An AirDrop Alternative for Windows and Android

AirDrop uses a proprietary discovery and transfer protocol built specifically into iOS and macOS. It isn't licensed to Android or Windows, so there's no official client for either — any app claiming to be "AirDrop for Android" is a third-party reimplementation, not the real protocol, and generally can't talk to actual Apple devices either.

This becomes a real problem the moment your workflow crosses platforms — sending a photo from an Android phone to a Windows desktop, or from an iPhone to a Windows laptop, has no single built-in solution the way AirDrop handles iPhone-to-Mac.

Instead of relying on a platform-specific protocol, a browser-based transfer sidesteps the problem entirely: any device with a modern browser — Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS — can open /create-session or /join-session and pair with any other. The underlying transport is WebRTC, which is implemented consistently across Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari, regardless of the operating system underneath.

Trading proximity detection for a QR code

AirDrop's main convenience is automatic discovery — nearby devices just show up. A cross-platform browser tool can't replicate Bluetooth proximity detection across every OS, so pairing is explicit instead: one device shows a session ID and QR code, the other scans or types it in. It's one extra step compared to AirDrop's auto-discovery, in exchange for working identically on every platform, including over the internet rather than requiring physical proximity.

Once paired, the two browsers negotiate a direct WebRTC data channel and the file streams straight across, encrypted by WebRTC's DTLS between the two devices. If a direct connection isn't possible (some networks block the UDP traffic WebRTC prefers), it falls back to a WebSocket relay that receives each chunk already sealed with AES-256-GCM.

Mixed-device households are the most common case: one family member on an iPhone, another on a Pixel or Samsung phone, a shared Windows desktop for schoolwork or photo editing. AirDrop handles the iPhone-to-Mac pairs fine but has nothing to offer once a Windows or Android device enters the picture. The same problem shows up in workplaces that issue Windows laptops but don't restrict which phone employees carry — sending a scanned document or a photo from a personal Android phone to a work Windows machine has no built-in answer without something like this.

It also matters for anyone switching platforms — moving from an iPhone to an Android phone, or from a Mac to a Windows machine — during the transition period where files still need to move between an old and a new device that no longer share a single ecosystem.

• Platform support: AirDrop — iOS/macOS only. Browser-based — any device with a modern browser.
• Discovery: AirDrop — automatic via Bluetooth proximity. Browser-based — manual via session ID or QR code.
• Range: AirDrop — requires physical proximity. Browser-based — works over the internet, no proximity required.
• Install step: AirDrop — built into the OS. Browser-based — none; it's a website.
• Encryption: AirDrop — encrypted over TLS between devices. Browser-based — AES-256-GCM end-to-end, keys generated on-device.

If you regularly move files between the same Windows PC and Android phone — say, exporting photos every week — repeating the QR-scan pairing each time is a minor but real bit of friction compared to AirDrop's instant discovery. The CLI's quick-share command is the better fit for that pattern: run srift quick-share ./photos --qr on the PC, scan the QR code with the phone, and the folder downloads as a single archive — no pairing step. The file streams from the PC when the link is opened (nothing is stored on a server), so leave the command running until the download finishes.