iPhone and macOS work perfectly together, as do Android and Windows. But what about an Android phone and a Mac? I’ve used both for years without much of a problem. Here’s how I do it.

Move files between Mac and Android phone

Since there is no built-in sync between Mac and Android, you’ll need third-party apps to move your files back and forth.

Google used to offer a simple app called Android File Transfer to handle this over USB, but that was quietly discontinued in early 2024. Regardless, I’ve long since switched to OpenMTP, a free and open-source app that works like a full-fledged file explorer. You can quickly drag and drop from one device to another, as well as perform basic file management tasks like creating folders, renaming files, etc.

For wireless transfers, hopefully Google will one day develop a QuickShare app for macOS – there is a limited, unofficial version called NearDrop. Until then, I’ve opted for LocalSend as a fast and reliable tool.

You’ll need to have the app installed and running on both devices, but other than that it works pretty smoothly. It automatically detects devices on the same network so there’s no setup process required, and you can quickly share files using the Share menu on Android and the Open With menu on macOS.

For cloud storage, you can access iCloud on Android via the browser at iCloud.com, but access is fairly limited. Although I use iCloud as a basic backup service for my Mac, I have Google Drive installed to make files accessible across multiple devices.

Calendar, notes and reminders

There’s no way to replicate the full iCloud experience you get between an iPhone and a Mac with your Android phone. iCloud syncs files and data from Apple’s apps, including things like Mail and Pages, which don’t have Android equivalents. You can still view your files in the browser on Android, but it’s not great for editing.

Instead, I use the full suite of Google apps: Gmail, Docs, and the rest. You can also choose the Microsoft apps if you want, or even the growing suite of Proton apps.

Google Keep and Google Calendar are perfect for notes, reminders, and general organization. I sync the latter with the Mac Calendar app via Calendar > Accounts.

There’s also an option to sync Apple Notes with Google, but oddly enough this sends the notes to Gmail instead of Keep, so I leave this option unchecked and use Keep through my browser instead.

One of the advantages of Google Drive is that you have the option in the settings to back up your pictures to Google Photos. This makes it easy to use Google Photos.

So when I take pictures with my Pixel, they automatically sync to Google. And when I take pictures with my dedicated camera, I import the pictures into the Apple Photos app on my Mac and they get uploaded to Google Photos.

It works with RAW files and edits, and the only downside is that there is no two-way syncing. You can’t drag your Google library into the Photos app.

Additionally, most media apps offer Android and Mac services. The notable exception is Apple TV+, which you have to access through the browser on Android and is quite cumbersome to use. Otherwise, Spotify, Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, and the Kindle app work fine on both devices.

News

Messaging is probably where you have the most to lose by using Android instead of iOS. You can use iMessage and FaceTime on your MacBook, but unless you have an iPhone to set them up with, you can’t use them with your phone number. You can only use your email address.

Additionally, on Android, you can join FaceTime chats in a browser if someone sends you a link, but you can’t create them.

Otherwise, I use Google Messages, which I set up online by tapping my avatar in the Android app, selecting “Device Pairing,” and then following the on-screen instructions.

This is easy to do and means that I receive incoming SMS or RCS messages in Safari on my Mac, where I can also reply to them. To round out my messaging setup, I use WhatsApp, which has a native app for both Mac and Android.

Browser tab sharing

The last thing I regularly do to connect my devices is share tabs Handoff style. Of course, you can’t do that with Safari as it’s not available on Android. Instead, I use Brave, my main browser on Android and a backup for Mac.

To do this, you need to set up syncing on the desktop by going to Brave > Settings > Syncing > Start syncing and following the on-screen instructions. You don’t need to set up an account, you can connect your Mac and phone by scanning a QR code or entering a long passphrase.

Then, in the custom sync settings, enable syncing of open tabs and saved tab groups.

• To send a tab from Mac to Android: Right-click the tab and select “Send to your devices.” Then click on the device when it appears and you’ll receive a notification on your phone.
• To send from Android to Mac: Go to Settings, tap the Share icon, then select Send to Devices, then select your MacBook when prompted.

It can be very slow, so much so that I often think there is an error, but it never is. You just have to be patient.

Clipboard sharing: The missing puzzle piece

The last app I want to get is a decent clipboard sharing tool. I used to use Clipt from OnePlus, but that was discontinued in late 2023 and I haven’t found a good replacement yet. It’s just a niche tool though, so no big loss.

If you use a MacBook, you don’t have to give up your Android phone. Yes, you will lose some of the tight integrations between Android and Windows or iPhone and macOS, but I’ve been using both devices for almost 15 years and really, the only thing I miss and wish was iMessage was available on Android. For everything else, there are perfectly good alternatives or workarounds.