Connect two devices over WiFi
Photo Transfer App finds devices automatically. As long as both ends are on the same WiFi network and the app is open, they discover each other within a few seconds.
Connecting two phones
- Make sure both devices are on the same WiFi network. Mobile data alone won't work.
- Open Photo Transfer App on both devices.
- On the device you want to receive on, tap Receive. The list of nearby devices appears here.
- On the device you want to send from, tap Send -> Another device and select the assets.
- The first time the two phones connect, a phone may ask: "'name' wants to connect. Allow?" Tap Allow once or Always allow. See Allow a new device below.
Connecting a phone and a computer
The desktop app scans for phones nearby — it never advertises itself, so you won't find it in any "Receive" list on the phone. To connect a phone and a computer:
- Make sure both devices are on the same WiFi network.
- Open Photo Transfer App on both.
- On the computer, the desktop app lists your phone. Click it to connect.
- The first time, your phone asks you to allow the computer. Tap Allow once or Always allow on the phone.
Allow a new device
Authorize to connect is on by default. You'll find it in More → Settings → Connection. When a device connects for the first time, your phone asks "'name' wants to connect. Allow?", where name is the other device's name. This covers another phone, the desktop app, and a web browser, which shows as "Web Browser".
- Allow once lets the device connect this time only. It has to ask again next time.
- Always allow remembers the device for next time. Saved approvals are kept in your phone's backup.
- Deny refuses the connection. Your phone won't ask about that device again for a minute.
While your phone asks, the other device shows that it's waiting:
- On a phone: "Waiting for name to allow the connection..."
- In the Windows app: "Waiting for approval — Allow this computer on phone to connect."
If a phone says "name has to allow the connection again. Tap Retry, then allow it on name.", tap Retry, then allow the connection on the other device.
Approvals belong to the device itself, not to its network address. Devices you approved in an earlier version of the app stay approved.
With Authorize to connect off, any device on the same network can connect without asking.
Forget devices
To clear all saved approvals, go to More → Settings → Connection, tap Forget devices, then Forget all. You'll need to allow each device again the next time it connects.
What if a device doesn't appear?
The most common cause is that the two devices are on different WiFi networks (or one is on cellular data). Other possibilities:
- Local Network permission not granted on iOS (Settings → Privacy → Local Network → Photo Transfer App should be on).
- Client isolation enabled on the router — some routers block devices from seeing each other for "security." You'll need to disable that, or use a different network.
- VPN active on either device — local discovery often breaks behind a VPN. Disable temporarily for the transfer.
For more, see Devices aren't finding each other on WiFi.