How to transfer files from Android to iPhone (no cable)

Last updated: 2026-07-03

Android and iPhone do not share an AirDrop, so moving a few photos or a video between them usually means a USB cable, a chat app that compresses your images, or a round-trip through some cloud drive. All three are slower and more fiddly than they should be.

Relayium skips all of that. Both phones open the same web page, find each other, and the files travel directly between them — end-to-end encrypted, no app to install, no account for a realtime transfer. This guide walks through it step by step.

What you need before you start

Nothing to install and nothing to sign up for. Realtime transfers work straight from the browser on both devices.

An Android phone with Chrome (or any modern browser) and an iPhone with Safari — both up to date.
For the fastest path, put both devices on the same Wi-Fi network. If you can't, that's fine — a pairing code works across different networks too.
The files you want to send, up to 10 per batch.

Step by step: both devices on the same Wi-Fi

This is the simplest route. On the same network, the two phones discover each other automatically, so there is almost nothing to type.

On both the Android phone and the iPhone, open relayium.com in the browser.
Each device shows up as a nearby device on the other. On the sending phone, tap the receiving one.
Pick the files to send — up to 10 per batch — or just drag them in.
Both screens show the same 6-digit code. Check that they match; this is the verification code that proves no server has slipped in between you.
Accept on the receiving iPhone and the files transfer directly, then save to your device.

On different networks? Use a pairing code

You don't have to be on the same Wi-Fi. If the phones are on different networks — one on mobile data, the other on home Wi-Fi — Relayium can still connect them with a pairing code.

The sending device shows a short pairing code; enter it on the other phone (or open the share link it generates). The transfer still goes directly peer-to-peer whenever possible, and when a direct path isn't available it falls back to an encrypted TURN relay that only ever sees ciphertext — so the transfer stays end-to-end encrypted either way. If the connection drops mid-transfer, it can resume instead of starting over.

Other ways to move files between Android and iPhone

Relayium isn't the only option, and it's worth knowing the honest trade-offs of the alternatives:

Google's Quick Share and third-party apps like SHAREit move files quickly, but they need an install on both phones and Quick Share doesn't reach iPhones.
A cloud drive (Google Drive, iCloud, Dropbox) works when the other person is offline, but you upload and then download the same file twice, it counts against your quota, and the provider holds a copy.
Chat apps and email are everywhere, but they usually re-compress photos, cap attachment sizes, and are not end-to-end encrypted for file sharing.
A USB cable is reliable but needs the right adapter between USB-C and Lightning, plus a computer in the middle for many file types.

Will my photos lose quality?

No. Unlike a messaging app, Relayium sends the original file byte-for-byte — no re-compression, no resizing. What lands on the iPhone is an exact copy of what left the Android phone.

To prove it, each file is verified end-to-end with a SHA-256 hash, so a photo or video that arrives is guaranteed identical to the one you sent. Large files are handled well too: in Chrome and Edge the download streams straight to disk with no size cap, while Firefox and Safari buffer in memory, so on those keep a single transfer under about 200 MB.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to install an app on either phone?

No. Relayium runs entirely in the browser on both Android and iPhone. Open relayium.com on each device and you're ready — a realtime transfer needs no account and no download. You can optionally add it to your home screen as a PWA, but that's just a shortcut.

Do both phones have to be on the same Wi-Fi?

No. The same network is the fastest path because the devices discover each other automatically, but a pairing code connects two phones across different networks — even one on mobile data and one on Wi-Fi. The transfer stays end-to-end encrypted in both cases.

Are the photos compressed or changed in any way?

No. The original file is transferred byte-for-byte with no compression, and each file is checked end-to-end with a SHA-256 hash, so what arrives on the iPhone is bit-for-bit identical to what you sent from Android.

Open Relayium on both phones and send your first files across — no install, no account needed for realtime transfers.

Try Relayium now