Between devices
A Snapdrop or PairDrop alternative that works across networks
How Snapdrop, PairDrop and LocalSend share files on a local network, and when a server-relayed browser session works better across different networks.
Snapdrop, PairDrop and LocalSend made it easy to drop a file onto the device next to you without an account. They are built around the local network. When your phone is on mobile data, or office Wi-Fi keeps devices apart, a short session relayed through a server can be the simpler route. Here is how each approach works and what each one gives up.
How Snapdrop and PairDrop work
Snapdrop’s README describes it as local file sharing in your browser, inspired by Apple’s AirDrop, and lists WebRTC and WebSockets among its technologies. WebRTC is the browser technology that lets two devices exchange data directly.
PairDrop is a fork of Snapdrop that reaches further. Its README says it sends images, documents or text peer to peer to devices on the same local network, then adds two ways past that boundary. Devices paired once with a 6-digit code or a QR code find each other on any network, and temporary public rooms, joined with a 5-letter code or a QR code, connect devices over the internet.
Direct connections are not always possible. When devices outside your local network are behind a NAT, as most home and mobile connections are, PairDrop connects them through its own TURN server, which relays the data between them.
LocalSend: an app for the local network
LocalSend takes a different route. It is a free, open-source app for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS that shares files and messages with nearby devices over your local network. Its README says it needs neither an internet connection nor third-party servers, and that it encrypts transfers with HTTPS.
Because it is an app, both devices need LocalSend installed, and the README notes that a firewall may have to allow it on the local network. In return, your files never pass through anyone else’s server.
Why devices on different networks cannot see each other
Local sharing depends on both devices being on the same network. A phone on mobile data and a laptop on home Wi-Fi are on different networks, so neither appears in the other’s list. Guest Wi-Fi, company networks and VPNs can keep devices apart even in the same room; PairDrop names public Wi-Fi, company networks and VPNs among the environments its pairing and public rooms are meant to handle.
Pairing and public rooms work well when you use PairDrop regularly. For a one-off handoff on someone else’s computer, or when you would rather not think about networks at all, a different model is simpler.
Looking for AirDrop for Windows and Android?
AirDrop is built into iPhone, iPad and Mac; Apple does not make it for Windows or Android. Google’s Quick Share plays a similar role between Android phones, Chromebooks and Windows PCs that have its Quick Share app.
Google also documents two bridges to Apple devices. Pixel 8a or later, and certain Samsung, Oppo, OnePlus, Vivo, Xiaomi, Honor, Transsion and Motorola phones, can send to an iPhone, iPad or Mac through AirDrop when the Apple device is set to Everyone for 10 Minutes. Other Android phones can show a QR code instead: Google says those files are end-to-end encrypted and available on its servers for 24 hours, and that both devices need internet access.
When a server-relayed session fits better
TempGenerator’s Share between devices tool takes the opposite approach to peer-to-peer. Each device uploads to and downloads from our server over an ordinary web connection, so the networks the devices are on do not matter, and neither one needs an app or an account.
You pair with a QR code, a connection link or a 6-character code that works until one device connects, and only one other device can join. Because uploads are stored for the rest of the session, the sender can close the page once an upload finishes, and the other device can still download it later. It is a good fit for situations like these:
- A phone on mobile data and a laptop on office or guest Wi-Fi.
- A borrowed or work computer where you cannot install an app.
- Notes, links, screenshots and documents between your own devices, in either direction.
The trade-offs, stated plainly
A relay you can reach from anywhere has costs. Transfers are stored on our server until the session ends and are not end-to-end encrypted, and anyone holding the connection link can read and send in the session. Do not use it for passwords or confidential documents.
Storing transfers also means limits: 10 MiB per file, 16 KiB per message (longer text is sent as a .txt file), and 25 MiB or 30 transfers per session. A session lasts 15 minutes, and the device that started it can extend it to 60 minutes. When it ends, everything in it is deleted. Choose by situation:
- Same Wi-Fi and large files: LocalSend, or PairDrop on the local network.
- Devices you pair once and reuse anywhere: PairDrop’s paired devices.
- Apple devices only: AirDrop.
- A quick handoff between your own devices on different networks: a short sharing session.
Common questions
Does PairDrop work between different networks?
Yes, through paired devices or temporary public rooms. Its README says devices outside your local network that are behind a NAT are connected through the PairDrop TURN server.
Is the TempGenerator sharing tool peer-to-peer?
No. Each transfer is uploaded to our server and stored until the session ends, then deleted. That is what lets it work across networks and lets the sender leave early, and it is also why it is not end-to-end encrypted.
Why is there a 10 MiB file limit?
Every file is stored on our server for the session, so files are capped at 10 MiB each and 25 MiB per session. For large videos or whole folders, a local-network tool or a cable is the better fit.
Is there an AirDrop for Windows?
Apple does not make one. Quick Share connects Android phones and Windows PCs, and a browser session works between any two devices with a current browser and an internet connection.
Sources & further reading
Provider requirements can change. Check the official source before relying on a particular feature or offer.