Fail to Connect Android Phone to Mac? Try 8 Reliable Tools Here!

On a bright weekend, you are sitting in front of your Mac computer, ready to upload your home video you just shot with your Android phone to your Mac computer for editing. You are looking forward to connecting your Android phone to your Mac with a USB cable, but nothing happens? That's true. Mac and Android phones run two completely different operating systems, so Macs simply cannot detect and identify your Android device, let alone transfer files.

So, we have no way to transfer photos, videos and other files from Android phones or tablets to Mac computers? Of course not, we can get help from third-party tools. In this article, we will introduce in detail 8 trusted tools for you to easily connect Android phone to Mac/MacBook.

#1 MobiKin Assistant for Android (Mac Version)

MobiKin Assistant for Android (Mac) is a wonderful Android manager tool for Mac users to transfer data from Android to Mac, and manage Android data on Mac directly. With this software, it is a piece of cake to transfer data from Android to Mac, and vice versa. A wide rage of files including photos, contacts, SMS, videos, music and many more can be transferred between Android and Mac by using this tool. It is an easy-to-use program that lets you connect Android to Mac without any hassle.

You can free download it and try as the following steps.

Below is the guide to learn how to connect Android phone to Mac:

Step 1. Download and install Assistant for Android (Mac) on your Mac. Launch it and connect your Android phone to the Mac via a USB cable. Then enable USB debugging on your Android phone if it prompts. Go with the on-screen prompts to make the program recognize your Android phone. You should see the main interface as below.

Step 2. All the files of your Android device are listed on the left panel. You can click the file categories and the Mac tool will scan out all contained files on your phone. Here, we take Videos for example. Click "Videos" from the left and choose your desired photos videos from the main window. Then, click the "Export" button from top.

Step 3. If you don't want to save these videos to the default location, you can select a local folder on your Mac to save the files. Within few minutes, your wanted videos are transferred from Android to Mac.

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#2 Android File Transfer

Android File Transfer is a tool developed by Google specifically for transferring files between Android devices and Macs, as well as freely managing Android devices on Mac. It can install your Android device as an external hard drive for file transfer purposes. However, you need to download the DMG file on your Mac before installing this software. It has many disadvantages, which is why more and more people want to find a good alternative to Android File Transfer.

Brief Guide on how to connect Android to Mac by using Android File Transfer:

• Download Android File Transfer on your Mac.
• Install the software: Go to the folder where the installer is located, double click on the androidfiletransfer.dmg and then drag the Android File Transfer installer to Applications.
• Connect your Android device to the Mac via a USB cable.
• Launch Android File Transfer and find the files on Android and copy them to your Mac.

Pros

• Free to download.
• Supports latest Android versions.
• Easy to access the SD card of your Android phone/tablet.

Cons:

• It is often failed to detect your Android device.
• Large files can't be transferred via this software
• Limited features.

#3 AirDroid

If you are thinking about how to connect Android phone to Mac without USB, then AirDroid is a good choice because it supports wireless connection. With the help of this software, you can organize contacts, text messages, photos, etc. from your Android device on your Mac, answer incoming calls from your computer, and control your phone remotely. It supports almost all Android devices, including Samsung, LG, HTC, Huawei, ZTE, Sony and more.

Easy Guide on how to connect Android phone to Mac via AirDroid:

• Install AirDroid app on your Android phone and login to your account.
• Connect your Android phone and your Mac to the same WiFi.
• Go to the AirDroid website on your Mac and login to the same account.
• On your Mac, choose the files and download them. Set photos as the example: you can tap "Photos" > select them > press "Download".

Pros

• Different versions are available for Mac computer, Windows PC and the web browser.
• You are allowed to transfer files between any devices.

Cons:

• Mac machine and Android device must be connected to the same WiFi, which can sometimes be inconvenient.
• Because of the remote control function, once the device falls into the wrong hand, it will cause a lot of trouble.
• Contains many annoying ads.

#4 Samsung Kies for Mac

Samsung Kies for Mac is a tool from Samsung that helps you manage Samsung devices on your Mac for free. With it, you can back up your data, including contacts, music, videos, etc. from your Samsung device to your Mac and restore them safely. It can also buy apps for your Samsung device and update firmware. Please note that it only supports Samsung phones.

Simple Guide on how to connect Samsung to Mac using Kies for Mac:

• Go to the official website of Samsung to download Kies for Mac on your Mac machine. Remember to choose "Normal" mode while installing.
• Connect Samsung phone to Mac.
• Launch Samsung Kies on your Mac and choose Library > Photos > Add Photos.
• Navigate to "Connected Devices", choose the photos you need and tap the option of "Save to computer".

Pros

• Supports most Samsung phones.
• Compatible with Windows and Mac PC.
• Be able to backup and restore data on Samsung devices.

Cons:

• Only for Samsung phones.
• The operation is not particularly easy.
• Samsung no longer maintains Kies recently.

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#5 LG Bridge

LG Bridge is pre-installed on LG phones, so you don't need to download this program to your LG phone, in fact you can't download it. But you can install LG Bridge on your Mac to achieve data transfer between LG and Mac. With it, you don't need to worry about how to connect LG phone to Mac, and LG Bridge's LG AirDrive can achieve wireless transmission.

Check how to link LG Android phone to Mac with LG Bridge:

• Install and launch LG Bridge on your Mac. Login to the account you used on your LG Bridge. Then, tap its icon on taskbar and choose LG AirDrive.
• Turn to your LG phone and go to "Apps" > "Settings" > "Networks" > "Share & connect" > "LG Bridge" > "AirDrive" > login to the same account you used on Mac.
• Turn to LG Bridge on your Mac, tap on your device and then drag and drop your desired files to your Mac.

Pros

• You can transfer files from LG phone to Mac wirelessly and USB transfer is also available.
• It allows you to manage LG phone on your Mac, back up files on LG phones, and update your device.

Cons:

• Only support some LG devices.
• The operation of file management is complicated.

#6 Google Drive

Google Drive is a cloud storage jointly developed by Google and a noted cloud service to help users store large amounts of mobile phone data. You can use Google Drive to transfer data between Mac and Android devices, and of course you can also use it to share data with anyone in the world via Mac or PC.

Let's see how to connect Android phone to Mac using Google Drive:

• Open your Mac, visit the Google Drive website in your browser and log in with your account.
• Open your Android phone, run Google Drive. Then upload the files you want to transfer to it, remembering the name of the folder where these files are saved.
• Open the same folder in Google Drive on your Mac, find the files you need and click "Download" to save them to your Mac.

Pros

• You can run Google Drive on any device or any operating system to access its files.
• You can share files with anyone, as long as you grant them access.

Cons:

• Only 15 GB of free usage space is provided, you need to pay to get more space.
• People with edit permissions can modify the document.
• Relying on the network, the transfer speed from Android to Mac is slow.

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#7 Dropbox

Much like Google Drive, Dropbox is a cloud storage service that allows users to store and sync files. It works on mobile devices, computers and web browsers.

Guide on how to transfer from Android to Mac via Dropbox:

• Download and install Dropbox on your Android phone. Login to your account information.
• Tap on the "+" icon and choose "Upload photos or videos" option. Select the files you need and click "Upload" to sync them to Dropbox.
• Launch Dropbox on your Mac and login to the same account.
• Go to "Places" and click "Dropbox". Then, select the files you just uploaded and drag-n-drop them to your Mac.

Pros

• You can access files on various platforms through Dropbox.
• You can edit documents online.
• You can select the files you want before syncing.

Cons:

• You need Keychain access to verify your Dropbox account on your Mac.
• Only 2GB of free available storage space is provided, and to get more space, you need to pay a certain fee.
• You need a stable network to connect phone to Mac.

#8 SD Card

People like to insert a small SD card to Android device to expand the storage space of a mobile phone. People can backup Android data on the SD card in their Android phone, and then insert the SD card into their Mac to achieve the goal of transferring files from an Android phone to Mac. However, you need to ensure that the format of the files stored in the SD card complies with Apple's specifications.

Here's how to transfer from Android to Mac via SD card:

• Remove the SD card from your Android phone and insert it in the respective slot on your MacBook.
• Navigate to "Photos" > "File" > "Import" > select the files you need > "Review for Import".
• Now, you can start to copy files to Mac by clicking on the "Import All New Photos" or "Import Selected" according to your own choice. And you can also choose if "Delete" or "Keep" these items on the SD card after the transfer.
• After the transfer, you can check the items under "Imports & Photos" album.

Pros

• Fast transferring speed.
• You can use various standards of cards on your Mac.
• iTunes is needless during the transfer.

Cons:

• If you are using UHS-II SD card, only iMac Pro system can recognize it.
• SD cards are prone to unknown errors, and damaged cards can even spread viruses.

The Bottom Line

Using the above 8 software, I believe you can now easily connect Android phone to Mac and save important data on Android to Mac. Choose the one that is most satisfying to you and share it with your friends and family. In my opinion, MobiKin Assistant for Android (Mac) surprised me the most. Compared with other methods, it supports the most file types and Android devices, and also allows users to directly manage Android devices on Mac. If you are not sure which method to choose, then the first method will not let you down.

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