This App Makes It Easier to Communicate Between Android and Mac Devices.
I’m a former Android-Mac hybrid user. Laugh all you want—we exist.
I love having a polished operating system on my computer and an infinitely flexible operating system on my phone, and the combination of Mac and Android gives me both. I stopped using Android and Mac together just a couple of years ago, mainly because the iPhone SE was cheaper than most mid-range Android devices at the time.
But when I think about going back, I realize how much I’ll miss the integration. Using a Mac and iPhone gives me access to a ton of features. Among the ones I use most often are shared notifications, clipboard syncing, and easy file syncing. Plus, I can control my iPhone from my Mac . Android users can’t do any of these things on their Mac.
That’s where AirSync comes in handy. This open-source app, created by Sri Lankan developer Samira Sandakelum , integrates Android devices with macOS in a variety of ways. Android notifications appear on your Mac. You can sync your clipboard. It’s also easy to send files from your Android to your Mac’s Downloads folder and vice versa. And with a little setup, you can even control your Android device directly from your Mac.
Getting started is very simple. You need to download and install the app for Android and macOS . You’ll be asked to grant certain permissions on both devices, after which you can connect them by scanning a QR code. (It’s worth noting that you can only connect devices on the same Wi-Fi network.)
After this, you’ll start seeing Android notifications on your Mac—they’ll appear in native Mac notifications, or you can view existing ones within the app itself. You can even activate buttons that let you, for example, reply to text messages from notifications on your Mac. Items copied to the clipboard on one device will sync to the other. Additionally, on your Android device’s lock screen, you’ll see controls for media currently playing on your Mac.
It has a lot of nice features, and you can go even further by paying for AirSync+, which costs either $2.49 per month or a one-time fee of $50. This paid version of the app allows you to control your Android device, similar to iPhone mirroring. I tried this feature and was pleased, although you can set it up yourself using the free Scrcpy .
Other features of the paid version include controlling music on Android from your Mac, opening websites open on one device from another, and customizable app icons.
But even without these paid features, Airsync makes life a little easier for Mac/Android users. No missed notifications, more convenient file sharing, and clipboard syncing are all significant quality-of-life improvements, so give it a try if you’re tired of macOS and Android interoperating poorly.