What happened to Android File Transfer?

Google quietly stopped offering it, with no announcement that we could find: in February 2024 the link to Android File Transfer disappeared from the footer of android.com, by mid-2024 the app's own address was reported to point at Google's Quick Share app for Windows, and today Google's help pages on moving files by cable cover only Windows and Chromebook. As of 25 October 2026 Google has not shipped a Mac replacement, and we found no Google statement explaining the change. Here is the timeline, with what each source actually says, and what it means if you have a Mac and an Android phone.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this article and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 25 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

The timeline

Before 2024: the reference app. Android File Transfer was Google's Mac app for copying files to and from an Android phone over USB. Its importance shows in a document that still exists: the Android 16 Compatibility Definition, which tells phone makers that devices supporting Media Transfer Protocol "SHOULD be compatible with the reference Android MTP host, Android File Transfer." In other words, it was the Mac app that Android's own rules measured against. If you want the plain explanation of the app itself, read what is Android File Transfer.

16 February 2024: the link is hidden. 9to5Google reported that android.com had shown a link to the tool in its footer "for years" and that it had been removed that week. The report said the app was still available through a direct link and through Google Search, and that Google's support pages still linked to it. It also said "the exact reason why is unclear." Google did not comment in the article.

23 July 2024: the page points elsewhere. The Italian Mac site Macitynet reported that the official Android File Transfer page now pointed to Quick Share for Windows, that development of the app would not continue, and that its last update had been in 2018. The article does not quote or link a Google statement, so treat the "development has ended" part as the site's reporting, not Google's words.

20 November 2025: a wireless route for some phones. Google announced that Quick Share would work with AirDrop, starting with the Pixel 10 family. This is not a replacement for Android File Transfer, but Google's help page now lists a macOS device as a receiver, so a supported phone can send to a Mac with nothing extra installed on the Mac.

23 March 2026: Samsung joins. Samsung announced AirDrop support in Quick Share, starting with the Galaxy S26 series and rolling out from that date.

12 May 2026: wider support promised. Google said it would bring AirDrop compatibility to more partners "this year", and that any Android phone could use a Quick Share QR code to share with Apple devices through the cloud.

25 October 2026: where it stands. We checked Google's pages today:

• The app's old address, android.com/filetransfer, opens the Quick Share for Windows page. That page offers a Windows installer for "a 64-bit version of Windows 10 and up" and no Mac download.
• Google's help article Transfer files between your computer and Android device lists a Google Account, a USB cable, and Quick Share for Windows. The cable steps are for a Windows computer and a Chromebook. The Mac is not mentioned.
• The address of Google's old Nexus help article for Mac transfers now redirects to that same general article.
• The Android 16 Compatibility Definition still names Android File Transfer as the reference host.

Did Google discontinue Android File Transfer?

Not in so many words. We found no notice from Google that says the app is discontinued, and we will not invent one. What Google's own pages show is narrower and still clear: Google no longer offers the app or documents it for the Mac. In practice that comes to the same thing for most readers. No new version is coming, and if a future macOS release breaks your copy, nobody at Google will fix it.

Did Google replace it with Quick Share for Mac?

No. In February 2024, 9to5Google speculated that Quick Share "could be getting a release on macOS." As of 25 October 2026 that has not happened. Google's Quick Share app for computers is for Windows, and Google's Quick Share help says Quick Share is available on "Android 6+ devices, Chromebooks, and on select Windows PCs." The Mac gets the AirDrop route instead, and only from phones on Google's list. Which phones those are is covered in AirDrop from Android to a Mac.

What should a Mac owner use now?

That depends on what you used Android File Transfer for.

• You liked the cable. OpenMTP is a free, open-source Mac app that does the same job over USB. Its GitHub page lists macOS 10.14 or later, with Apple silicon and Intel builds, and version 3.3.0 came out on 22 August 2026. See how to use OpenMTP.
• Your phone is on Google's AirDrop list. Use Quick Share and pick the Mac. Nothing to install.
• Any phone, no cable. NearDrop and LocalSend are free and send over your Wi-Fi. See NearDrop or LocalSend.
• Files plus everything else. The Relay is an Android app and a Mac app that browse the phone's storage from a Mac window and move files both ways over your own network, alongside clipboard sync, notifications, texts and login codes, calls, and the phone as a webcam. It does not work over USB. It is one subscription through Google Play that covers your phone and your Mac, with a 7-day free trial. If files are all you need, the free tools above are enough.

The side-by-side comparison is in Android File Transfer alternatives for Mac.

Questions people ask

When did Android File Transfer stop being available?

There is no single date. 9to5Google reported on 16 February 2024 that the android.com footer link had been removed, and Macitynet reported on 23 July 2024 that the app's page pointed to Quick Share for Windows. By 25 October 2026 no Google page offered it.

Why did Google remove Android File Transfer?

Google has not said. 9to5Google wrote in 2024 that the reason was unclear, and we found no later Google statement. Anything more specific you read is a guess.

Can I still use Android File Transfer if it is already on my Mac?

If it still opens and works, yes. It is simply unsupported: Google no longer documents it, and no update is coming. If it stops connecting, see Android File Transfer not working on a Mac.

Is Quick Share the new Android File Transfer?

Only on Windows. Google's Quick Share app for computers is a Windows app. On a Mac, Quick Share works through AirDrop on supported phones, with no Mac app from Google.