How to send photos and files from an iPhone to an Android phone
AirDrop only works between Apple devices, and messaging apps shrink your photos. OmniBeam sends files from an iPhone to any Android phone straight from the browser, in full quality, with nothing to install on either phone.
Steps
- Open omnibeam.site in Safari on the iPhone and in Chrome on the Android phone.
- On the same Wi‑Fi, each phone shows the other after a moment. On different networks, tap the link button on one phone and scan the QR code with the other.
- On the iPhone, tap the Android phone and choose photos, videos or files.
- Tap Accept on the Android phone. The files are saved to its Downloads folder, and several files can be saved as one ZIP.
Why it works between iPhone and Android
OmniBeam runs in the web browser, so it does not care which company made the phone. The two browsers open a direct, encrypted connection to each other (WebRTC). When the phones are on the same Wi‑Fi, the photos never leave your home network, which is also why big videos arrive quickly.
Tips for photos and videos
- Choose Photo Library in the iPhone file picker to send pictures and videos as they are, in full quality.
- iPhone photos in HEIC are turned into JPG on the way when the Android phone can’t open HEIC, so they show up in its gallery.
- Keep both screens on until the transfer finishes. If a phone locks, open OmniBeam again and it continues where it stopped.
- To send back from Android to the iPhone, tap the iPhone on the Android phone. It works both ways.
Pair the two phones once with the QR code and they find each other on any network from then on, for example when one is on mobile data. You can also turn on Auto-accept for the other phone, so files from it arrive without a tap.
This is the easiest way to send files from an iPhone to an Android phone: no app, no account, no cable and no loss of quality, whether it is one photo or a whole album.
Questions and answers
Do I need to install an app on the iPhone or the Android phone?
No. OmniBeam is a website. Safari on the iPhone and Chrome, Samsung Internet or Firefox on Android are enough.
Are the photos compressed?
No. The files arrive exactly as they were on the iPhone, unlike WhatsApp or Messenger, which make photos and videos smaller.
Can I send a 4K video from an iPhone to Android?
Yes. There is no size limit for sending directly. A 4K video of a few gigabytes takes a few minutes on a good Wi‑Fi network.
What if the phones are not on the same Wi‑Fi?
Pair them with the QR code. The files then travel over an encrypted connection through the internet, and only if that is impossible, through OmniBeam’s server, still encrypted end to end.
Is it free?
Yes. OmniBeam is free, with no account, no sign-up and no limit on the number of files.
Where do the files end up on Android?
In the Downloads folder, where the Files app and most galleries find them. Photos and videos also show up in the OmniBeam gallery under History.