Android File Transfer on Mac with Apple silicon: does it still work?

Nobody can give you an official answer, because Google no longer publishes anything about Android File Transfer: no download, no system requirements, no list of supported macOS versions. What you can do is check your own copy in ten seconds. Select the app in Finder and press Command-I. If the Kind line says Application (Intel), it runs on an Apple silicon Mac only through Apple's Rosetta translator, and Apple says Rosetta ends for apps like this with macOS 28. The tools that replaced it, OpenMTP, MacDroid, and KDE Connect, all publish Apple silicon builds today.

Publisher note: The Relay publishes this guide and is one of the products discussed. Details about other products come from each maker's own pages, checked on 1 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

What does Google say about Android File Transfer on M-series Macs?

Nothing, as of 1 October 2026. The old download address, android.com/filetransfer, redirects to a Quick Share page for Windows. Google's help article on moving files by USB covers Windows and Chromebook and does not mention a Mac. With no product page, there is no statement from Google about Apple silicon, macOS Sequoia, macOS Tahoe, or macOS 27 Golden Gate.

We have not tested the app and will not guess. The useful questions are two you can answer yourself: what kind of app is your copy, and what does Apple do with that kind of app.

If you do not have the app and came here to find it, read where the Android File Transfer download went first.

How do I check whether my copy is an Intel app?

These are Apple's steps from its page on using Intel-based apps on a Mac with Apple silicon.

1. Open the Applications folder in Finder and select Android File Transfer.
2. Choose File, then Get Info, or press Command-I.
3. Find the line that starts with Kind.

We are deliberately not telling you which line you will see. Google publishes no build information to cite, and the copy on your Mac is the only one that matters.

What happens to Intel apps on Apple silicon?

They run through Rosetta, for now. Apple's page says "Rosetta works in the background to automatically translate your Intel-based apps for use with Apple silicon." The first time you open an Intel app, macOS may offer to install Rosetta; you click Install and enter your password.

The same page sets an end date in terms of macOS versions:

• "Rosetta is available for any Mac with Apple silicon using macOS 27 or earlier."
• "Starting with macOS 28, the next major macOS release, Rosetta functionality will be available only for certain older, unmaintained games that rely on Intel-based frameworks."

Apple also says that when you open an Intel-based app you might be notified that support is ending, and that the app will not work with a future release of macOS, which it names as macOS 28.

Put those together. If your copy of Android File Transfer is an Intel app, then on macOS Sequoia, macOS Tahoe, and macOS 27 Golden Gate it depends on Rosetta, and by Apple's stated plan it stops being runnable on macOS 28. A file-transfer utility is not an "older, unmaintained game", so the exception does not help. Apple's advice for every Intel app is the same: replace it with a Universal or Apple silicon version. For this app no such version is on offer, because Google no longer offers the app at all.

That is a deadline, and it is separate from the everyday connection failures people already see. Those have other causes, covered in Android File Transfer not working on Mac.

Which current tools state Apple silicon support?

Each row below is taken from the maker's own page.

OpenMTP is the closest thing to a direct successor, and its release history shows it tracking current macOS. Its releases page lists version 3.3.0, published on 22 August 2026, with one fix in the notes: "Fixed a crash on launch on macOS 27 Golden Gate (arm64)." Its site tells you how to pick the right download: open the Apple menu, choose About This Mac, and read the Chip or Processor line. A chip starting with Apple M means the Apple silicon build. If your Mac is an Intel Mac, the same release includes an x64 disk image, and the site says releases keep coming for both Intel and Apple silicon. Setup is in how to use OpenMTP.

MacDroid is the commercial option. Its home page showed version 2.10.1206, dated 30 June 2026, when we checked. Its distinguishing feature is that the phone appears as a disk in Finder, which we cover in mounting an Android phone as a drive. The free version copies from the phone to the Mac only.

KDE Connect is a different kind of tool: wireless, with file sharing as one feature among several. Its stable build is for Apple silicon; Intel Mac owners are pointed at untested nightlies. See KDE Connect on a Mac.

If you want the two cable tools side by side, read MacDroid vs OpenMTP.

Where does The Relay fit?

The Relay is not an Android File Transfer clone, so judge it on whether its approach suits you. It is wireless: you install it on the phone and the Mac, pair by scanning a QR code shown on the Mac, and browse the phone's storage from a window on the Mac, dragging files either way over your local network. The app sets no file-size limit. It also syncs the clipboard, shows incoming texts and login codes, notifications, and calls. It needs macOS 13 Ventura or later and Android 8.0 or later, and costs $19.99, paid once. Check the download page for the current requirements for your Mac.

It is the wrong choice if you want a cable. The Relay has no USB mode, and both devices must be on the same network or in Bluetooth range. For a wired transfer on an M-series Mac, install OpenMTP and follow Android to Mac file transfer via USB.

Questions people ask

Does Android File Transfer work on M1, M2, M3, or M4 Macs?

Google publishes no compatibility information, so there is no official answer. Check the Kind line in the app's Get Info window. If it says Application (Intel), the app relies on Rosetta, which Apple says is available on Apple silicon Macs using macOS 27 or earlier.

Does Android File Transfer work on macOS Tahoe or Sequoia?

We cannot confirm it either way from a maker's page, and we have not tested it. Apple's Rosetta page covers those releases for Intel apps in general. Whether this particular app connects to your phone is something you find out by trying, and if it fails, a maintained tool is the fix.

Will Android File Transfer stop working?

If your copy is an Intel app, Apple's stated plan means it cannot run from macOS 28, when Rosetta is limited to certain older games. Since Google no longer offers or updates the app, plan on replacing it before then.