.
ihuman 8y ago
Does that transfer the data over iCloud (via the internet), or over Bluetooth and local WiFi? The page is kind of ambiguous since it mentions all 3.

morpheuskafka 8y ago

On iOS having a file manager web server is a common workaround, some apps like VLC even have their own. The only issue is that the server stops if you switch apps. There's also iMazing which uses the iTunes protocol and is pretty good, but unfortunately is paid.

msravi 8y ago

termux + woof woof -i <ip_address> -p <port> <filename> termux: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.termux&hl=.. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.termux&hl=.... woof: http://www.home.unix-ag.org/simon/woof.html http://www.home.unix-ag.org/simon/woof.html Edit: 1. Allows directory upload/download (tar/gzip/bzip2 compressed) 2. Local file server (doesn't go over the internet) 3. Allows upload form (-U option) 4. Allows file to be served <count> number of times (-c option)

dTal 8y ago

You might be interested in KDE Connect, which provides (among other things) essentially a thin wrapper around SSHFS. It's the most convenient method of computer<->phone transfer I've found.

nobrains 8y ago

Airdroid

Benjamin_Dobell 8y ago

AirDroid is pretty handy on Android; file transfer, browsing your phone's files/images, sending SMS from your desktop browser (although Messages now does that native) etc. Much to my surprise, there's also an iOS version - https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1194539178 https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1194539178

akerro 8y ago

>I can't believe that there isn't a simple service to transfer data between my cellphone and my computer without going through the internet. KDE Connect, https://community.kde.org/KDEConnect#What_is_KDE_Connect.3F https://community.kde.org/KDEConnect#What_is_KDE_Connect.3F i've been using it for years

jumbopapa 8y ago
I've been using this, but I just switched to the Sway for my WM and I'm unsure of how to use KDEConnect with Sway. Any ideas?
- MayeulC 8y ago
  I've been using sway for a few weeks as well. I just used it once to share a file from my phone, and here's what I did: export $(dbus-launch) kdeconnect-cli -l *then I sent the file from the phone* It could be launched on start; there's also appindicator-kdeconnect that should work with a tray icon, as well, AFAIK.
- mcdevilkiller 8y ago
  It's supposedly UI agnostic and just requires QT5. Probably you can build it from source, and it will open as a normal app, in its own tile.

Steltek 8y ago

When pushing files from phone to computer, I setup my Pixel to use AndFTP. The ubiquitous "Share" button offers AndFTP as an option and lists preconfigured destination SSH servers. I upload photos this way to a distinct account (which gets scooped up later by a more privileged script). What I'm really looking for is a Share button enabled app that can POST arbitrary files to a customizable URL.

SebiH 8y ago

How about https://snapdrop.net/ https://snapdrop.net/ ?

hiccuphippo 8y ago

What I'd like to see is an app that runs a webserver on my phone to share a slideshow of pictures or videos to a browser on the lan. I haven't found this and I'm thinking about writing one.

Moru 8y ago
Try resilio sync, uses lan or Internet depending on what is available. Sync the images folder with your computer with a few clicks.
spieglt 8y ago
This runs the web server on a computer, but allows two-way file transfer from phones: https://github.com/claudiodangelis/qr-filetransfer https://github.com/claudiodangelis/qr-filetransfer

sametmax 8y ago

There is. It's called dukto (http://www.msec.it/blog/?page_id=11 http://www.msec.it/blog/?page_id=11), and works on mac, linux, windows and android. It will use zeroconf to automatically find all duktos on the local network, and let you send stuff to them in a blink. Proprietary but free as in beer.

cybwraith 8y ago
Dukto is great!

kgwxd 8y ago

There are plenty of cross-platform local file transfer tools available but they all require manual setup and some knowledge of networking. If "without going through the internet" is a requirement, I don't think an easier and secure tool could be made better than what's already available.

m52go 8y ago

If you use GNOME, GSConnect is magical. https://github.com/andyholmes/gnome-shell-extension-gsconnect/wiki https://github.com/andyholmes/gnome-shell-extension-gsconnec...

spieglt 8y ago

Check out https://github.com/claudiodangelis/qr-filetransfer https://github.com/claudiodangelis/qr-filetransfer for computers and phones on the same LAN. Works great, and I'm planning on integrating that functionality into my project which transfers files between laptops using only wireless cards, no LAN required. https://github.com/spieglt/flyingcarpet https://github.com/spieglt/flyingcarpet

xioxox 8y ago

SimpleSSHD is a simple ad-free open-source SSH server for your Android phone (available on Google Play). It's very useful. It only supports public-key based authentication, so you can't use a password, however.

yjftsjthsd-h 8y ago
> It only supports public-key based authentication, so you can't use a password, however. If there's any chance of this thing being exposed to a public network (like, say, a cell network), I'd say that's a very good thing!

est31 8y ago

I often first try MTP and when it is acting up again, I'm using adb pull / adb push to do it. Once set up, adb turns on automatically and all you need to do is to invoke the commands on the computer. If USB is unavailable, adb works via the network as well, provided the phone's IP is reachable. However, you need to know the ip address. The only problem really is figuring out the paths, but at least it works and overall I'm wasting less time than with MTP usage.

yjftsjthsd-h 8y ago

You can literally do that; termux will run sshd quite happily. I'm pretty sure there are sftp servers in the app store as well, but I don't really trust them. I run the reverse; my laptop runs sshd and then I ssh/scp/rsync from termux on my phone. But either way works.

alanpearce 8y ago

With macOS and iOS, Airdrop, as others have stated. For other platform combinations, there is NitroShare[1] which works in almost the same way. [1]: https://nitroshare.net https://nitroshare.net

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

jwr 8y ago

If you use Apple devices, it's called AirDrop and works surprisingly well. I use it a lot, between computers, phones, and ipads, within the family and sometimes with other people, too.

chapium 8y ago
Just make sure your Mac's firewall is not blocking bluetooth.

ocdtrekkie 8y ago

SMB over local network would be my default, I recall an app for using SMB with Android back as far as the 2.x days. We have tons of protocols for transferring files over networks, there's no reason for them to go to the public Internet, nor for them to be mobile phone specific.

omouse 8y ago

It's because the whole app ecosystem is proprietary and the open source packages aren't as polished. I remember when it was a huge pain to use Bonjour. It seems like this should be a solved problem but maybe it takes a Mozilla or some other larger entity to push the marketing and the customer support and development to really solve the problem of transferring large files securely.

shmerl 8y ago

KDE connect?

pwg 8y ago

To add to the options (for Android phones): https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.primftpd/ https://f-droid.org/en/packages/org.primftpd/

m-p-3 8y ago

I'm on Android, and Syncthing is pretty seamless once configured. I just configure my cellphone, my laptop and my desktop to sync a specific directory in both directions. It's decentralized, end-to-end encrypted and does local discovery of devices on a LAN so it will also works offline. As long as one device lives and is synced, I have a copy of the files.

deltaqueue 8y ago

Dozens of responses, and not one mention of Dropbox. Works perfectly for this exact purpose on Android.

Legogris 8y ago
You missed the "without going through the internet" part.
- Piskvorrr 8y ago
  It does have a LAN sync mode...but it's supplemental at best. Plus, the clients need to bootstrap and authorize through the Internet first.

gshulegaard 8y ago

There are a few around...I use File Explorer which can actually start an FTP server from my phone (iPhone) that my PC can connect to over LAN. It also can be a client to a remote FTP/file share.

buboard 8y ago

there is https://snapdrop.net/ https://snapdrop.net/ but it didnt work for me

MaxBarraclough 8y ago

You run a simple HTTP server on your computer, then download your files over Wi-Fi using your phone's browser. Works nicely. cd my/directory && python3 -m http.server 80

rsync 8y ago

"I can't believe that there isn't a simple service to transfer data between my cellphone and my computer without going through the internet." The correct way to do this is to configure your phone to emulate USB mass storage and then connect with a USB cable. Your phone looks like a thumb drive. It's the easiest workflow in the world. Unfortunately, this workflow is off limits because of some licensing requirement from MS for fat32 (or something) which is why neither android nor ios has this very basic, simple feature.