Android and Mac, tested.

Comparison · 4 min readSideMount vs MacDroidTwo apps that mount an Android phone in Finder: modes, prices, macOS versions, and who should pick which. Comparison · 4 min readSideMount vs OpenMTPA free two-pane MTP app against a paid Finder volume: what each does well, and who should pick which.

Guide · 6 min readadb or MTP: two ways to move files over the same cableWhat adb and MTP each need on the phone, what each can do, how safe USB debugging is, and which one to use when. Guide · 6 min readAndroid File Transfer and the 4 GB wallWhy Android File Transfer stops at 4 GB, how FAT32 SD cards add their own limit, and the tools that copy big files. Guide · 6 min readCan an Android phone be an external drive for your Mac?Why an Android phone stopped showing up as a USB drive, the ways to put one in Finder today, and the limits to expect. Guide · 6 min readUsing your Android phone's SD card on a MacReading and writing an Android SD card on a Mac, in a card reader or through the phone, and what to do with an adopted card. Guide · 6 min readMoving files from Android to a Mac without a cableEvery way to move files from Android to a Mac without a cable in 2026, compared, with an honest word on Wi-Fi speed. Guide · 6 min readHow to back up an Android phone to your MacWhat Google's backup misses, which phone folders to copy to your Mac, and how to repeat the copy without starting over. Guide · 5 min readThe best Android file transfer apps for Mac in 2026Finder mounts, MTP apps, Image Capture, AirDrop with Quick Share, LocalSend and the cloud, compared honestly. Guide · 7 min readHow to copy your music library from a Mac to an Android phoneWhere the Music app keeps your songs, which ones an Android phone can play, and how to bring your playlists across. Guide · 7 min read"Could not connect to device": fixing the Android File Transfer errorWhy Android File Transfer says "Could not connect to device" on a Mac, and the fixes to try in order. Guide · 4 min readThe ._ files on your Android phone, and how to stop themWhat the ._ twins a Mac leaves on phones and SD cards are, how to delete them, and how to stop them coming back. Guide · 6 min readFSKit: how apps add file systems to macOSApple's framework for file systems made by apps: what it replaces, what macOS 26 added, and the switch in System Settings. Guide · 5 min readHEIC photos and HEVC video from Android, on a MacMacs open HEIC photos and HEVC video from Android phones as they are. How to convert them to JPEG, and when to switch the phone back. Guide · 7 min readMTP, the protocol behind File Transfer mode, explainedWhat MTP is, how it works, and why a Mac has never been able to mount an Android phone over it by itself. Guide · 7 min readUsing rsync with an Android phone and a MacThe rsync commands for copying photos off an Android phone and keeping music on it in step, and the flags to avoid. Guide · 6 min readHow to transfer files from a Mac to an Android phoneAPKs, documents, films, music and ebooks: which folder each goes in on the phone, and the cable and Wi-Fi ways to get it there. Guide · 6 min readHow to get photos from a Google Pixel onto a MacGoogle Photos backup, Image Capture, the cable and AirDrop: moving Pixel photos to a Mac, and why Ultra HDR shots can look flatter there. Guide · 6 min readHow to get photos from a Samsung Galaxy onto a MacCable, Google Photos, OneDrive and Quick Share to AirDrop: every way to move Galaxy photos to a Mac, and the HEIF settings to check. Guide · 6 min readHow to move big videos from Android to a Mac, at full quality4K, 8K and slow motion clips from Android to a Mac: why chat apps and the cloud shrink them, the 4 GB trap, and how to check the copy. Guide · 6 min readDoes your USB-C cable carry data, and how fast?How to tell whether a USB-C cable carries data, read its speed on a Mac, and know what to expect from USB 2 and USB 3. Guide · 6 min readHow to get WhatsApp photos, videos and voice notes from Android to a MacWhere WhatsApp keeps media on Android 11 and later, why some apps cannot see the folder, and how to copy all of it to a Mac. Guide · 6 min readPairing Android's wireless debugging with a MacHow to pair an Android phone's wireless debugging with a Mac, with adb or an app, and what to do when pairing fails. Guide · 2 min readAndroid File TransferGoogle no longer offers Android File Transfer for Mac. SideMount mounts the phone in Finder as a real drive instead, so every app can open its files. Guide · 3 min readAndroid to MacEvery way to move photos, videos and files between an Android phone and a Mac, over a cable, over Wi-Fi or through the cloud, and which one suits what. Guide · 2 min readUSB debuggingThe steps to switch on Developer options and USB debugging on Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO, OnePlus and Motorola phones, and what it does. Guide · 3 min readPhone not showing upYour Android phone does not appear on your Mac. The usual causes, from a cable that only charges to a missed Allow prompt, and how to fix each one.