For some reason, it is a common belief that Android and Mac devices do not get along. This misconception may have been true in the infancy of Android, but today there is a long list of methods, applications and services that let you use your Android device with your Mac. It is impossible to cover all applications and services available, but share the best there is.
Most of the services listed below use the cloud to easily move data between devices, while other methods require the classical method of data transfer via USB connection.
How to use Android devices with a Mac?
Unlike what happens with the iPhone, transferring files is as easy as drag and drop. The way you do, however, depend on the version of Android you use your phone. You can not only synchronize documents on your Android device, but your phone can also function as a storage device for storing vital documents or help move files between computers.
Older Android devices have a USB storage mode that can be activated by plugging your device into your Mac, displaying the notification area and selecting the USB notification. From there, select “Turn on USB storage”.
Your Android phone appear as a drive on your desktop. Open it and you can move files to and from various folders on your phone.
When using this method, be sure to unmount your Android device before disconnecting it from your Mac. To do this, open the Finder and click the Eject icon next to your device. If you do not eject or dismount your device before disconnecting, can corrupt the storage of your device, which can result in loss of files.
Newer Android require you to use an application to synchronize files between two devices. Google recommends using Android File Transfer program (AFT), you can download Android.com/filetransfer. AFT explore the system folders of your Android device and drag and drop files between it and your Mac. The program is very basic, but it works.
While AFT is more than sufficient for basic file synchronization, other applications such as Droid NAS possible to easily share files wirelessly between your device and your Mac. The program works by making your phone or tablet appears as a shared computer on your Mac Finder, allowing you to transfer files without seeking a USB cable. I’ve been using this application and I love it.
Another way to wirelessly access files and other content from your Android device is to use AirDroid, a free service that lets you remotely access and modify files on your phone from a browser window. AirDroid 2 is currently in open beta and allow wirelessly manage a long list of items on your device. Or you can install the original version of AirDroid, if you do not want to try his luck with a beta.
There are a number of factors that determine how sincronizarás music files on your computer with an Android device. As you know, you could drag and drop your entire music library on your phone, but have some drawbacks. First, you do not want to have to do it every time you download a new song. Second, you may not have enough space on your device to store all those files.
Luckily, Google Music solves these problems and facilitates the synchronization of music. With Google Music, you can upload your entire music library (up to 20,000 songs) and transmit or download on your phone, provided you have Internet connection. And every time you download a new song on your Mac will be available on your phone.
To start with Google Music, you must first download the Music Manager application.
After downloading the application on your Mac, you’ll have to show you where to store your music. Once you’ve selected a folder to monitor, the application automatically upload your music to Google Music. This method not only provides a simple way to put your music on your device, it also frees up storage space that otherwise would occupy the music.
Once established your library, you can download any artist, album or playlist via Wi-Fi or cellular connection in the Android Music application. Just tap the tack or pin to start the download process.
Best of all is that you will not have to fight with iTunes when you sync music between your Mac and an Android device. You simply tell Music Manager where is your music library, when new files are added, they are automatically loaded. You can store 20,000 songs for free.
There are several ways to synchronize photos between your Android device and your Mac so that a copy will do in your Mac every time you take a photo. The good thing about some of these strategies is that, beyond the initial setup, you do not have to do anything to move the photos from your phone to your Mac. This type of system not only allows you to access photos on your computer, but also ensures that constantly have a copy of your photos in case you lose your phone. Before continuing, create a Dropbox account if you do not have one.
Dropbox provides a free way to make your photos are automatically synced through this service that offloads the Uploads folder from the camera on your Mac. This is the fastest way to move photos from your device to your Mac, but is not the only shape. SyncMate Expert will also help you achieve the same results, as will the AFT and Droid NAS applications, but not as Dropbox automatically.
There is also another application called DoubleTwist including AirSync complement. The application requires that you install software on your Android device and your Mac. Once installed and configured, you can synchronize your music, photos and videos wirelessly between the two devices.
Larger screens that usually have Android devices make them ideal for watching movies. But not only you have to rely on Netflix, Hulu Plus and HBO Go to entertain; you can load movies on your phone and watch them anywhere, even when you’re not online. Transfer movies or large video files from your Mac and Android will take time, so make sure to do so when you’re in a hurry.
Solutions like AirDroid, DoubleTwist, SyncMate, Droid NAS and AFT will allow you to transfer movies and videos to your Android device from your Mac. But keep in mind that some of the wireless services can be slower than the transfer cable offered by the application Android File Transfer.
Regardless of which method you choose, you’ll need to add any movie file to the Movies folder on your Android device. If the folder does not exist, create it.
You may have problems when you play various types of video files on your Android device, since the basic video player only works with certain formats. But if you prefer not to worry about it, download MX Player from Play Store and use it as main video player. It works with a long list of types of videos.
Of course, all this transfer videos quickly monopolize storage space, so consider incorporating a cloud solution. One option is to transmit videos stored in your Dropbox account by applying Dropbox. Please note that if you transmit video via a cellular connection, will exhaust your data plan.
Many of us would be completely disoriented if we lose the contacts of our agenda. Long time no longer need to memorize telephone numbers, addresses and birthdays, and now we are confident that our devices will store this vital information for us. Too long ago that a USB connection is no longer required to synchronize this information between devices, now service providers, such as Google and Apple, they are responsible for all our devices are updated with important information once linked to an account.
The good news is that Google and Apple really work well together when it comes to sync contacts and calendars. On your Mac, log on to the Contacts and Calendar applications on your Google account. You can do this by opening any application and navigating to the Preferences (from the menu bar, click the application name, then click “Preferences”). Once you can see the Preferences page, click the Accounts icon at the top. In Contacts, click application in “On My Mac” and then check the box to start synchronizing with Google. You’ll have to log in to the same Google Account that you used on your Android device.
The process in the Calendars application is similar, but instead of selecting “On My Mac”, you have to click the “+” sign at the end of the window and then select Google from the list of services you can add. As before, sign in with the same Google account as you did on your Android device.
On your Android device, open the Settings app and go to your Google Account in the Accounts section. Select the name of your account and make sure the box next to Calendar and Contacts is selected. Any changes made to this information is regularly synchronized wirelessly between your Android device and your Mac. Many times the changes are almost instantaneous, but there may be slight delays in synchronization.
If you’re using iCloud and prefer not to switch to Google services to your contacts and calendar, check the calendars or contacts SmoothSync applications. Any of these applications will allow iCloud to synchronize your information with your Android device.
Synchronization of tabs and bookmarks of your browser is one of those features that, once you start using them, you will not understand how you lived without them. It allows you to change your Mac to your smart (or vice versa) phone and continue browsing from where you left off. Instead of sending yourself an email or a message with a link, simply open your browser and everything will be waiting for you.
The easiest way to make sure your bookmarks, open tabs and other browser preferences are synchronized between your Mac and your Android device is using the Chrome browser, from Google.
If your Android device does not come with pre-installed Chrome, you can download it for free. And, of course, you need Chrome for Mac, which can be downloaded here.
Log on to Chrome on both devices with the same Google account and go to the Settings page. Check the box next to the services you want to sync.
Note that you’ll need to be using an Android device that uses Android 4.0 or later to install Chrome. If you have an older version of Android, you can try using SyncMate. The free version does not provide synchronization of bookmarks, so you will have to pay US $ 35 for the Expert version.
Obviously, we can not cover all applications or services to use an Android device with Mac, so if you have one you like, mention it in the comments. And if we lacked any category, let us know and we will add.