Android notifications on Mac: how to get, show, and receive them

macOS has no built-in way to show an Android phone's notifications. Apple's version of the feature works with an iPhone only. To receive Android notifications on a Mac you install a companion app on both devices and give the phone app a permission called notification access. KDE Connect does this for free, AirDroid does it through an account, and The Relay does it as part of a paid app built only for Android and a Mac. If you only care about one or two apps, their web versions may be all you need.

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.

Why does a Mac not show Android notifications by itself?

Because both companies built the feature for their own pairings. Apple's iPhone Mirroring page says you can "interact with your iPhone and its apps and notifications from your Mac", and it requires an iPhone and a Mac signed in to the same Apple Account. Microsoft's Phone Link lets you "manage your Android device's notifications right on your PC", and it requires Windows 10 or Windows 11. Neither covers an Android phone next to a MacBook. See Phone Link for Mac for the full comparison.

What is notification access, and why does every app ask for it?

On Android, one app cannot normally see another app's notifications. The exception is a system feature that Android's developer documentation calls a notification listener. Google describes it as a service that "allows your app to receive information about new notifications as they are posted by the system". Every app that mirrors notifications to a computer is built on it. On the phone it shows up as a switch per app, on a settings screen that Android's open-source documentation calls Notification Access settings. The menu path differs between Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, and other makers, so search Settings for "notification access".

Two things follow from that.

It is a broad permission. An app with notification access sees what your notifications say: message previews, sender names, delivery updates, and login codes. Grant it only to an app you are prepared to trust with that, and read where the app sends the data. That is the real difference between the tools below.

Android 15 hides some content. Google's Android 15 behaviour changes say Android stops untrusted notification listener apps "from reading unredacted content from notifications where an OTP has been detected", with an exemption for trusted apps such as companion device manager associations. An OTP is a one-time password, the code a bank texts you. KDE Connect's wiki describes the visible effect: on Android 15 or later it "will show something like 'Sensitive notification content hidden' instead of the real content", unless the app is granted an extra permission through a developer command. If login codes are what you want on the Mac, test that case first with whichever app you choose.

If a permission switch is greyed out on Android 13 or later, read Google's page on restricted settings. It explains that some settings "can't be changed unless you allow restricted settings", and how to allow them from the app's page in Settings.

What are the options for Android notifications on macOS?

KDE Connect

KDE Connect is the free answer, and it deserves first look. Its home page lists phone notifications, replying to text messages from the computer, and sharing files and links, and calls itself "Open Source. Free to use. For any purpose. Forever." Its download page says "A stable release of KDE Connect for macOS is available to download", and that it can also be installed with Homebrew using brew install --cask kde-connect. The Android app is on Google Play and F-Droid.

The setup, in outline:

1. Install KDE Connect on the Mac from the download page, and on the phone from Google Play or F-Droid.
2. Put both devices on the same network and open both apps. The wiki says devices need to be on the same network and that KDE Connect uses ports 1714 to 1764, which matters if your Mac's firewall or your router blocks them.
3. Pair the devices from either app and accept on the other.
4. On the phone, turn on notification sync and grant notification access when the app asks.

KDE's pages say little about macOS specifically, so treat the Mac version as something to try for an afternoon before you rely on it. We go through it in KDE Connect on a Mac.

AirDroid

AirDroid Personal lists a desktop client for "macOS 10.11 and higher" and an Android app for Android 8 or higher. Its setup steps include "Sign up and log in to the same account on PC/web and mobile to complete the connection". The advantage of the account is reach: its pricing page lists both local and remote network use, so it is not limited to one Wi-Fi network. The same page lists a free plan with limits on remote data and a paid plan at $3.99 a month or $29.99 a year, as of 1 October 2026. Check the feature table there to see which plan includes the features you want.

Pushbullet

Pushbullet's API documentation describes mirrored notifications from Android devices and a copy and paste feature. Its help centre links to Android and iPhone apps and talks about Chrome appearing in your device list, which points to a browser extension on the computer. We did not find a Mac app named in either place, so check Pushbullet's own apps page before you plan around it. More in Pushbullet alternatives for Mac.

Web versions of the apps you care about

If "notifications" really means texts and one chat app, you may not need a mirroring tool. Google Messages for web shows your texts in a browser, and Google says the browser tab "will show a red notification and the number of unread messages". WhatsApp's download page offers desktop apps and says "Use WhatsApp on your browser". These need no notification access at all, because each service delivers its own messages to the Mac. They cover nothing else on the phone.

When is a paid app worth it?

The Relay shows the phone's notifications as Mac notifications, so they arrive where the rest of your Mac's alerts do. It is installed on both devices and paired by scanning a QR code shown on the Mac. Your notifications travel directly between your phone and your Mac over your local network, and are not uploaded to The Relay's servers. The privacy policy has the detail. The same app syncs the clipboard, moves files, shows incoming texts and copies login codes, shows incoming calls, hands links across, and turns the phone into a webcam. It costs $19.99, paid once, and needs Android 8.0 or later and macOS 13 Ventura or later. You get it from the download page.

When it is not the right tool:

• You want it free. Use KDE Connect.
• Your phone is somewhere else. The Relay needs both devices on the same network or within Bluetooth range. A tool with a cloud account, such as AirDroid, reaches a phone left at home.
• You want to type replies to texts. The Relay shows incoming texts. Google Messages for web sends them.

Questions people ask

Can I get Android notifications on a Mac without installing anything?

Only for individual services that have a website, such as Google Messages for web or WhatsApp in a browser. For the phone's notifications as a whole, something has to run on the phone with notification access and something has to run on the Mac to display them.

Is it safe to give an app notification access?

It lets the app read the content of your notifications, so the question is who makes the app and where it sends that content. Prefer apps that keep the data between your own devices or that explain their servers clearly. You can switch notification access off again for any app in the phone's Settings.

Why do my login codes show as hidden on the Mac?

On Android 15 or later, Android redacts notifications in which it detects a one-time password before passing them to untrusted notification listener apps. KDE Connect documents this as "Sensitive notification content hidden". See SMS verification codes from Android on a Mac for the routes that deal with codes directly.

Do the phone and the Mac need to be on the same Wi-Fi?

For KDE Connect, yes, according to its wiki. For The Relay, yes, or within Bluetooth range. AirDroid lists remote network access, which works through its account when the devices are on different networks.

Does a Samsung Galaxy or a Pixel work differently?

The mechanism is the same on both, because notification access is part of Android. What differs is the name and place of the setting. Search Settings for "notification access" and switch it on for the app you chose.