How to send files between iPhone and Android

The quickest way to send a file from an iPhone to an Android phone depends on which Android phone it is. If it is a recent Pixel or one of the supported Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi or other models, Quick Share now works with AirDrop, so you can send between the two directly. For every other Android phone, the reliable options are a local Wi-Fi app like LocalSend, a browser-based transfer, a Google Photos or Drive link, or a cable via a computer. Each method works in both directions, and the right choice mostly comes down to how much you are sending and whether the two phones are in the same room.

Pick a method in 30 seconds

Method 1: Quick Share with AirDrop (supported phones only)

In November 2025 Google made Quick Share interoperable with AirDrop, starting with the Pixel 10. Support has since widened. At the time of writing (October 2026), Google's Pixel help page says:

• Android to Apple via AirDrop works from a Pixel 8a or later and from certain Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo, Xiaomi, Honor, Transsion and Motorola devices.
• Apple to Android via AirDrop (receiving on Android) needs a Pixel 9 or later, excluding the Pixel 9a, or one of those other manufacturers' supported devices.

Not every model from those brands is included, so check for the option on your phone rather than assuming.

iPhone to Android

1. On the iPhone, open Settings > General > AirDrop and choose Everyone for 10 minutes. Interoperability does not work in Contacts Only mode.
2. Make the Android phone discoverable in Quick Share (pull down Quick Settings and open Quick Share, or find it in Settings).
3. On the iPhone, tap Share, then AirDrop, and pick the Android phone.
4. Accept on the Android phone.

Android to iPhone

1. Ask the iPhone owner to set AirDrop to Everyone for 10 minutes.
2. On Android, open the photo or file, tap Share > Quick Share, and pick the iPhone.
3. The iPhone shows a normal AirDrop prompt to accept.

If your Android phone is not supported: the QR code route

Quick Share also has a Use QR code option for sending to Apple devices. The iPhone scans the code and downloads the files through a secure link in its browser. Google lists real limits for this route: both phones need internet access, up to 10 GB every 24 hours, up to 1,000 files per share, files available for 24 hours, and some files arrive as a zip. Google's page also notes that videos received this way can be downloaded but not saved or shared, so it is better suited to photos and documents than to video.

Method 2: LocalSend over the same Wi-Fi

LocalSend is a free, open-source app for iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Linux. It finds other LocalSend devices on the same network and sends files directly across your router, encrypted over HTTPS, with no account and no internet needed. It is the best general answer when the phones are together but Quick Share with AirDrop is not available.

1. Install LocalSend from the App Store and Google Play.
2. Connect both phones to the same Wi-Fi network. Guest networks and some public Wi-Fi isolate devices from each other, which stops them seeing one another; a home network or one phone's hotspot works.
3. Open LocalSend on both. On the sending phone, go to Send, choose files, then tap the other phone in the nearby list.
4. Accept on the receiving phone. Keep both apps open until it finishes.

Because the data never leaves your local network, your internet upload speed does not matter. This is usually the fastest option for a large batch of videos.

Method 3: Browser-to-browser transfer

When the other person is somewhere else but available right now, a browser-based peer-to-peer tool avoids installing anything. With TransferFiles.net, for example, the sender opens the site in Safari or Chrome, picks files, and shares a link or a short code like ABCD-1234. The receiver opens the link and taps Connect. Files go browser to browser over an encrypted WebRTC connection, are not uploaded to cloud storage, and arrive as the original bytes. On iPhone the file lands in the Files app; on Android Chrome it goes to Downloads.

The trade-offs are typical for live transfers. Both people must keep the page open and the screen awake until it finishes, and there is no resume if the connection drops. Mobile browsers also hold the incoming file in memory before saving it, so a transfer of many gigabytes to a phone can fail. For very large videos to a phone, LocalSend or a cable is safer. See sending large files from a phone for the details.

Method 4: Google Photos or Google Drive

Cloud links are the right answer when the recipient will download later, or when you are moving your own library to a new Android phone and want it in Google Photos anyway.

• Google Photos: install it on the iPhone, back up the photos you want, then sign in on the Android phone or share an album link. Choose the backup quality carefully. "Storage saver" recompresses; to keep originals pick the original-quality option, which counts against your storage.
• Google Drive: upload from the Files app or the Drive app on the iPhone, then share a link or open it on Android.

Every Google account includes up to 15 GB of free storage, shared across Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. That fills up quickly with 4K video, and the file still has to upload fully before the other person can start downloading.

Method 5: Cable via a computer

For a full camera roll, the old-fashioned route is still the most predictable. There is no network to drop and you can check every file arrived.

1. Connect the iPhone to a Windows PC or Mac and import the photos and videos (the Photos app on Windows, or Photos or Image Capture on a Mac).
2. Connect the Android phone by USB and choose File transfer when it asks how to use the connection. On Windows it appears in File Explorer. Macs do not support Android's file transfer protocol natively, so you will need a helper app there.
3. Copy the files into the phone's DCIM or Pictures folder.

Keeping full quality: HEIC, HEVC and what actually converts

Since 2017 iPhones have saved photos as HEIF (.heic) and video as HEVC (H.265) by default because they take less space. Apple's support article explains the controls:

• Settings > Camera > Formats: High Efficiency captures HEIF/HEVC; Most Compatible captures JPEG/H.264. This only affects new photos and videos, and the larger files take more space.
• When sharing by AirDrop, Messages or email to a device that does not support the newer formats, iOS "might automatically" share a more compatible version such as JPEG or H.264. Apple does not spell out exactly when this happens with Android receivers, so check one file before sending hundreds.
• Generic transfers, such as LocalSend, a browser transfer or a cable copy with Keep Originals on, send the file exactly as stored. You get the HEIC or HEVC original.

Is HEIC a problem on Android? Usually not. Many current Android phones and Google Photos open HEIC photos and play HEVC video. Where it can bite is older phones, some third-party gallery or editing apps, and websites that only accept JPEG uploads. If the recipient hits that, it is better to convert a copy than to reshoot everything in Most Compatible mode.

Messaging apps are a separate issue: WhatsApp, Telegram and similar apps usually recompress photos and video sent as media. Our guide to sending photos and videos without compression covers the workarounds.

Both directions: a quick reference

Common problems

• The Android phone does not show up in AirDrop. Check the iPhone is set to Everyone for 10 minutes (it reverts after 10 minutes), that the Android phone is in the supported list and up to date, and that Quick Share is open and discoverable.
• LocalSend sees nothing. The phones are probably on different networks or a network that isolates clients. Use a phone hotspot.
• A browser transfer stops halfway. A screen probably locked or the browser went to the background. Raise auto-lock temporarily and keep both pages in front.
• Videos play with odd colours on Android. HDR video recorded on an iPhone may display differently on some Android phones and apps. Try another player, or record in SDR for clips you plan to share widely.

Sources

• Google Pixel Help: Use Quick Share on your Android device
• 9to5Google: Android Quick Share now works with AirDrop, starting on Pixel 10
• Apple Support: Using HEIF or HEVC media on Apple devices
• LocalSend official site
• Google One Help: storage shared across Gmail, Drive and Photos