Android phones and Macs don’t work well together, particularly when it comes to transferring files from one to the other via USB. Apple’s macOS can’t natively hook devices that use MTP for file transfer, like Android phones. That’s where the Android File Transfer app comes in, a little helper application for the Mac created by Google that makes it possible to move files between Android and macOS. Shortly after the launch ofAndroid 15’sfirst developer preview, the download link for this tool has disappeared from the Android website, though.
When you scroll down all the way to the bottom of android.com, you used to see a link to “File transfer” under its Support section that also lists options like Google’s Help Center or a shortcut to Google’s Find my device tool. Asspotted by 9to5Google, the download link for the file transfer app is now completely gone. The publication was able to pinpoint the removal to roughly the time when Android 15 Developer Preview 1 was released.
The File Transfer shortcut vanished from the support section on android.com
It’s not clear why Google decided to remove the handy link from the Android website, but it might just hint at a better solution. The Android File Transfer app is notorious for its poor performance, with crashes and slow transfers making it anything but a reliable solution.Third-party file transfer apps for Macslike OpenMTP have long stepped in to bridge the gap left by Google. It’s possible that to coincide with Android 15, Google could launch a brand-new tool for Mac.
With the company recently joining forces with Samsung to upgrade and rebrand its wireless transfer standard Nearby Share to Quick Share, it’s possible that the companies are working on bringing it to more platforms.
In the meantime, you’re able to still download the Android File Transfer app, though. It remains accessible on itsdedicated subpage on android.com, which you can easily find via Google search – which is the more likely route most people take to install it, in any case.
