SendXa / Articles
Phone to phone
Send files from one phone to another — including iPhone to Android
Updated 2026-08-08 · 5 min read
Short answer
Open sendxa.app on both phones. On the sending phone tap the drop area and pick the photos or files; it shows a 9-digit ID and a 6-digit code. On the receiving phone tap Receive and enter them, or open the shared link. Files transfer at full original quality with nothing installed and no account — including between an iPhone and an Android, where AirDrop and Quick Share do not talk to each other.
Same-brand phones already have an answer: AirDrop between two iPhones, Quick Share between two Androids. Both are excellent and you should use them.
The problem is the mixed pair. iPhone to Android is the most common file transfer in the world that has no built-in solution, and the usual workaround — send it through a chat app — quietly recompresses the photos and video on the way. For a holiday video you want to keep, that is a real loss.
How to do it
On the sending phone, open sendxa.app in whichever browser is already there.
Tap the drop area and pick the photos, videos or documents. Several at once is fine.
The page shows a 9-digit ID and a 6-digit code. If the other phone is in front of you, read them out. If not, tap Share and send the link through any messaging app — the link works instead of the numbers.
On the receiving phone, open the same address, tap Receive, enter the numbers or open the link.
Tap Download on each file, or Download all, and leave both screens on until it is done.
iPhone to Android, and the format question
Files arrive exactly as they left, which for an iPhone means HEIC photos and HEVC video. Modern Android handles both, but older phones and some apps do not. If the receiving phone shows a broken thumbnail, the fix is on the sending side: Settings, Camera, Formats, Most Compatible, which makes the iPhone save new photos as JPEG and video as H.264.
Going the other way, Android to iPhone, the formats are usually JPEG and MP4 already, and everything opens without argument.
Where the files land
| Receiving phone | Location | To get media into the gallery |
|---|
| iPhone or iPad | Files app, in Downloads | Open it, tap Share, then Save Image or Save Video |
| Android | The Downloads folder, and in the notification shade | Usually picked up by the gallery automatically; if not, move it to Pictures or Movies |
Two phones, one thing to remember
Both screens need to stay awake. A phone that locks suspends its browser tab, and the transfer sits still until you wake it — it does not fail, it just waits. For a big batch of holiday photos, put both phones on charge, turn the auto-lock timeout up on both, and let it run.
Put both phones on the same Wi-Fi as well. The two browsers try to connect to each other directly, and when they succeed the files never leave your network and never touch mobile data. That direct route measured 3.6 seconds on a 6 MB file against 42.2 seconds when it had to go through the server.
Against the alternatives
| Method | iPhone to Android | Keeps original quality | Install needed |
|---|
| AirDrop | No | Yes | No |
| Quick Share | No | Yes | No, on Android |
| Chat app | Yes | Usually not | Both sides |
| Bluetooth | Not between iPhone and Android | Yes | No, but very slow |
| Cloud drive app | Yes | Yes | Both sides, plus an account |
| Browser transfer | Yes | Yes | No |
Between two iPhones or two Androids, use the built-in tool. For the mixed pair, this is the shortest route that does not cost you image quality or an install on someone else's phone.
Questions people actually ask
How do I send a video from an iPhone to an Android phone?
Open sendxa.app on the iPhone, tap the drop area and pick the video, then enter the ID and code on the Android — or send the link. The video arrives at full quality with nothing installed on either phone.
Is there an app to install?
No. It is a web page and it runs in Safari, Chrome or whatever browser the phone already has.
Will the photos lose quality?
No. The files arrive byte for byte identical. This is the main practical difference from sending them through a messaging app, which usually recompresses images and video.
Can I send to someone else's phone in another country?
Yes. Send them the link or read out the two numbers. When a direct connection between the phones cannot be made, the transfer relays through the server, which only forwards the data and never stores it.
Do both phones have to be on the same Wi-Fi?
No, but it is much faster if they are, because the two browsers then talk to each other directly instead of relaying through a server.
How many photos can I send at once?
Up to 500 files in one session, and you can add more later without the ID or code changing.
Try it with the file you are stuck on right now
Open the page on both devices, pick the file, read out two numbers. Nothing to install, no account, and the file never rests on our server.
Send a file now →