Getting pictures from one device to another can be surprisingly cumbersome at times. On a typical day, I’m sending upwards of 20 pictures to myself that need to be edited, uploaded, and swapped around in articles, and for other types of posts. Originally, I went through and set up a private Discord server so I could just transfer these pictures from my phone to my PC more easily. But after seeing the amount of compression these pictures went through, I wanted to find a better way to make this happen.
PairDrop is open-source, encrypted, and doesn’t compress my pictures the same way that Discord does. I’m able to transfer pictures quicker, faster, and better, and all I need is a spare browser window and no extra apps.
Completely universal with anything
If you can access a browser, you can share files from it
While I’ve been on Android for a hot minute at this point, one of the best parts of being on the Apple ecosystem was AirDrop. Transferring files between devices was incredibly simple, and PairDrop is very much inspired by this iOS feature. As long as my devices are on the same network, I just need to visit the web page, and I’ll see whatever devices I want to transfer to. Transferring something from my PC to my phone, or vice versa, is as simple as dragging and dropping a file and accepting the transfer. Plus, unlike LocalSend, I don’t need to install an app on either device. I can just access the PairDrop web page and transfer from there. If you’d rather have an app, PairDrop does have an official Android app, as well as a PWA for desktops.
From there, the page takes care of everything else that I need. Photos, videos, files, or anything else can be transferred in what feels like an instant, and you’ll receive the uncompressed file. Seeing as it uses P2P connection, my photos and videos will stay the exact size that I want them to, so I don’t need to worry about a photo suddenly looking grainy and nasty when I start editing it.
P2P and WebRTC for security
You don’t need to fret about your pictures being stored somewhere else
One of the biggest benefits of using something like PairDrop over a private Discord is the direct P2P nature of the file transfer. While using Discord was a quick, simple way to transfer photos and videos, each shared file is assigned a specific, Discord-centric URL that anyone lucky enough to guess can access. Seeing as Discord is currently under fire for age-verification issues, and they’re not exactly safe from data breaches, P2P would be the best way to ensure your photos are yours and only yours. You can also set up a personalized Docker instance so you can have complete control over everything and anything sent.
P2P allows for direct bit-for-bit transfers, so nothing is lost during transmission, and all the metadata from the original picture is retained. Plus, if you’re sending a ton of pictures or videos, it’ll typically compress them into a ZIP file, but once unzipped, you’ll have full resolution everything once again. There are no additional “Discordisms” that are added to my pictures, and they actually stay the correct size instead of being compressed. Plus, PairDrop doesn’t technically impose any form of file-size limits, so you can upload whatever you need as long as your hardware can support it.
Permanent device pairing
Send to and from, even if you’re on mobile data
One of the nicest things about PairDrop is the ability to pair your favorite devices together permanently, so you can send and receive files regardless of where you are. No matter what, you’ll need to have an internet connection between your host and receiving devices, but even if you’re trying to send something to your PC from your phone, and you’re on mobile data, you can still make it happen. If I were to pair my wife’s phone to my PairDrop page, and she wasn’t at home, I could quickly message her and let her know I need to send something her way, and she can receive whatever file I need.
Or, if I worked in an office setting and I didn’t have access to the Wi-Fi network there. I could easily pair these two devices together and send files from an office computer to my mobile phone or my home computer. For a program that doesn’t have a sign-in or account setting, there are a surprising number of things that you can do with it. Every time you plan to add a new device, you’ll receive a new code or new QR code to scan, so you don’t need to fret about someone trying to access your PairDrop page without your permission.
Broken connections sour the fun
If your browser likes to hibernate tabs, PairDrop can be kind of frustrating
As someone who uses Microsoft Edge regularly, Hibernating Tabs is a great feature. It puts tabs to “sleep” in the background, so that my CPU and RAM aren’t being hogged up by the sheer number of tabs that I currently have open. But when it comes to something like PairDrop, I’ll want to ensure that I’ve got that tab up and running at all times; otherwise, my connection could drop. If I’m planning on transferring a large file, like a video clip or something like that, a broken connection could mean plenty of wasted time.
The same can be said about mobile devices. If I have my screen set to turn off after a specific amount of time, it can also break the connection and stop the transfer. Programs like LocalSend, on the other hand, can continue to transfer files even if you turn the screen off on your Android device. iOS can be tricky regardless of the program you’re using, so keep that in mind if you plan on sending any files over. With PairDrop using WebKit on Apple devices, it may work best on Safari if you’re in the Apple Ecosystem. If push comes to shove, you can always install it as a Progressive Web App, or PWA, so you can ensure it never goes into sleep mode.
- OS
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Windows, macOS, Android, Linux, iOS
- Developer
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schlagmichdoch
- Individual Pricing
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Free
- Mobile App
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Yes
PairDrop makes my day easier
Just keep it running on another screen, and you’re set
As someone who is constantly swapping files between their phone and PC, PairDrop feels like a miracle program. Rather than needing to hop between multiple programs just to transfer a few pictures over, I can keep this tab running on a separate monitor to ensure that the connection isn’t broken, and get my hands on plenty of pictures I can use here, or share on social media, or anything in between.
Even with its little quirks, I can’t see myself not using PairDrop anytime soon. It’s made my daily life much easier, more secure, and most importantly, quicker and more efficient. Plus, not having to pay extra to transfer large files is an immediate plus.
