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67 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
67 lines
4.4 KiB
Markdown
**NearDrop** is a partial implementation of [Google's Nearby Share](https://blog.google/products/android/nearby-share/) for macOS.
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[Protocol documentation](/PROTOCOL.md) is available separately.
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The app lives in your menu bar and saves files to your downloads folder. It's that simple, really.
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## Limitations
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* **Wi-Fi LAN only**. Your Android device and your Mac need to be on the same network for this app to work. Google's implementation supports multiple mediums, including Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth, some kind of 5G peer-to-peer connection, and even a WebRTC-based protocol that goes over the internet through Google servers. Wi-Fi direct isn't supported on macOS (Apple has their own, incompatible, AWDL thing, used in AirDrop). Bluetooth needs further reverse engineering.
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* **Visible to everyone on your network at all times** while the app is running. Limited visibility (contacts etc) requires talking to Google servers, and becoming temporarily visible requires listening for whatever triggers the "device nearby is sharing" notification.
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## Installation
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Download the latest build from the releases section, unzip, move to your applications folder. When running for the first time, right-click the app and select "Open", then confirm running an app from unidentified developer.
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If you want the app to start on boot, [follow thesee steps to add NearDrop as a login item.](https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/open-items-automatically-when-you-log-in-mh15189/mac)
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## Contributing
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Pull requests that change the readme will not be accepted.
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## FAQ
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#### The app would not open because "Apple cannot check it for malicious software", you gotta fix your shit
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Right-click the app in Finder and select "Open". Or, open System Settings -> Privacy and security, scroll down and allow the app to run.
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#### My Android device doesn't see my Mac
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Make sure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi network. Local network communication may not work on some public networks — for example, in coffee shops or hotels. If you're on your own network, check your router settings to make sure it's not blocking local devices from talking to each other.
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#### How do I send files?
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Right-click a file in Finder, select Share, then select NearDrop.
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#### How do I send links?
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From the menu bar: File -> Share -> NearDrop. Safari also has a share button on the toolbar.
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#### My Mac doesn't see my Android device
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Unfortunately, Android listens for specific BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) broadcasts to automatically become visible, and macOS doesn't allow apps to send them. As a workaround, you have to open the "Google Files" and tap "Receive" on the "Nearby Share" tab.
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To make it more easily accessible and/or if you don't want to install Google Files, you can use an app like [one of these](https://forum.xda-developers.com/t/how-to-manually-create-a-homescreen-shortcut-to-a-known-unique-android-activity.4336833/) to create a shortcut to launch one of these activity intents:
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- Option 1:
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- Action: `com.google.android.gms.RECEIVE_NEARBY`
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- Mime type: `*/*`
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- Option 2:
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- Component name: `com.google.android.gms/.nearby.sharing.ReceiveSurfaceActivity`
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#### Can the menu bar icon be removed?
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Yes. Drag the icon off the menu bar while holding cmd. To bring it back, launch the app a second time, while it's already running.
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#### Why is the app not notarized?
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Because I don't want to pay Apple $99 a year for the privilege of developing macOS apps and I oppose their idea of security. The slightly less scary security warning isn't worth $99/year IMO.
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#### Why is this not on the app store?
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Because I don't want to pay Apple $99 a year for the privilege of developing macOS apps. I also don't want to have to go through the review process.
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#### Why not the other way around, i.e. AirDrop on Android?
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While I am an Android developer, and I have looked into this, this is nigh-impossible. AirDrop uses [AWDL](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/19587701/what-is-awdl-apple-wireless-direct-link-and-how-does-it-work), Apple's own proprietary take on peer-to-peer Wi-Fi. This works on top of 802.11 itself, the low-level Wi-Fi protocol, and thus can not be implemented without messing around with the Wi-Fi adapter drivers and raw packets and all that. It might be possible on Android, but it would at the very least require root and possibly a custom kernel. There is [an open-source implementation of AWDL and AirDrop for Linux](https://owlink.org/code/).
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