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Help Android File Transfer for Mac OS X Worked Only Once

S

STinLA

Lurker
I downloaded Android File Transfer for Mac OS X yesterday morning.

I plugged in my phone (Galaxy S3; Android 4.4.2). It was recognized. To test it out I downloaded a picture from the phone to the Mac. I also deleted some MP3 files. Easy game.

I unplugged the phone to went to lunch. When I came back from lunch, I plugged the phone back in, but now it's not being recognized, meaning the USB symbol is not appearing on the notifications bar on the phone, and Android File Transfer can't find the phone on the Mac. The phone is charging. Same USB cable. Same phone. Different result.

I've seen some solutions proposed to people having similar problems, such as:
1) Restart both devices. There are people who don't try this before they go seeking help on the Internet? Well, anyway, I tried this and it didn't work.
2) Uninstall Samsung Kies from the Mac. It was never installed on this Mac in the first place, and it's not one of the devices that has it pre-installed.
3) Enable USB debugging. I didn't have to do this when it worked in the morning, but I gave it a shot. It didn't help.

I'm pulling my hair out here.
 
Try installing the AirDroid app from Google Play. It's been mentioned previously in several threads on Android Forums. AirDroid lets you connect your phone to a computer using your wireless network, bypassing the need of a USB cable (of course you still a cable for power/charging.) All you need is the AirDroid app on your phone and then you just use any web browser on your computer (Firefox, Chrome, IE, Safari, Opera, or whichever and it doesn't matter what operating system you're running) to connect the two together. You can then do all your file transferring via a browser window, no need to mess with any OS specific USB MTP/PTP or mass storage issues.
 
svim said:
Try installing the AirDroid app from Google Play. It's been mentioned previously in several threads on Android Forums. AirDroid lets you connect your phone to a computer using your wireless network, bypassing the need of a USB cable (of course you still a cable for power/charging.) All you need is the AirDroid app on your phone and then you just use any web browser on your computer (Firefox, Chrome, IE, Safari, Opera, or whichever and it doesn't matter what operating system you're running) to connect the two together. You can then do all your file transferring via a browser window, no need to mess with any OS specific USB MTP/PTP or mass storage issues.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I will give that a try. But whenever I see a workaround proposed instead of a treatment of the underlying symptoms, I remain curious about what the cause of the original problem was.
 
It is really strange that you were able to use Android File Transfer without a problem and then just a few hours later nothing worked out. But I don't feel like AirDroid is a workaround solution at all, I think it's a much better way to transfer files between my S3 and any computer. (Although I did forget to mention previously that you do need to have your phone and computer on the same wireless network.) I can use any browser on my Linux, Windows, and OS X systems to copy files back and forth, no need to install anything on any computer, no need to have a USB cable handy, and (primarily Windows) no need to mess with any MTP <> PTP <>mass storage settings.
 
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