How do I send files directly between two devices?

Short answer

Both devices open FoxDL: one shows a 6-digit code, the other enters it, and the files move over an encrypted peer-to-peer link. No copy passes through a server we run, and there is no size limit beyond the space on the receiving device.

Reviewed 30 July 2026

This is the answer to "AirDrop refuses" and "the file is too big for the messaging app". The two devices negotiate a direct connection and the transfer runs between them.

The sender picks files, the receiver sees them arrive with speed and estimated time, and either side can send more without setting the session up again. A short interruption — switching apps, a lock screen — has a grace period rather than killing the transfer.

A signalling server introduces the two devices to each other; the file data itself does not go through it. On the Mac the free tier allows one session a day; on iPhone and iPad a session takes one allowance.

The long version Five ways to get a large file onto an iPhone, and when each is the right one Wi-Fi, device to device, cloud, WebDAV or a drive — which route suits which job.

Try it yourself

FoxDL is free to download. No account, no sign-up.

Download on the App Store