Android File Transfer
Android File Transfer is a free file manager utility from Google that lets Mac users browse and transfer files, photos, videos and other content between an Android device and a Mac computer over USB using the MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) standard. It provides direct access to Android internal storage and SD cards without requiring cloud services or special drivers. The app is simple to use: connect an Android phone or tablet via USB, authorise the transfer on the device, and drag files between the Finder and the Android File Transfer window. It has been Google's official solution for this task since the early 2010s and works with any Android device regardless of manufacturer.
AI Recommendation
1 suggestionGoogle's Android File Transfer app is Intel-only and has not received a native Apple Silicon build. The doesitarm.com database confirms that even the latest version (1.0.12) is compiled for x86-64 architecture only and runs on Apple Silicon Macs via Rosetta 2 emulation. Since Apple is removing Rosetta 2 in macOS 28 (September 2028), this app will stop working entirely on that release. The search results show that Google has effectively abandoned development of this tool — there have been only a handful of releases over more than a decade and no new versions since 2023. Rather than wait for a native build that is unlikely to materialise, move to DroidMac, a modern actively maintained native replacement that supports both USB (MTP) and Wi-Fi file transfers with drag-and-drop, real-time progress tracking, and full file management features. DroidMac is free, notarised by Apple, confirmed to run natively on Apple Silicon Macs, and requires a free Android companion app on your phone. Alternatively, OpenMTP is another free open-source option with confirmed arm64 support.
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