A designer with an Android phone and a Mac: screenshots, references, and test links

Designers on a Mac who use an Android phone spend the day moving small things between two screens: a screenshot of a layout on a real device, a photo of a sign or a material, a link to a prototype. Every one of these has a free route, and for photos and screenshots on a recent phone the free route is quick. The gaps are the small, constant moves: a link you want open on the other device, a screenshot you want pasted straight into a board. This guide walks through a working day and says where each tool earns its place.

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 26 October 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.

What does the day look like?

The Mac holds the design file, a browser with reference tabs, and a chat window. The phone is the real device: the one you check type size and contrast on, and the one that takes the reference photos. You do not need a rule for any of this. You need to know which route to reach for at each step.

Morning: a prototype link has to open on the phone

Free route. Chrome's Send to your devices sends the open tab to another device. Google's page lists one requirement: sign in to Chrome with the same Google Account on both. It describes the page opening in Chrome on the phone. Its page is written for a computer and does not say outright that sending from a Mac to an Android phone works, so try it once before relying on it.

With The Relay. Share a page from the phone and it opens in the Mac's default browser, and the other way round. If your Mac browser is Safari, that is the difference. See link handoff and test links on Android from a Mac.

Midday: a screenshot from the phone needs to land in the file

Free route. Google's Quick Share help says that phones such as the Pixel 8a and later, and certain Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo, Xiaomi, Honor, Transsion, and Motorola models, can send to a Mac through AirDrop. The Mac must be set to "Everyone for 10 minutes", then you tap Share, then Quick Share, pick the Mac, and accept. If your phone is not on that list, NearDrop is a free Mac menu-bar app for Quick Share that saves received files to Downloads. Its page says both devices must be on the same network, and that some public networks such as coffee shops or hotels may block local device communication.

With The Relay. Copy the screenshot on the phone and paste it on the Mac, where Command-V drops it into your file. Clipboard sync covers images as well as text. Copying means no file lands in Downloads to clean up later. See clipboard sync.

Afternoon: a stack of reference photos

For a handful, Quick Share is fine. For a whole shoot or a big folder of originals, a cable is the sturdier answer. Google's USB help covers Windows and Chromebook, so a Mac needs a helper such as OpenMTP. The steps are in Android to Mac file transfer via USB. The Relay can browse the phone's storage from a window on the Mac and drag files either way over your network, with no file-size limit set by the app. It has no USB mode.

Late: a client rings while you are in the file

The phone rings face down on the desk. The Relay shows an incoming call on the Mac, where you can accept or decline, and shows other phone notifications as Mac notifications. Free options are thinner: KDE Connect lists notification sync and notifications for incoming calls. See Android calls on a Mac.

Which route for which job?

Where does The Relay fit?

If you move one screenshot a day, Quick Share is enough and costs nothing. The Relay is for designers who move small things all day and want them to arrive where they are working. It does not mirror the phone's screen, so for that use scrcpy, which is free. It needs an Android 8.0 or later phone and macOS 13 Ventura or later, and both on the same network or in Bluetooth range. The Relay is one subscription through Google Play that covers your phone and your Mac, with a 7-day free trial at /download.

Questions people ask

How do I get a phone screenshot into Figma or Sketch on a Mac?

Send it to the Mac by Quick Share or NearDrop, then drag the file in. With The Relay you copy the screenshot on the phone and paste it into the file.

Does the phone's screen quality change when I send a photo?

Sending by Quick Share to AirDrop is a direct peer-to-peer share per Google. We have not measured any quality difference, so compare a file's size on both sides yourself.

Can I see my phone's screen on the Mac to check a design?

Yes, with scrcpy. See mirror an Android phone to a Mac.