Android to iPhone file transfer, both ways: which method to use

Android to iPhone file transfer in 2026 starts with one question: which Android phone? Pixel 8a and later, the Galaxy S24, S25 and S26 series, recent Galaxy Z foldables and a few other models can now send straight to an iPhone's AirDrop when you're close by. For any other phone, or when you're apart, open beamaroo.com on both phones and send full-size files either way with a one-time code: no app, nothing uploaded. Moving everything to a new iPhone is a different job: that's Move to iOS, and it only runs during setup.

Send files from Android to iPhone in the browser

This is the online route: nothing to install, any Android and any iPhone, same Wi-Fi or not. Both phones just need to be online at the same time, in a modern browser.

1. On the Android phone, open beamaroo.com, tap the drop area, choose your photos, videos or documents and tap Get a code.
2. On the iPhone, scan the QR code on the Android's screen with the Camera app. The code fills itself in, so just tap Receive. (Or open beamaroo.com, tap the Receive tab, type the code, which looks like beam-7-otter-quartz, and tap Receive.)
3. The iPhone shows how many files are coming and the total size. Tap Accept. Nothing moves until you do.
4. The files go straight from phone to phone, encrypted. Once the iPhone has checked every file, the Android shows Delivered ✔ — verified on their device.
5. If a file doesn't save by itself, tap Save (or Save all for several). Safari puts downloads in the Files app's Downloads folder, not in Photos (Apple).

Keep both screens on until it says delivered. To send the code to someone far away, use the Share… button rather than switching apps: a phone can pause a background tab, and an interrupted transfer has to start again. Each code works once, for 30 minutes, and a wrong guess burns it (how the pairing code works).

Can your Android phone AirDrop to an iPhone yet?

Some can. Since November 2025, Google's Quick Share has been able to send to Apple's AirDrop, directly and peer-to-peer rather than through a server, Google says (Google). Google's list as of October 2026 (android.com):

• Google: Pixel 10 series (including 10a), Pixel 9 series (including 9a) and Pixel 8a
• Samsung: Galaxy S26, S25 and S24 series, Z Flip7, Z Fold7, Z Flip6, Z Fold6 and Z TriFold
• Others: OnePlus 15, OPPO Find X9 series and Find N6, HONOR Magic V6, vivo X300 Ultra and Xiaomi 17T Pro
• Listed as coming soon: Motorola razr fold 2026, OPPO Find X8 series, HONOR Magic8 Pro, vivo X300 and X300 Pro

Sending from Android to iPhone

1. On the iPhone, open Control Centre, touch and hold the connectivity controls, tap AirDrop and choose Everyone for 10 Minutes (Apple).
2. On a Samsung, check that Share with Apple devices is on in Quick Share settings.
3. On the Android, tap Share, then Quick Share, and pick the iPhone. The iPhone owner accepts the AirDrop prompt.

The catches

The phones must be within Bluetooth range with Wi-Fi on, the iPhone's setting lapses after 10 minutes, and Apple says Personal Hotspot should be off (Apple). On a Samsung, the Quick Share app and Google Play services need to be up to date, and the phone can't find Apple devices while Mobile Hotspot, Smart View or DeX is in use. Google's page says it works with all iPhones (android.com); Samsung's help lists iPhone 8 or later (Samsung).

On Pixels, Google's help gives steps for receiving from an iPhone only on a Pixel 9 or later, excluding the 9a, so on an 8a or 9a, test that direction before you rely on it (Google).

If your phone is on the list and you're together, use it. The Quick Share for iPhone guide has more on settings and fixes.

Google's QR-code fallback uploads your files

Quick Share also has a QR-code option for phones without AirDrop support: tap Use QR code, the iPhone scans it, and the file downloads in the iPhone's browser. It works with any iPhone, but it isn't direct. Google says files are end-to-end encrypted and uploaded to Google servers for 24 hours, both phones need internet, and you can send up to 10 GB every 24 hours (Google).

Samsung's Share via URL makes a download link you can message or email (Samsung). And older guides still suggest Snapdrop as an Android to iPhone file transfer website, but its own site now says transfers run through LimeWire storage instead of a direct browser-to-browser connection, with links that last 3 days (snapdrop.net).

Uploading isn't wrong: a link works when the other person can't be online at the same moment, which a live transfer can't. If you'd rather your files didn't sit on someone else's server, use AirDrop on a supported phone or a direct beam. Our Snapdrop alternatives page compares the direct options.

Switching phones? Move to iOS only works during setup

Apple's Move to iOS app copies contacts, messages, photos, files, calendars and more from an Android phone to a new iPhone, over a temporary Wi-Fi network or a USB-C cable. With iOS 26.5 and Android 17 or later on compatible phones, there's also Transfer without App (Apple, published 28 October 2026).

Both only run during iPhone setup. In Apple's words: “If you already finished setup, you need to erase your iOS device and start over.” Apple adds that music, books and PDFs need to be moved over manually.

Moving photos after setup, without erasing

For a whole camera roll, use Google Photos: back up on the Android, then download what you want from the Google Photos app on the iPhone (Google). Check the Android's backup quality first. Storage saver resizes photos above 16 MP and videos above 1080p, and only Original quality keeps them as shot (Google).

For a batch at a time, such as an album, a few videos or those PDFs, use AirDrop on a supported phone or a browser beam, keeping each beam to a few hundred MB.

Why videos sent between iPhone and Android look blurry

iMessage only works between Apple devices, so a video texted from an iPhone to an Android goes as RCS or MMS, the green bubbles. Over MMS, Apple says your carrier may set size limits for attachments and your iPhone can compress photo and video attachments when necessary (Apple). The limits are small: US carrier AT&T lists file sharing up to 1 MB for traditional texting (AT&T). Squeeze a minute of video into that and it turns to mush.

RCS is a big step up. It needs iOS 18 and a carrier plan that supports RCS on iPhone, and Apple says it sends high-resolution photos and videos (Apple). It still has a ceiling (AT&T lists 100 MB), so a long 4K clip won't fit. Messaging apps make their own copies too: when WhatsApp added HD video in 2023, it topped out at 720p (TechCrunch).

The fix is to send the file, not a message: AirDrop between supported phones, a cloud link, or a direct beam. Beamaroo doesn't compress or re-encode anything, and the receiving phone checks each file's fingerprint against the sender's, so what arrives is exactly what was sent. One iPhone catch: a video chosen from Photo Library is re-saved by the browser as a high-quality H.264 copy before it goes. WebKit, the engine behind Safari and other iPhone browsers, does this for compatibility (WebKit). Pick the video with Choose Files, from the Files app, and it goes exactly as it is. More in sending large videos without compression and the iMessage file size limit guide.

Android app won't play an iPhone video? Video shot with Apple's High Efficiency setting is HEVC (H.265). Settings → Camera → Formats → Most Compatible records future videos as H.264 instead, and Apple says AirDrop, Messages and email may send a more compatible copy to devices that can't use HEVC (Apple).

iPhone to Android: the same steps in reverse

iPhone to Android file transfer works the same way: open beamaroo.com in Safari on the iPhone, choose the files and tap Get a code, then scan the QR code with the Android's camera or type the code into beamaroo.com in Chrome. Chrome saves to your default download location; find files under Downloads in Chrome's menu or in your Files app (Google). One difference on the iPhone side: a video chosen from Photo Library goes as a high-quality copy, while anything picked with Choose Files goes as it is.

AirDrop works in reverse if the Android phone is on Google's list: put it in Quick Share's receive mode (on a Samsung, with Share with Apple devices on), then tap Share, then AirDrop on the iPhone. On Pixels, Google only gives receiving steps for a Pixel 9 or later, not the 9a.

Plain Bluetooth won't do it. Apple's list of Bluetooth profiles the iPhone supports covers headsets, audio, keyboards, car kits and tethering, but no file transfer (Apple). The same browser steps work for Android to Mac file transfer too.

How big a file can you send phone to phone?

Every route has its own ceiling. Here's what each one publishes, as of October 2026.

Beamaroo's ceiling comes from the receiving browser holding files in memory until they're saved. Multi-gigabyte transfers can fail, especially in iPhone Safari, and there's no resume (streaming to disk is planned). For a big 4K clip or a whole camera roll, use AirDrop on a supported phone or a cloud upload. Zip folders first.

Android to iPhone file transfer options compared

Where Beamaroo loses: both phones must be online at the same time, it isn't built for whole photo libraries, and if your phone is on Google's list and you're together, Quick Share to AirDrop is already in your share sheet.