NearDrop icon
NearDrop icon

NearDrop

NearDrop is a partial implementation of Google's Nearby Share for macOS. The app lives in your menu bar and saves files to your downloads folder. It's that simple, really.

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  • Mac
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  1.  Nearby Search
  2.  File Sending

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AlternativeTo Categories

File Sharing, Travel & Location

GitHub repository

  •  6,286 Stars
  •  242 Forks
  •  91 Open Issues
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NearDrop was added to AlternativeTo by Mauricio B. Holguin on and this page was last updated .

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What is NearDrop?

NearDrop is a partial implementation of Google's Nearby Share for macOS. The app lives in your menu bar and saves files to your downloads folder. It's that simple, really.

Limitations:

  • Receive only. For now. I haven't yet figured out how to make Android turn on the MDNS service and/or show the "a device nearby is sharing" notification.
  • Wi-Fi LAN only. Your Android device and your Mac need to be on the same network for this app to work. Google's implementation supports multiple mediums, including Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth, some kind of 5G peer-to-peer connection, and even a WebRTC-based protocol that goes over the internet through Google servers. Wi-Fi direct isn't supported on macOS (Apple has their own, incompatible, AWDL thing, used in AirDrop). Bluetooth needs further reverse engineering.
  • Visible to everyone on your network at all times while the app is running. Limited visibility (contacts etc) requires talking to Google servers, and becoming temporarily visible requires listening for whatever triggers the "device nearby is sharing" notification.

Installation

  • Download the latest build from the releases section, unzip, move to your applications folder. When running for the first time, right-click the app and select "Open", then confirm running an app from unidentified developer.
  • If you want the app to start on boot, add it manually to login objects in System Preferences.