MacDroid mac app REVIEW | MacSources
Transfer files easily between Mac computers and Android devices.
I’ve always been an Apple girl. My iPhone is a permanent attachment to my hand and my MacBook Pro is never far away. That said, I like to joke that I’m cross-platform compatible. I do use a Windows machine for work and access Google regularly from a Chromebook and an Android phone. So, I’m familiar with other operating systems. I just typically prefer Apple’s ecosystem. That said, I do really like Google’s digital products and accessing them from an Android phone is much nicer than from my iPhone. With that in mind, I keep my trusty Sony Xperia handy. One of the biggest complaints I have though is getting files from my Android phone to my MacBook Pro. With an iPhone, it’s as easy as using AirDrop. But, with the Sony Xperia, I have to jump through a few hoops to even get a photo from the phone. That’s why I really like having MacDroid for Mac available.
DETAILS & SPECS
MacDroid is a Mac app that allows users to transfer files between a Mac computer and Android device simply by connecting them through a USB cable. The app is a utility app that operates on all Mac computers running macOS 10.10 or newer. It’s compatible with all Android and MTP devices. MacDroid makes it possible to mount your Android device to your Mac as if it were an external hard drive. You can edit Android files on the Mac without copying them to the computer.
Features
- Transfer recent photos
- Work with entire folders
- Edit files directly on Android
- Watch a TV show on a long flight
- Add new music to your phone
- ADB Multi-operation Mode available
- MTP Single-operation Mode available
USER IMPRESSIONS
I like apps that are easy to understand. Even better than easy to understand apps are the ones that have very few steps to get started. MacDroid is one of those apps. Once you download and install the app, the only thing you have to do is plug your phone in and the app does the rest of the work. The phone will show up as an accessible hard drive on your Mac’s desktop. You can then open the drive, browse files, and do what you would like to do with them. Aside from allowing access on the Android phone, the app is essentially plug-n-play with its operation.
The only real downside to the app is its subscription details. There is a free 7-day trial that is full-featured, but the free version only allows files to be transferred from the Android to the Mac. To unlock the rest of the features, a user must pay $19.99 per year as a subscription fee. The fee is billed annually with an auto-renewal function. I’m not really a fan of subscription-based software. I would much rather pay a one-time fee (even if it is a little higher) than continue to pay a yearly (or monthly) fee.
FINAL THOUGHTS
MacDroid does a good job of providing a gateway between the Mac and Android devices, but unless you need to do this on a regular basis, it seems like a steep price to pay as a subscription fee. The app has a nice interface and I didn’t have any issues getting the files to transfer back and forth between devices. It seems like a solid piece of software.
For more information, visit macdroid.app, Facebook, and Twitter.
Originally published at https://macsources.com on March 17, 2020.
