How to transfer files from Android to iPhone
Install the ZiggSend app on both phones (free), show the QR code on the one that receives and scan it with the one that sends. It’s easy and free, with no ads. Photos, videos and any file arrive with no quality loss, verified byte for byte: no computer, no account, no cloud. On the iPhone, keep the app open on screen while it receives.
This guide is for Android and iPhone: open this page on one of them, or send the link with “Send to someone”.
What you need
- Android 7 or newer
- An iPhone with the ZiggSend app (free on the App Store)
- Both on the same Wi-Fi (your home wifi works)
How long it takes
We tested this pair on home Wi-Fi in September 2026: the file arrived and passed the check. We haven’t measured this pair’s speed; on the pairs we measured, home Wi-Fi ran at 17.5 to 49.7 MB/s. How we measure →
Over Wi-Fi, step by step
Both phones on the same network; they connect with a QR code.
On the Android phone, get it free on Google Play. On the iPhone, get it free on the App Store. No computer needed.
On the iPhone, tap “Receive files here”: a QR code appears. On the Android phone, tap “Connect to a computer”, then “Scan the QR code”, and point the camera at the code. If the Android phone is already connected to a computer, the button is called “Connect a phone or computer”.
Open ZiggSend on the iPhone and keep the screen on: the iPhone only receives with the app open. On the Android phone, tap “Send photos and videos”, check what you want in Android’s picker and confirm. For PDFs and other files, use “Send documents, PDFs, ZIPs…”.
On the iPhone, you see “3 files arrived intact” (with the number of files you sent). Whatever the Photos app accepts goes to Photos; everything else goes to the Files app.
Other ways (Android → iPhone)
What each option does, only with facts you can check at the source.
| Option | How it moves | Good to know | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Share ↔ AirDrop | Wireless | Only some recent Android phones (starting with Pixel) reach AirDrop; the Apple device must be set to “Everyone for 10 minutes”. | |
| Through the messaging app | Photos and videos sent as media are recompressed (even HD doesn’t send the original); as a document, up to 2 GB. | ||
| Xender | Wireless | Phone to phone without internet; contains ads. | Google Play |
| ZiggSend | Wi-Fi (QR code) | Free on phones; checks every file byte for byte. | How we measure |
What can go wrong (and what to do)
The QR code doesn’t connect
Both need to be on the same Wi-Fi (one on Wi-Fi and the other on mobile data won’t work). Guest, hotel and office Wi-Fi often isolates devices: use your home Wi-Fi or one phone’s hotspot. Turn off any VPN.
On the iPhone, nothing connects
On iPhone: Settings → Apps → ZiggSend → turn on “Local Network”. Without it, iOS silently blocks the connection.
Sending to the iPhone doesn’t start
On iPhone, receiving only works with the app open on screen. That’s a system rule, not ZiggSend’s. Open ZiggSend, keep the screen on and send again.
I turned the screen off mid-transfer
On Android, sending keeps going with the screen off when ZiggSend’s notification is allowed. Without it, the app asks you to keep the screen on until it finishes.
The Wi-Fi dropped
Just send again: it picks up where it stopped. A file that fails the check is never saved, and the app tells you.
Questions from people about to do this
Does it lose quality?
No. The file arrives identical to the original, verified byte for byte: photo, 4K or HDR video, document.
Do the files leave the Android?
No. ZiggSend only copies: nothing is deleted on the Android phone.
Do I need internet?
Not to transfer: just both on the same Wi-Fi. Your files never go through a server.
Is there a size limit?
No, not even on the Free plan.
Do I need an account?
No. No sign-up.
Is it free?
Yes: ZiggSend for phones is always free.
Is it safe?
Yes. The file goes straight from one device to the other over your own network, with the content encrypted (AES-256), and never through a server. To connect, the two devices recognize each other with a code (the security code or the QR code).
Are there ads?
No.
Does it work on my Samsung, Xiaomi or Motorola?
Yes, on any Android 7 or newer.
And without Wi-Fi?
Put one phone on the other’s hotspot: then both are on the same network.
Can I use a cable?
No. For this pair ZiggSend uses Wi-Fi only; the cable exists only from Android to the Mac.
Do I need to keep the app open on the iPhone?
Yes, while it receives: iPhone doesn’t let apps listen in the background. That’s a system rule, not ZiggSend’s.
Where do the files go on the iPhone?
On the iPhone, whatever the Photos app accepts goes to Photos; everything else goes to the Files app.
And from iPhone to Android?
That too: see the step by step from iPhone to Android.