3 ms·

Ask HN: What method do you use to send a link from smartphone to laptop?

Am I the only one still relying on the age old method of sending an email to myself on the smartphone and then opening it up on the laptop?

brokenmachine 3y ago
Obsidian with SyncThing. I have a note called "Temp Notes" for this kind of stuff.
vladstudio 3y ago
chat with myself on telegram. they call it Saved messages.
rabbitofdeath 3y ago
I like Firefox Sync- this allows sending links to any of my devices. I find it particularly useful when I find a site if interest in my phone and want to look at it on my desktop later. Occasionally I’ll use email or message myself via Element/Matrix.
JohnFen 3y ago
I run a bookmark server at home, where I keep all of my bookmarks so I can access them from any machine. Any links I want to share between machines, I put on the bookmark server.
LinuxBender 3y ago
Like you I use email or if the link is sensitive I connect to my uMurmur instance and send myself a private message.
andrei_says_ 3y ago
Apple ecosystem: shared clipboard. Copy on phone paste on laptop and vice versa. Between any of my iOS / MacOS devices.
- wintermutestwin 3y ago
  Dealing with URLs un safari on ios is a nightmare! I’m surprised that sharing tabs to a mac isn’t built in to the ecosystem. Ironically, firefox synch does this just fine
- bnchrch 3y ago
  This honestly. I know its not for everyone, but if theres any windows/linux/android users out there wondering why the Apple ecosystem is so sticky, this is one of the small but many reasons why.
  - hactually 3y ago
    I didn't know that worked on Apple. For me, I click Share > Send to other devices and pick either my desktop or my Pixel depending on which way it's going. Pretty simple.
billconan 3y ago
the chrome browser's history is synced among devices.
- john-tells-all 3y ago
  I use this constantly! Summary: - open important page* on iPhone, using Chrome (* cat photo) - on Chrome on macOS or Chromebook: three-dots > History > iPhone There are stanzas for each device I use. The links get synced pretty fast but not instantly, sometimes you have to wait 20-30 seconds. The above is also an easy way to share a page on the Chromebook, with someone in an SMS message or WhatsApp using iOS. Just reverse the above process.
ushercakes 3y ago
You can airdrop now if the phone is an iPhone and the laptop is a MacBook of some sort. I also am a sucker for notes, I use the native apple notes, but this probably works for any syncing note client - Just add the link in notes - Open notes on laptop - Link is there
syndicatedjelly 3y ago
Airdrop and shared clipboard in the Apple ecosystem is pretty magical imo.
NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
I use Chrome, Windows 10, Android, ChromeOS I rarely have a use case to go smartphone -> computer. I would have to think up something anew. Perhaps I could use a bookmark for it. Chrome used to offer "Send to My Devices" which was tempting, but never ever worked. Lately, if I want to send from a computer to my smartphone, I'll use Chrome's QR creator and use the phone camera for it. The main reason I want to send a link there is so that I can MMS it to a friend. I don't typically link up my phone to the computer, but when I do, I could just directly use the Messages app instead. Sometimes I want to send a link to work. I usually email it to myself. But I also maintain a shared Drive folder where I could place files or add a link to a Sheet. EDIT: I took a tour of Google Support Forums and took some advice there. I noticed that my Windows session was very "inactive" and so I signed out and back in again to Google. Now I'm receiving all links from "Send to my Device" which should be my preferred way to send back and forth.
duffyjp 3y ago
For the reverse (computer -> phone) I use a browser extension called "The QR Code Extension." Click it and it displays a QR code to the current URL you just point your phone's camera at. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/the-qr-code-extension/oijdcdmnjjgnnhgljmhkjlablaejfeeb https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/the-qr-code-extens...
- NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
  Chrome has this built in; I don't use an extension. There's a "Share" icon on the right side of the URL bar, with "Copy link", "Send to your devices", "Create QR code", "Cast", and "Save page as...". You create a QR code, it's displayed, along with its URL, and you can "Copy" or "Download" it.
wingerlang 3y ago
AirDrop for instant open. And a 1-click "email myself" shortcut if I want to open it later, or just save it in general.
stonecharioteer 3y ago
I use theJoin app and extension.
huehehue 3y ago
I use email. I'm generally very defensive on any new apps, tooling, extensions, etc. Emailing a link only takes 5 seconds and I don't need to optimize it any further. I also don't use bookmarks, or save anything for later, so maybe I'm just a heathen.
ryzvonusef 3y ago
Telegram has a chat called "saved messages", it creates a private saved chat for you, to which you can forward links, pictures etc I use that, surprisingly handy
preciousoo 3y ago
Chrome tab sync if on non-apple devices, the native mac <-> phone (don't know know the name, handoff?) feature if on apple devices i own, airdrop if the handoff feature isn't working or on devices I don't own. Whatsapp, email or qr code otherwise, whichever is most convenient at the time
BOOSTERHIDROGEN 3y ago
snapdrop https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop
BenjiWiebe 3y ago
KDE Connect. It can share links, files, clipboard, and much more. I use it with both Windows and Linux (from an Android) and I love it.
BorisMelnik 3y ago
Chrome "send to your devices" via: long press > share link > send to devices you can also use "add to reading list/pane" which is a very underused feature
skydhash 3y ago
Due to ergonomics, I just airdrop it to my mac—easier to click a link than to copy it. From mac to iphone, I copy-paste (universal clipboard)
takifugu 3y ago
I've been using Pushbullet[1] for at least 5 years. The Android app has some additional features like "copy to clipboard" when something is received. So useful for transferring tedious-to-type-on-a-phone strings that are not urls https://www.pushbullet.com https://www.pushbullet.com

Am I the only one still relying on the age old method of sending an email to myself on the smartphone and then opening it up on the laptop?

brokenmachine 3y ago

Obsidian with SyncThing. I have a note called "Temp Notes" for this kind of stuff.

vladstudio 3y ago

chat with myself on telegram. they call it Saved messages.

rabbitofdeath 3y ago

I like Firefox Sync- this allows sending links to any of my devices. I find it particularly useful when I find a site if interest in my phone and want to look at it on my desktop later. Occasionally I’ll use email or message myself via Element/Matrix.

JohnFen 3y ago

I run a bookmark server at home, where I keep all of my bookmarks so I can access them from any machine. Any links I want to share between machines, I put on the bookmark server.

LinuxBender 3y ago

Like you I use email or if the link is sensitive I connect to my uMurmur instance and send myself a private message.

andrei_says_ 3y ago

Apple ecosystem: shared clipboard. Copy on phone paste on laptop and vice versa. Between any of my iOS / MacOS devices.

wintermutestwin 3y ago
Dealing with URLs un safari on ios is a nightmare! I’m surprised that sharing tabs to a mac isn’t built in to the ecosystem. Ironically, firefox synch does this just fine
bnchrch 3y ago
This honestly. I know its not for everyone, but if theres any windows/linux/android users out there wondering why the Apple ecosystem is so sticky, this is one of the small but many reasons why.
- hactually 3y ago
  I didn't know that worked on Apple. For me, I click Share > Send to other devices and pick either my desktop or my Pixel depending on which way it's going. Pretty simple.

billconan 3y ago

the chrome browser's history is synced among devices.

john-tells-all 3y ago
I use this constantly! Summary: - open important page* on iPhone, using Chrome (* cat photo) - on Chrome on macOS or Chromebook: three-dots > History > iPhone There are stanzas for each device I use. The links get synced pretty fast but not instantly, sometimes you have to wait 20-30 seconds. The above is also an easy way to share a page on the Chromebook, with someone in an SMS message or WhatsApp using iOS. Just reverse the above process.

ushercakes 3y ago

You can airdrop now if the phone is an iPhone and the laptop is a MacBook of some sort. I also am a sucker for notes, I use the native apple notes, but this probably works for any syncing note client - Just add the link in notes - Open notes on laptop - Link is there

syndicatedjelly 3y ago

Airdrop and shared clipboard in the Apple ecosystem is pretty magical imo.

NoZebra120vClip 3y ago

I use Chrome, Windows 10, Android, ChromeOS I rarely have a use case to go smartphone -> computer. I would have to think up something anew. Perhaps I could use a bookmark for it. Chrome used to offer "Send to My Devices" which was tempting, but never ever worked. Lately, if I want to send from a computer to my smartphone, I'll use Chrome's QR creator and use the phone camera for it. The main reason I want to send a link there is so that I can MMS it to a friend. I don't typically link up my phone to the computer, but when I do, I could just directly use the Messages app instead. Sometimes I want to send a link to work. I usually email it to myself. But I also maintain a shared Drive folder where I could place files or add a link to a Sheet. EDIT: I took a tour of Google Support Forums and took some advice there. I noticed that my Windows session was very "inactive" and so I signed out and back in again to Google. Now I'm receiving all links from "Send to my Device" which should be my preferred way to send back and forth.

duffyjp 3y ago

For the reverse (computer -> phone) I use a browser extension called "The QR Code Extension." Click it and it displays a QR code to the current URL you just point your phone's camera at. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/the-qr-code-extension/oijdcdmnjjgnnhgljmhkjlablaejfeeb https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/the-qr-code-extens...

NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
Chrome has this built in; I don't use an extension. There's a "Share" icon on the right side of the URL bar, with "Copy link", "Send to your devices", "Create QR code", "Cast", and "Save page as...". You create a QR code, it's displayed, along with its URL, and you can "Copy" or "Download" it.

wingerlang 3y ago

AirDrop for instant open. And a 1-click "email myself" shortcut if I want to open it later, or just save it in general.

stonecharioteer 3y ago

I use theJoin app and extension.

huehehue 3y ago

I use email. I'm generally very defensive on any new apps, tooling, extensions, etc. Emailing a link only takes 5 seconds and I don't need to optimize it any further. I also don't use bookmarks, or save anything for later, so maybe I'm just a heathen.

ryzvonusef 3y ago

Telegram has a chat called "saved messages", it creates a private saved chat for you, to which you can forward links, pictures etc I use that, surprisingly handy

preciousoo 3y ago

Chrome tab sync if on non-apple devices, the native mac <-> phone (don't know know the name, handoff?) feature if on apple devices i own, airdrop if the handoff feature isn't working or on devices I don't own. Whatsapp, email or qr code otherwise, whichever is most convenient at the time

BOOSTERHIDROGEN 3y ago

snapdrop https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop https://github.com/RobinLinus/snapdrop

BenjiWiebe 3y ago

KDE Connect. It can share links, files, clipboard, and much more. I use it with both Windows and Linux (from an Android) and I love it.

BorisMelnik 3y ago

Chrome "send to your devices" via: long press > share link > send to devices you can also use "add to reading list/pane" which is a very underused feature

skydhash 3y ago

Due to ergonomics, I just airdrop it to my mac—easier to click a link than to copy it. From mac to iphone, I copy-paste (universal clipboard)

takifugu 3y ago

I've been using Pushbullet[1] for at least 5 years. The Android app has some additional features like "copy to clipboard" when something is received. So useful for transferring tedious-to-type-on-a-phone strings that are not urls https://www.pushbullet.com https://www.pushbullet.com