5 Open Source Apps You Can use for Seamless File Transfer Between Linux and Android
Want to share selected files between your Android smartphone and Linux computer? Explore these open source tools.
It's worth noting that KDE Connect works on more desktops than just KDE Plasma. It also supports Linux, Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS, and probably other operating systems, and can do more than just transfer files.
Using the phone as a touchpad has come in handy on a few occasions for me. Also just niceties like having your music on the PC pause automatically if you receive a call.
It should further be pointed out that it's not even required that one end is a phone. You can connect your laptop to your desktop and share content between them just as easily.
On Linux, you have to be running Gnome or KDE. There is a headless option called mconnect, but (a) it's essentially unmaintained, (b) it's written in Vala, a niche¹ language, (c) either KDE Connect or mconnect can't maintain an association - leaving the LAN and returning always forces a re-authentication.
It's promising, and nice when it works, but the supported linux daemons are - sadly - tightly coupled to two DEs, making it useless for headless and the large number of people running neither KDE or Gnome.
Device Connect, OTOH, works flawlessly, remembers device authorization, and the Linux server is completely headless. It uses standard tooling for desktop integration tasks, like opening links. It lacks many of KDE connect's features, such as using the phone as a touchpad and media control (the latter would be easy to support through MPRIS2, but media control could also be a separate app; it's kitchen-sinking, so I understand leaving it out).
postfix someone wrote another headless (and, hopefully, KDE services-less) connect server, called konnect. It's Python, but that's still better than Vala.
On Linux, you have to be running Gnome or KDE.
I've used it without those issues on cinnamon, xfce, and a variety of of tiling WMs. It fails to connect sometimes, but that happens on KDE as well, and I most certainly didn't need to reauth every time I connect to the network. So idk what you're talking about.
Local Send is all you need.
I second this.
Tried to export my iPhone’s gallery yesterday but I just couldn’t for the life of me get all the media exported be it using Windows or Linux.
The only method that worked was just transferring using LocalSend (took 4 hours)
Apple is holding your photos hostage.
In termux (base python module):
bash
python -m http.server 8080
In linux desktop browser:
a
http://192.168.100.1:8080/ # your ip in `ifconfig` and port
or vice versa.
I've been using SMB from the Linux side of the things and File Manager+ from the Android side. Both are things I'd already have even without that:
I might try some of those out though. Packet in special looks promising.
This is exactly what I do too.
I also like the cloud integration in File Manager Plus and will often use that instead of the respective cloud's official app.
Good options. Croc is also useful for remote send to a random person. Pick your target file, it generates a three word code for the relay, end receiver types in three word code, the relay matches you up for a peer to peer transmission.
rsync -avrs --progress src dst Cool. What's the destination of my phone on the desk?
This is the best way I know for sure. I put my phone to charge then rsync from my backup computer.
Out of the options they provided, I haven't used packet or gsconnect, but the others I have had many problems with. I'm convinced my ISP absolutely hates these programs because I've pretty much never had any luck with using them to send stuff to and from my phone.
Hell, I consider it a miracle that I can even connect my laptop and desktop using Synchthing. Though that's the one I have had the most success with in the past, so I'm not that surprised.
Don't know about the others, but KDE connect has absolutely nothing to do with your ISP. It's using WiFi for wlan, not to connect to the internet.
I suspect you may need to allow local ports on your machine for some of these to function as expected.
Probably. I'm not an expert in this type of stuff, but I'll definitely look into that.
For your personal use KDE Connetc might be best. But for "hey can you send me this" https://pairdrop.net/ is just magic. 0 setup and works on all devices with a browser.