If you are an Apple user, then you have probably used AirDrop to wirelessly transfer files to other Apple devices.
Similarly, for Android devices, there is Quick Share, formerly known as Nearby Share, which can accomplish the same task perfectly. For Linux, there is an application called Warp that can perform the same operation between Linux and Windows.
If you want to transfer files between Android and Windows devices, you need to try the Windows Phone Link app.
It depends on your use case and which one you find more intuitive. But what if I told you there is an open-source application that can transfer files between all the aforementioned devices? What would you think? 🤔
In this First Look, we will take a look at an open-source file transfer application called "LocalSend" that allows you to securely share files and messages between devices.
LocalSend: Overview ⭐#
LocalSend is a cross-platform file transfer application that is free to use, distributed under the MIT License, and actively maintained by multiple contributors. It is primarily written in the Dart programming language.
Some key features include:
- Offline sharing
- No account creation required
- End-to-end encryption
First Impressions 👨💻
To test this application, I disconnected the modem from my Wi-Fi router, but it should work fine with an internet connection, even in a wired network at home or office.
Please note that the sending/receiving speed will depend on your router and/or Ethernet cable.
First, I looked at how file transfer works between Linux and Android.
On my Ubuntu 22.04.4 laptop, I installed the official Flatpak package, and also installed the official app on my Android 14 device, a Samsung smartphone.
After entering the "Send" page, I selected some images, documents, and audio files, and started transferring them to my Android device (named "Determined Pineapple"), which required approval on the phone app to start receiving the files.
As shown below, the Android app asked me whether I wanted to accept or reject the files sent by "Big Banana," which is the name I gave to my Ubuntu device in the LocalSend app.
Before accepting, I entered the "Options" menu to see the files I was about to receive, and had the opportunity to select specific files and even rename them before the upload started.
During the transfer, a convenient progress bar appeared, providing "Advanced" options to display detailed metrics such as transfer speed, as well as an option to "Cancel" the transfer.
After the file transfer was complete, both apps displayed a "Finished" prompt, and I must say, the transfer speed was impressive.
Next, I looked at file transfer between Android and Linux.
The experience was very similar to what I found on the Linux app, tightly integrated with Android's "Share" functionality, allowing me to directly share files from the phone's gallery app.
Before accepting the transfer on my Ubuntu laptop, I had the option to rename the files and delete any unwanted files.
After the transfer was complete, I clicked on the "Advanced" option to view the transfer speed, and the results were good, considering it was just a .jpg file.
Finally, I checked file transfer between Linux and Windows.
I launched a virtual machine with Windows 10 and installed the official .exe file. When I launched the app, it showed three different "Big Banana" devices, and I selected the first one and started transferring two existing .exe files.
The transfer was successful, and I didn't encounter any issues, with a transfer speed of up to 40 MB/s.
As for the strange issue with the three devices, I suspect it was a bug caused by running a virtual machine on the same device, possibly related to how VirtualBox handles networking.
Summary#
Overall, I had a great experience with LocalSend! I have now installed it on all my devices for wireless file transfer. 😃
However, for this app, smaller transfers are more suitable. I tried to transfer around 90 GB of files from my Ubuntu laptop to my Android tablet, and the speed fluctuated a lot, eventually stopping due to a connection error.
But compared to KDE Connect, I think LocalSend is a better choice for file transfer. I say this because it provides a more intuitive user experience and comparable transfer speeds, which should appeal to most users.
📥 Get LocalSend#
You can get LocalSend on various devices, such as Linux, Android, Windows, iOS, and macOS.
For Linux users, you can get it from the Flathub store. For Android users, you can get it from the Play Store. For iOS/iPadOS/macOS users, you can get it from the App Store.
Those looking for alternative packages can visit the official website or its GitHub repository.
Source: https://news.itsfoss.com/localsend
Author: Sourav Rudra